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Backing up and restoring

Back up all your Mimir notes to one file on a Mac, and restore them from that file.

A backup is a copy of all your notes in one file. On a Mac, Mimir makes the copy for you and can put it back. With Cloud Sync on, that backup includes the notes you write on iPhone and iPad.

Backing up your notes

  1. Choose File > Back Up Notes… in the menu bar.
  2. Choose where to save the copy.

Mimir names the copy with today’s date, for example mimir-backup-2026-10-11.db. It doesn’t save the copy in the folder that holds your notes.

Time Machine and other backup tools copy the file while Mimir runs. Quit Mimir before the backup tool starts, or let the tool back up a copy made with Back Up Notes….

Exporting your notes is safe while Mimir runs, but it isn’t a backup Mimir can restore.

Restoring a backup

  1. Choose File > Restore from Backup… in the menu bar.
  2. Choose your backup file.
  3. Read the warning, then choose Replace My Notes.

Mimir restarts with the notes from the backup. Mimir keeps a copy of your notes from before the restore, named mimir-before-restore.db, in the folder that holds mimir.db.

With Cloud Sync on

With Cloud Sync on, Mimir can’t restore a backup, because Cloud Sync would bring back everything written after the backup. Instead, Restore from Backup… shows the steps below, with an Open Cloud Sync button for the first one. To restore, start Cloud Sync over.

Erase your synced notes. Your eight words stop working.

Choose File > Restore from Backup… again and restore the backup.

Turn on Cloud Sync with the same license key. You get new eight words.

Empty each of your other devices.

  1. Quit Mimir.
  2. In Finder, choose Go > Go to Folder… and enter ~/Library/Application Support.
  3. Move the mimir folder to the Trash. It holds the database and the files Mimir keeps next to it.
  4. Open Mimir. It starts with no notes.

Delete Mimir from the device and install it again.

Add each device with the new eight words. It gets the notes from the backup.

If Mimir doesn’t open

Without Cloud Sync, you can put a backup back by hand:

  1. Open the folder described in Where your notes live.
  2. Delete mimir.db-wal and mimir.db-shm, if they’re there. They belong to the current database and can damage the backup you put in its place.
  3. Replace mimir.db with your backup copy. Rename the copy to mimir.db if it has a different name.
  4. Open Mimir.

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