Joplin Plugin: Backup

A plugin to extend Joplin with a manual and automatic backup function.

• Installation
  • Replace Joplin built-in plugin via GUI
  • Replace Joplin built-in plugin via file system
• Usage
• Options
• Keyboard Shortcuts
• What is backed up
• Restore
  • Settings
  • Notes
  • Restore a singel note
  • Full Joplin restore
• FAQ
  • Internal Joplin links betwen notes are lost
  • Combine multiple JEX Files to one
  • Open a JEX Backup file
  • Are Note History Revisions backed up?
  • Are all Joplin profiles backed up?
  • The Joplin build-in version of the plugin cannot be updated
  • Can I use a Backup to speed up first Joplin sync?
• Changelog

Installation

The plugin is installed as built-in plugin in Joplin version 2.14.6 and newer. The built-in plugin cannot be updated via GUI, to update to a other version replace the built-in version.

Replace Joplin built-in plugin via GUI

• Download the latest released JPL package (io.github.jackgruber.backup.jpl) from here
• Go to Tools > Options > Plugins in Joplin
• Click on the gear wheel and select Install from file
• Select the downloaded JPL file
• Restart Joplin

Replace Joplin built-in plugin via file system

• Download the latest released JPL package (io.github.jackgruber.backup.jpl) from here
• Close Joplin
• Got to your Joplin profile folder and place the JPL file in the plugins folder
• Start Joplin

Usage

First configure the Plugin under Tools > Options > Backup! The plugin must be configured separately for each Joplin profile.

Backups can be created manually with the command Tools > Create backup or are created automatically based on the configured interval. The backup started manually by Create backup respects all the settings except for the Backups interval in hours.

Options

Go to Tools > Options > Backup

Keyboard Shortcuts

Under Options > Keyboard Shortcuts you can assign a keyboard shortcut for the following commands:

• Create backup

What is backed up

• Notebooks as JEX export (Empty notebooks are not backed up)
• The settings.json (Joplin settings)
• The keymap-desktop.json (Keyboard shortcuts)
• The userchrome.css (Your Joplin customization)
• The userstyle.css (Your Joplin customization)
• The templates folder (Note templates)
• The plugin folder (All installed plugins, no plugin settings!)

Restore

Settings

To restore the Settings, copy the desired files from <Backup Path>\Profile to the Joplin directory .config\joplin-desktop.
The exact path can be found in Joplin under Tools > Options > General:

Notes

The notes are imported via File > Import > JEX - Joplin Export File.

Individual notes cannot be restored from the JEX file!

The notes are imported additionally, no check for duplicates is performed. If the notebook in which the note was located already exists in your Joplin, then a "(1)" will be appended to the folder name.

Restore a singel note

1. Create a new profile in Joplin via File > Switch profile > Create new Profile
2. Joplin switches automatically to the newly created profile
3. Import the Backup via File > Import > JEX - Joplin Export File
4. Search for the desired note
5. In the note overview, click on the note on the right and select Export > JEX - Joplin Export File
6. Save the file on your computer
7. Switch back to your orginal Joplin profil via File > Switch profile > Default
8. Import the exported note via File > Import > JEX - Joplin Export File and select the file from step 6

Full Joplin restore

See the guide for a Full Joplin restore

FAQ

Internal Joplin links betwen notes are lost

If several JEX files are imported and the notes have links to each other, these links will be lost. Therefore it is recommended to create a Single JEX Backup!

Combine multiple JEX Files to one

By combining the JEX files into one, the Joplin internal links will work again after the import.

1. Open one of the JEX files in a ZIP program like 7-Zip
2. Open a second JEX and add all files to the first JEX
3. Repeat step 2 for all files
4. Import first JEX which now contains all notes

Open a JEX Backup file

A Joplin JEX Backup file is a tar archive which can be opened with any zip program that supports TAR archive. The file names in the archive correspond to the Joplin internal IDs.

Are Note History (Revisions) backed up?

A JEX backup file does not contain any note history (revisions). It contains the notebooks, notes and attachments as they were at the time the backup was made.

Are all Joplin profiles backed up?

No, the backup must be configured for each profile. Profiles that are not active are not backed up, even if a backup has been configured.

The Joplin build-in version of the plugin cannot be updated

Yes, the build-in version only gets updates with Joplin updates, but can be replaced as described in the Installation step.

Can I use a Backup to speed up first Joplin sync?

No, because all items in the backup will get newunique IDs are assigned in Joplin during the import (however links between notes will be maintained). If this device is then synchronized with a synchronization target in which other clients already synchronize with the same notes, all notes are then available multiple times on the devices. Therefore, the same note is then available with different IDs in Joplin.

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md