Export all scores, audio, setlists, annotations, tags, and settings as a `.ppbk` file, then restore it when moving devices or protecting a major cleanup.

App Data Backup / Restore

Use this when you want to preserve the whole current state of PagePilot Viewer before moving to a new device or doing a major cleanup. Scores, audio, songs, setlists, annotations, tags, and settings are exported together as one .ppbk file.

This is not an everyday sync feature. If you only want to send one song or one setlist to someone else, use Send Song or Send Setlist instead.

App Data Backup section in Global Settings

What Is Included

A backup contains the user's PagePilot Viewer data as a whole. It includes score PDFs and images, audio files, text pages, annotations, setlists, tags, and app settings so another device can reproduce the same app state.

The backup covers data inside the app. It does not back up the public website, the app binary, OS-level file locations, or the device's photo library.

When to Create One

Before moving to a new device
Before reorganizing a large score or setlist library
Before a show, as a safety copy of the current state
When moving the whole library between an iPhone or iPad and an Android smartphone or tablet

You do not need to create one during every rehearsal. The file size grows with your scores and audio, so check the destination's free space before exporting.

"Back Up App Data"

Exports all current app data as a .ppbk file. Before the export starts, the app shows an approximate size so you can confirm that iCloud Drive, Google Drive, external storage, or another destination has enough room.

After the file is created, choose where to save it from the system share sheet. For device migration, save it somewhere the new device can access.

Before You Restore

Restore is not an add or merge operation. The selected .ppbk replaces the PagePilot Viewer data currently on this device.

If the destination device has data you may want to keep, create a backup from that device first. After restore, the previous state cannot be recovered from the restore operation itself.

"Restore from Backup"

Choose a .ppbk file and replace the current app data with its contents. All scores, audio, setlists, annotations, tags, and settings currently on this device are changed to match the backup.

After restore is staged, the app must be opened again before the change is applied. On Android, a "restart now" action may be available. On iPhone or iPad, follow the instructions to fully close the app and open it again.

When Restore Cannot Continue

The backup was created by a newer version of the app
The device or destination does not have enough free space
The .ppbk file is damaged or was not fully downloaded
You selected a sharing archive such as .ppva instead of a backup

In these cases, the app stops before replacing the current data. Update PagePilot Viewer to the latest version, make sure the backup file is fully available, and try again.

Examples

When replacing a device, create the backup on the old device and restore it on the new one. When sharing one song with a bandmate, use sharing instead of backup. When creating a safety copy before a show, save it somewhere reachable later, such as cloud storage.

Start from "App Data Backup" in Global Settings.
To send one song, use Send Song.
To send a whole setlist, use Send Setlist.