Backing Up and Restoring Your Vault

To ensure you never lose your carefully categorized collection, GIF Vault includes a full backup and restore system. You can save your entire vault as a single file, transfer it to a new device, or restore it if needed.

Backup Files vs. iCloud Sync

iCloud Sync and backup files serve different purposes. iCloud Sync keeps one current vault updated across your devices. A .gvexport file is a separate snapshot that you create manually and can keep for recovery or transfer.

We recommend creating periodic backup files even when iCloud Sync is enabled. Sync sends changes and deletions to your other devices, so it is not a historical archive of earlier versions of your vault.

How to Export a Backup

1. Navigate to the Settings tab (the gear icon) in GIF Vault.
2. Scroll down to the Maintenance section.
3. Tap Export a Backup.
4. The app will compile your media, notes, tags, dates, and usage history into a ZIP-based file with a .gvexport extension. Backup files are not encrypted or password-protected, so store them privately.
5. A system document picker will appear. Select a destination (such as iCloud Drive or On My iPhone) to save your backup file.

You can also open a .gvexport file from Files or another app. GIF Vault will ask whether you want to replace the current vault before it starts restoring.

How to Restore from a Backup

Restoring a backup will overwrite your current vault. Please ensure you are restoring the correct file.

1. Navigate to the Settings tab and scroll to the Maintenance section.
2. Tap Import a Backup.
3. The system document picker will open. Browse and select your saved .gvexport file.
4. A confirmation warning will appear: "Would you like to replace the contents of your vault with the selected backup file?"
5. Tap Replace.
6. Wait while GIF Vault replaces the vault contents.
7. When the restore finishes, a Restored! notification will confirm that your vault now contains the backup's images.