Import & Export

A backup is a single encrypted .pocketcmd file holding your servers, keys, settings and the other data listed below. Use it to move to a new device or to keep a copy of your setup. Both directions are in Settings › Data: Export Data creates a backup and Import Data restores one.

Creating a backup

1. Open Settings › Data › Export Data.
2. Under Select Data to Export, choose the sections to include. All are selected by default.
3. Tap Create Encrypted Backup.
4. PocketCmd generates a random 32-character password and shows it once. Copy it and store it somewhere safe, such as a password manager. The copied password is cleared from the clipboard after 45 seconds.
5. Use Save to… to pick a location for the file, or Share to send it to another app.

The file is named pocketcmd_backup_<date>_<time>.pocketcmd.

Caution

You don’t choose the backup password, and PocketCmd doesn’t keep it. A backup whose password is lost can’t be restored.

Section	Contents
Servers	SSH and SFTP connections with their credentials
Groups & Tags	Server groups and tag assignments
Sessions	Multi-server sessions and layouts
SSH Keys	Keys with their private key material
Custom layouts	Split-pane layouts you created
Snippets & folders	Saved snippets, runbooks and their folders
App preferences	Theme and terminal settings

Always included: command templates, dashboards and their metric cards, alert configurations, SFTP bookmarks and port forwarding rules.

Not included:

• Items in the secrets vault, personal or team. They move between devices through sync instead.
• The pairing with a PocketCmd Server and your team membership. Pair the new device or join with an invite.
• Known host keys. Each host’s key is verified again on the first connection.
• The transfer queue and metric history.

Encryption

The backup is encrypted with AES-256-GCM. The key is derived from the generated password with Argon2id using 64 MiB of memory, 3 iterations and 1 lane, the same parameters PocketCmd uses for the app password. The password, salt and nonce are new for every backup, and the file is unreadable without the password, so it is safe to send over email or keep in cloud storage.

Restoring a backup

1. Open Settings › Data › Import Data. On a new phone, the setup assistant’s Restore a backup opens the same screen.
2. Tap Select PocketCmd Backup File and pick the .pocketcmd file. On iOS, save it to Files or iCloud Drive first so the picker can find it.
3. Enter the backup password and tap Decrypt and Preview. PocketCmd shows what the backup contains and when it was exported.
4. Under Select data to import, choose the sections to restore, then tap Import Selected Data.

Files over 50 MB are refused.

How a restore merges with existing data

A restore only adds what is missing. Every item carries a stable ID, and an item that already exists on the device is left as it is, so restoring an old backup never reverts a server you have edited since. A group or tag whose ID matches an existing one with different content is imported under a new ID.

If the backup holds an SSH key’s details without its private key, that key is not restored and the app names it after the import.

On Free, restored items over the Free limits are saved but arrive locked. See Free and Pro.