To back up JW Library, open the app, go to the settings menu, choose the backup option, and save the resulting file to your device or cloud storage. To restore, open the same menu, pick restore, and select that saved file. That is the short version, and it works whether you are moving to a new phone, reinstalling the app, or just want a safety copy of your notes and highlights. The rest of this jw library backup and restore guide walks through the details for Android, iOS, and the Windows and Mac versions, because the steps differ slightly on each, and I will cover what actually gets saved, what does not, and how to merge two backups when you have data spread across devices.
What a JW Library backup actually contains
A backup file holds your personal study data, not the publications themselves. That means your highlights, notes, bookmarks, tags, and the input you have typed into study projects and workbooks. It does not include the Bibles, books, or media files you have downloaded, and it does not include your app settings like font size or theme.
This distinction matters. When you restore a backup onto a fresh install, the app will not magically re-download every publication you had before. You will need to download those again from the library, which is quick over Wi-Fi. The backup simply drops your personal markings back into place once the matching publications are present. If a publication you highlighted is not installed on the device you restore to, the highlights for it still live inside the backup and will show up once you download that publication.
The file itself uses a .jwlibrary extension. It is a compressed package, and you can rename it to something meaningful like "phone-backup-march.jwlibrary" so you can tell your files apart later. Keep the extension intact, though, or the app will not recognize it.
How to backup the JW Library app on each platform
The wording on the buttons is nearly identical across platforms, but the path to reach them varies, so here is each one.
Android and iOS
On a phone or tablet, tap the menu icon (the three lines or your profile area, depending on your version), then open Settings. Look for a Backup and Restore section. Tap Create Backup or Back Up Now. The app builds the file and then hands it to your device's share sheet, so you can save it to Google Drive, iCloud, Files, email it to yourself, or drop it into any cloud app you have installed.
I would send it somewhere off the device rather than leaving it in local storage only. If the phone breaks or gets wiped, a backup sitting in that phone's internal storage disappears with it. Cloud storage or a copy on your computer is the safer bet.
Windows and Mac
The desktop app follows the same idea. Open the app, go to the menu, and find Backup and Restore under Settings. Choose to create a backup, then pick a folder on your computer to save the .jwlibrary file. From there you can copy it to an external drive or a cloud folder.
One nice thing about the desktop version is that you control exactly where the file lands, so you can keep a dated folder of backups and hold on to several versions. That habit has saved people who realized weeks later that they accidentally deleted a batch of notes.
Restoring a backup
Restoring pulls the personal data from a backup file into the app you are using now. Open Settings, go to Backup and Restore, and choose Restore. Browse to your .jwlibrary file, select it, and confirm. The app reads the file and applies your notes, highlights, and bookmarks.
Give it a moment on large backups. If you have years of study notes, the restore can take a bit longer than the backup did. Once it finishes, open a couple of publications you know you had marked up and check that your highlights are there. If a publication is missing, download it and your markings for it will appear.
A word of caution: on older versions of the app, a restore would overwrite whatever was already in the app rather than combining it. Newer versions handle this more gracefully, but if you are not sure which behavior your version uses, back up the current device first before you restore an older file onto it. That way you cannot lose anything.
JW Library backup merge: combining data from two devices
This is the part people find confusing. Say you have notes on your phone and different notes on your tablet, and you want everything in one place. A jw library backup merge is the way to get there, and the good news is that current versions of the app merge on restore rather than wiping.
Here is the practical approach. Pick the device you want to end up as your main one. Restore the backup from your second device onto it. The app compares the incoming data with what is already there and adds anything new instead of replacing the lot. Your notes from both devices end up together. Then create a fresh backup from that combined device so you have a single file with everything, and restore that onto your other devices so they all match.
The merge is not flawless in every edge case. If you edited the exact same note on both devices, the app has to make a choice, and you might see a duplicate rather than a clean combination. It is worth scanning through your notes after a merge to tidy up any doubles. For highlights and bookmarks the merge is cleaner, since those are simpler pieces of data.
If you are nervous about a merge, do a trial run. Back up both devices first, then merge on one, and check the result. If something looks wrong, you still have both original backups to fall back on.
Keeping backups on a schedule
There is no automatic cloud sync built into JW Library the way there is for some apps, so backups are manual. That puts the responsibility on you. I set a reminder to back up once a month, and before any big change like a phone upgrade or an app reinstall, I make an extra one on the spot.
Name your files with dates and keep the last three or four. Storage is cheap and a .jwlibrary file is small, usually well under a few megabytes even with heavy note-taking. Holding on to a short history means that if you accidentally delete something and do not notice for a while, you can reach back to an older file and recover it.
If you want to go deeper on features, hidden settings, and troubleshooting for the app across devices, the walkthroughs and tips at the JW Library app blog pair well with this backup routine, since a reliable backup habit is what lets you experiment with new settings, reinstall to fix glitches, or move to a new device without worrying about losing the notes and highlights you have built up over time.
FAQ
Does a JW Library backup include the Bibles and publications I downloaded?
No. The backup only stores your personal data, meaning notes, highlights, bookmarks, and tags. Publications and media are not included, so after restoring you download those again from the library, and your markings reattach to them automatically.
Will restoring a backup delete my current notes?
On current versions the app merges the backup with what is already there rather than deleting your existing notes. Older versions could overwrite, so if you are unsure of your version, create a backup of the current device before restoring an older file onto it.
How do I move my JW Library notes to a new phone?
Back up on the old phone and save the .jwlibrary file to cloud storage or email it to yourself. Install JW Library on the new phone, download the publications you want, then open Settings, choose Restore, and select that backup file. Your notes and highlights come across.
Can I open a .jwlibrary backup file to read its contents?
Not in a normal way. The file is a compressed package meant for the app to read, not for browsing. Trying to edit it manually risks corrupting it, so treat it as a sealed file and let the app handle backup and restore.
How often should I back up the app?
Manual backups are the only option, so a monthly reminder works well for most people. Always make an extra backup right before reinstalling the app, updating your device, or switching to a new one, since those are the moments you are most likely to lose data.
Getting the most from your backup routine
Backing up JW Library takes under a minute once you know where the button is, and it is the difference between shrugging off a broken phone and losing years of study notes. Try it now: open the app, find Backup and Restore in settings, create a file, and save it somewhere off the device. If you have notes scattered across a phone and a tablet, use the merge steps above to pull them into one place, then push that single combined backup back out to every device so they finally match.
Once you've worked through jw library backup and restore guide, share this guide with anyone else who might be dealing with the same thing.
