Export & import config (move a device)

In short: this moves a whole device to another machine.

Under Settings → Storage you export your current device into a single encrypted file, then import it on another copy of UniClipboard (a fresh install is typical; importing onto a machine that's already in use replaces what's on it). After it restarts, your clipboard history, settings, and pairings with other devices are all still there — no re-pairing needed.

When to use it

• Switching from the portable build to the installer. The portable build (the no-install "green" build you can run off a USB stick) can't auto-update in-app, so many people want to move to the installer for the long run. But simply copying the portable data folder next to the installer does not work — the installer never reads from there, and the two builds store keys differently, so copying files won't carry them. This is exactly what issue #1110 is about. Export / import does the switch cleanly, including no re-pairing.
• New computer. Retiring an old machine — move the whole setup over.
• Backup / restore. Keep an encrypted file as a snapshot and restore it on a freshly installed machine if something goes wrong.

Terms like "portable / installer build" and "identity / NodeId" are explained in plain words the first time they show up — read on if a term is unfamiliar.

Two things to know first

1. Import replaces the target machine's config. Whatever space, history, and pairings are on the target get overwritten by the imported ones. A brand-new install is the typical case, but importing onto a machine that's already in use works too — it just overwrites it. There's no separate "reset first" step. See What if the target is already in use.
2. The machine must be unlocked when you export. Unlocking is the step where you type your sync passphrase to open your history. It's an authorization gate — it stops someone from quietly exporting the identity and data off a locked machine. There's no separate export password to set: the file is sealed with your Space passphrase, so importing it later asks for that same passphrase.

Export (on the device you're moving away from)

1. Open Settings → Storage, find the Config backup / migration group, and click Export config.
2. Choose where to save it. (No password prompt — see below.)
3. You get an encrypted .ucbundle file. It bundles your clipboard history, settings, device identity, and key material — all encrypted with your Space passphrase. Without that passphrase no one can open it.

Transfer the .ucbundle file to the target machine (USB stick, cloud drive, LAN file transfer — anything works). The file itself is encrypted, so the transfer is safe to observe. Anyone who imports it needs your Space passphrase.

Import (on the new device)

Importing replaces whatever is on this machine (see point 1 above). A brand-new install is the common case; an in-use machine works too — it gets overwritten.

1. On the target machine, start the import:
   • Brand-new install: on the first-run setup screen, choose Import from a backup.
   • Already set up: open Settings → Storage → Config backup / migration and click Import config.
2. Select the .ucbundle file.
3. Enter the Space passphrase of the device the file was exported from — that's what unlocks it.
4. The screen shows the file's source info (version, source type, device fingerprint) so you can confirm once more. Verify it and confirm.
5. The app applies the config and restarts automatically. After the restart, history, settings, and pairings are all there — no re-pairing needed, and it unlocks itself (the imported file carries the key).

Move semantics: why you can't run both at once

UniClipboard identifies a device by a stable identity (technically a NodeId, a fixed public key). Pairings, trust, and who is allowed to receive whose content are all bound to this identity. Switching Wi-Fi, restarting, or changing IP doesn't affect it.

Export / import carries this identity along. So it's not a "copy", it's a "move":

• After import, the target machine is your original device — other devices see them as the same device, which is why you don't have to re-pair.
• Because there is only one identity, now living on two machines, the original and the new device must not be online at the same time. Two devices with the same NodeId on the device network will conflict and behave unpredictably.

FAQ

What if the target is already in use?

That's fine — import replaces it. There's no "reset first" step: applying the imported config overwrites the target's existing space, history, keys, and identity in one go. You don't need to factory-reset it yourself.

It asks me to unlock after import?

Usually it won't — the imported file carries the key, so after the restart it unlocks itself. If it ever does prompt, just enter the Space passphrase of the device the file came from, and your history shows up as usual.

What if I type the wrong passphrase?

The file won't open and you get a "wrong passphrase or corrupt file" message (the two aren't distinguished, to avoid leaking hints). Just re-enter the correct Space passphrase — your data is never damaged.

Does this touch the data on the original device?

No. Export only reads and packages; the original device's history, settings, and pairings are left untouched. The thing to watch out for is not bringing the original device back online after the move (see Move semantics).

How is this different from "pairing a new device"?

• Import = move. Carry the same device to a new machine, keep the identity and history, and retire the original.
• Pairing = add a new device. Two machines with separate identities, both online and working independently; a newly paired device only syncs from the moment it joins and doesn't inherit old history. Use the pairing flow for that.

Next

• Pairing & sync — to keep several devices independent and online at the same time, go this route.
• Install — Portable build — how the portable and installer builds differ, and why copying the data folder doesn't work.