--- url: https://lettuceai.app/docs/backup-restore title: "Backup & Restore — LettuceAI" description: "Create encrypted, password-protected backups of your LettuceAI data and restore them on the same device or a new one." --- Menu # Backup & Restore Backup & Restore lets you save a complete, encrypted snapshot of your LettuceAI data to a single file you control. You can keep the file as a long-term archive, copy it to external storage, or use it to move your setup to another device. Every backup is encrypted with a password you choose. Unencrypted backups are not supported. If you lose the password, the data cannot be recovered. ## Creating a backup Open **Settings → Backup & Restore** and tap **Create new backup**. You will be asked to choose a password (minimum 6 characters) and confirm it. The app then bundles your data into a single encrypted `.lettuce` file and writes it to your Downloads folder. The backup file is a password-protected archive. Each piece of data inside is encrypted before it is written, using a key derived from your password. Choose a password you will remember The password is required to restore. There is no recovery option, no reset link, and no server-side copy. If you forget it, the backup is unreadable. ## What gets included A backup contains the data you have created and configured in the app, including: - Providers, models, and downloaded model references - Characters, personas, chats, and group chats - Memories, dynamic memory entries, and their saved embeddings - Prompt and chat templates, lorebooks, and creation helper sessions - Usage history - Preferences, settings, and advanced settings - Media attached to your data, including generated images Backups keep the saved memory embeddings as the source of truth, so restored characters can use dynamic memory immediately without having to re-process every past message. Your advanced settings are carried over as well, so a restored device matches the original setup. The backup also records the app version and a manifest so the app knows how to restore it correctly on a future version. ## Restoring on the same device On the Backup & Restore screen, your existing `.lettuce` files in Downloads are listed automatically. Tap one, enter the password used when it was created, and confirm. Restore replaces current data Restoring overwrites the data currently in the app. This cannot be undone, so create a fresh backup first if you might want your current state back later. If a backup is not visible in the list, use **Browse Files** to pick it manually from any location on your device. ### Dynamic memory and the embedding model If the backup contains characters that use dynamic memory, the app checks whether the embedding model is installed. If it is missing, you can either download the model and continue with dynamic memory enabled, or finish the restore with dynamic memory disabled for the affected characters. You can install the model and re-enable it later from character settings. ## Restoring on another device Copy the `.lettuce` file to the other device (USB drive, file share, cloud storage of your choice, anywhere you trust), install LettuceAI there, open **Settings → Backup & Restore**, tap **Browse Files**, select the file, and enter the password. The new device will have the same chats, characters, settings, and memories as the device where the backup was created. ## Exporting a single chat Separate from full backups, you can export one conversation on its own from the chat. This uses the widely supported SillyTavern `.jsonl` chat format, with one message per line, so the file can be opened or imported in other tools that understand that format. The exported file includes the message text, who sent each message, timestamps, and the character and persona names. A single-chat export is a convenience for moving or sharing one conversation. It is plain text and is not encrypted, and it does not include your providers, keys, settings, or memories. Use a full encrypted backup when you want to move your whole setup or keep a secure archive. You can also import a SillyTavern `.jsonl` chat file back into the app to bring an exported conversation in. ## How this differs from Sync Backup and Sync solve different problems. Sync transfers data directly between two devices that are online at the same time on the same network. Backup produces a portable file you keep yourself. - **Backup:** a single encrypted file. Works offline. Can be stored anywhere. Good for archives, moving to a device that is not yet online, or recovering from a reset. - **Sync:** a live peer-to-peer transfer between two devices over the local network. No file is produced. ## Deleting backups Each backup in the list has a delete action. Deleting a backup removes the `.lettuce` file from your Downloads folder permanently. It does not affect the data currently in the app. ## Factory reset A factory reset wipes the app back to its first-launch state. It is available under **Settings → About → Reset** (or the Reset entry in Settings). The reset removes: - Providers, models, characters, personas, and chats - Memories and usage history - Preferences, settings, and cached data - Attachments, avatars, and generated images - Downloaded local models and engines: the embedding model, speech to text (Whisper) and voice (Kokoro) models, and the local image generation engine along with its models and LoRAs Because a reset also deletes the local models you downloaded, you will need to download them again afterward if you want to keep using on-device features like dynamic memory, voice, or local image generation. Reset is permanent Reset cannot be undone. Once it finishes, the app exits. Create a backup first if there is anything you might want back. A backup file stored outside the app (for example, in Downloads or on external storage) is the only way to get your data back after a reset, so export one before resetting if it matters to you. [ PreviousUsage ](/docs/usage)[ NextFAQ ](/faq)