---
title: "Library Backup"
description: "Download a zip of your library so it lives somewhere other than one bucket."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bookhoarder.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Library Backup

1. **Open Settings → Backup**

   Admin only — from any profile's Settings, there's a **Backup**
   category.
2. **Pick what to include**

   Metadata only (fast, small) or metadata plus every EPUB and cover
   file.
3. **Download**

   A zip streams straight to your browser as `Download backup`.

## What's in the zip

- **Metadata only** (the default) — every book's title, author,
  description, tags, series, and reading state, plus your shelves and
  server settings. No EPUB or cover bytes, so it's small and fast
  regardless of library size.
- **Include EPUB and cover files** — an opt-in switch that adds every
  book's actual files on top of the metadata above. Settings shows a
  rough size estimate before you download.

Either way, the zip's internal paths mirror the storage layout exactly —
restoring is unzipping it back into your storage bucket (keeping the
folder structure) and restarting the app. There's no restore button; this
is a one-way export.

## Notes

- The download streams as it's built, so memory use stays flat no matter
  how large your library is — a backup with files included doesn't load
  the whole thing into memory first
- Backups are disabled entirely on the public demo build, alongside
  uploads and other admin actions
- See [Profiles & Access](/features/profiles) for what "admin" means on a
  shared install

Source: https://docs.bookhoarder.dev/features/backup/index.mdx