Back up your budget before moving devices

Choose the file that fits the job

A full Penniva backup preserves transactions, transfers, splits, categories, tags, budgets, rules, accounts, net worth history, recurring items, loans, import history and local settings. Full local backup and restore, including password protection, are Free. They remain available if Pro ends.

Transaction CSV is for spreadsheets and manual interchange. It does not preserve transfers, splits, tags, recurring schedules, budgets, net worth history or record identities. Export a CSV when you want a transaction table; choose a full backup when you want to move or recover your Penniva setup.

Before starting, choose a trusted storage destination outside Penniva and a safe place for the backup passphrase. Have enough space for the file. Keep your original device and its records available until you have checked the destination.

1. Create a protected backup

Open More → Data & Privacy on iPhone, or Data & Privacy from the iPad navigation. Under Full Backup, leave Password protection on.

Enter a Backup passphrase, then enter it again in Confirm passphrase. Follow the app’s length guidance and keep the passphrase somewhere safe, separate from the backup file. Choose Create Protected Backup and wait for the result.

Password protection encrypts the exported file. Penniva cannot recover a forgotten passphrase. An unencrypted backup exposes its financial history to anyone who can read the file, so choose that option only when you understand the storage and compatibility tradeoff.

2. Save the file outside the app

When creation finishes, choose Share Protected Backup and save the file to your trusted destination. Check that the saved file is present and that you can locate it later. The screen’s “ready” status means a backup was created in that session; it does not confirm that you saved a lasting copy elsewhere.

Keep the file intact, with a date or location you can recognize. Store its passphrase separately. Making a new backup after meaningful changes gives you a more recent point to return to; creating a backup does not schedule future backups automatically.

3. Check compatibility before moving records

The destination needs a Penniva version that supports the backup’s format and, for a protected file, password protection. A newer backup is not guaranteed to work with an older app. Using current compatible versions on both devices avoids many mismatches, but Penniva still checks the actual backup.

If the app reports an unsupported or incompatible backup, keep the original file and device. Follow the error’s guidance about updating; do not discard the source data or try to modify the backup’s contents. Support can help interpret the message without needing your full backup or passphrase.

4. Understand replacement before restoring

Restore replaces all Penniva data on the destination device. It does not merge two budgets. If that device already contains records you want to retain, save its own full backup first and decide which dataset you intend to keep.

When you are ready to move the chosen dataset, open Data & Privacy → Restore Full Backup → Choose Penniva Backup on the destination. For a protected file, enter its passphrase and choose Unlock and Check Backup. Penniva checks the file before presenting the replacement confirmation.

Read the summary of the backup’s contents and the replacement warning. Only choose Replace With This Backup if the selected file is the dataset you intend to use. Close other Penniva windows if the app asks. Penniva creates an automatic safety copy as part of restore, but you should still keep the separate backups you saved yourself.

After a successful restore, inspect accounts, recent transactions, budgets and recurring items before putting the source device aside.

How optional iCloud sync differs

A backup is a saved recovery file. Optional Cloud Sync keeps supported records aligned across your own devices and has its own setup and source-choice checks. It requires Pro, iOS/iPadOS 17 or later, compatible Penniva versions, the same iCloud account, connectivity, sufficient iCloud storage and explicit opt-in.

A restored backup does not carry another device’s active sync session with it. Follow the app’s Cloud Sync setup and source-choice prompts if you later enable it. Sync is not an independent archive of every earlier state, so keep full backups for the recovery points you want to retain.