Journal backup vs. HTML export: which copy do you need?
Changing phones, keeping an offline reading copy or sharing memories? Compare a restorable journal backup with an HTML export for each situation.
Choose the copy for the situation
A journal backup and an HTML export solve different problems. A backup lets you restore the app after a phone change. An HTML memory package lets you keep reading your memories on a computer without opening the app. Neither file automatically includes entries you add after exporting it.
For an iPhone journal stored locally, keeping both can be useful: one copy protects your ability to continue using the app, while the other keeps your writing readable outside it.
Before changing phones: keep a restorable backup
If your next step is installing Stops & Stories on a new phone, keep a current full .stopsandstories backup. It contains the app records, related media and settings needed for restoration. An HTML package cannot take its place.
Restoring replaces data already in the destination app; it does not merge two journals. If both phones contain entries you want to keep, preserve a separate backup of each before choosing which one to restore. See the backup and restore guide for the exact steps.
For reading outside the app: keep an HTML package
If you want to revisit your writing and photos on a computer, choose an HTML memory package. After fully extracting the ZIP, open index.html in a desktop browser. Keep the extracted folders together so the page can find its media. Once those files are on the computer, you can read offline.
This is a reading copy, not an editable app database or a recovery file. Some video or Live Photo files may need a compatible local player when a browser preview is unavailable. Ordinary photos may already have been compressed on import; exporting cannot recreate the originals from your photo library. The HTML export guide explains how to open and keep the package.
Where does iCloud Drive fit?
You do not need a third file format to keep a cloud copy. iCloud Drive can store the same full backup file you would otherwise keep on a computer or external drive. Save the file there manually and confirm it is available outside the original phone.
This does not turn the journal into an automatically synced service. New memories and edits require another export. The iCloud Drive guide explains how to save and retrieve that file.
Compare the outcomes
| What do you need? | Full .stopsandstories backup |
HTML memory package |
|---|---|---|
| Restore records into the app | Yes; replaces destination data | No |
| Read without the app on a computer | Not its purpose | Yes, after fully extracting the ZIP |
| Keep related media | Included in the backup | Included with the reading pages |
| Keep a copy outside the phone | Save to a computer, external drive or file service | Keep the whole exported package |
| Include later edits automatically | No; export again | No; export again |
Before sharing a copy
A readable package is not automatically a public version of your journal. It can contain private writing, people information, locations and media metadata. Review what it includes before sending it to anyone.
For a support request, the app version, iOS version and reproduction steps are usually enough; you do not need to attach your full journal. To show a single moment, a reviewed share image may be more suitable than an entire archive.
The backup and export feature page describes what the app supports. For the reasoning behind local storage and keeping a recovery copy, read why we keep journals locally.