How To Back Up, Export, and Restore SheevChat Data

SheevChat can create complete manual or automatic backups, selectively restore a backup, or export smaller data sets for migration.

Create a Complete Backup

Open Settings → General → Backup & Restore or the matching Data Manager shortcut.

  1. Choose a safe backup destination outside SheevChat's active data folder.
  2. Choose whether to include Marketplace items, Action Library content, custom sounds, and Media Library files.
  3. Choose whether private connected-account credentials should be included. This remains off by default.
  4. Click Back Up Now.

Large Media Libraries can make the archive much larger and slower. SheevChat checks destination space and finishes the backup atomically so an interrupted partial archive is not presented as complete.

Configure Automatic Backups

Enable startup and/or shutdown backups, then choose how many completed automatic backups SheevChat should retain.

  • Startup backups protect the state you are about to use.
  • Shutdown backups capture the state at the end of the session.
  • Retention applies only to backup files managed by that configured backup schedule.

Keep the destination on a reliable local or attached drive that is available at the scheduled time.

Preview and Selectively Restore

  1. Open Backup & Restore.
  2. Select a SheevChat backup archive.
  3. Preview its manifest and detected content.
  4. Choose the settings, database data, Marketplace content, sounds, Media Library files, or account credentials you intend to restore.
  5. Review warnings and begin the restore.

SheevChat creates a recovery backup before changing active data. Restored app data becomes authoritative after restart. If startup validation cannot complete, SheevChat can roll back to the recovery point rather than leaving a partial restore active.

Account credentials are separated from portable settings and data. Restore them only on a trusted computer and only when you intentionally included them in the archive.

Export Selected Data for Migration

  1. Open Data Manager.
  2. Select Data Migration.
  3. Expand Export SheevChat Data.
  4. Check the data you want to keep:
  • Loyalty Points and Watchtime
  • Quotes and Birthdays
  • Counters and Lists
  • Commands, Timers, and Automations
  1. Click Export Selected.

Use this smaller export workflow when moving only loyalty, quotes, commands, or another supported data set. A complete Backup & Restore archive is the better disaster-recovery option.

Import a Data Migration Export

  1. Open Data Manager → Data Migration on the destination installation.
  2. Choose the SheevChat ZIP or JSON export you want to restore.
  3. Preview the import before committing it.
  4. Review every detected data type and deselect anything you do not want.
  5. Resolve command or timer conflicts shown in the preview.
  6. For Points and Watchtime, choose the correct platform and merge behavior:
  • Add to existing combines imported values with current values.
  • Replace existing overwrites current values for matching viewers.
  1. Complete the import, then confirm the restored items in Data Manager and Bot Commands.

Important Notes

  • Create a fresh backup before using Replace existing.
  • Quote imports skip duplicates.
  • A partial Data Migration export is useful for transferring one system; a complete Backup & Restore archive is better for disaster recovery.
  • Media Library files and account credentials are optional complete-backup selections, not ordinary Data Migration items.
  • Do not restore an archive from an untrusted source. Backup preview and validation reduce risk but do not make unknown private data trustworthy.
  • CSV and TXT list imports are handled in the Lists section of Data Manager, not by the full backup restore.
  • Advanced Config Storage can move config.json and its rotating backups to a stable custom folder, but it is not a replacement for an independent export. See How To Change SheevChat's Config Storage Folder.