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Import and Export

Lifebook can import files, folders, photo albums, calendar files, and Lifebook backups. It can also export backups for restoring later and readable documents for sharing or printing.

On this page: Import from Menu · Drag and Drop · Duplicates · Import Progress · Trial Limit · Restore Backup · Export Backup · Export as Document · Import Calendar

Import From the Main Menu

Open the arrow menu beside Add entry in the main menu.

Add entry menu open from the main menu with import choices

The add entry menu includes file, folder, photo album, and calendar import.

Import Files

Import Files lets you select multiple supported files.

Imported documents become text entries. Lifebook extracts readable text from the document and uses the file name as the entry title. Images embedded inside documents are not imported as separate image entries.

Supported file types:

Type Extensions
Text documents .doc, .docx, .txt, .md, .markdown, .eml, .msg, .rtf, .pdf, .odt
Images .bmp, .jpg, .gif, .jpe, .jpeg, .jfif, .tif, .tiff, .png, .webp, .heic, .heif
Videos .mp4, .avi, .mpg, .mpeg, .wmv, .mov, .mkv, .3gp, .m4v, .webm, .mts, .m2ts
Audio .mp3, .m4a, .wav, .wma, .aac, .flac, .ogg, .aiff, .aif, .opus

Lifebook can import WebP, HEIC, and HEIF images. The Microsoft HEIF Image Extensions package may still help Windows preview HEIC/HEIF files in other apps.

Import Folder

Import Folder lets you choose one or more folders. Lifebook searches them for supported files it can use.

For large imports, Lifebook asks you to confirm before continuing.

Import Image Collections

Import Image Collections looks for album folders that contain supported image or video files and imports each one as a photo album.

For large album imports, Lifebook asks you to confirm before continuing.

Import Calendar From the Main Menu

Import Calendar imports supported calendar files directly from the main menu. Calendar events become text entries, the same as calendar import from Settings.

Drag and Drop Import

Drag supported files or folders onto the main window to import them.

If another dialog, overlay, or import is in progress, finish that first and then drag the files again.

Duplicate and Unsupported Files

Lifebook skips files and photo album folders that are already imported. If nothing usable is found, it shows a message.

Very large documents, corrupt files, and unsupported media formats may also be skipped.

Import Progress and Cancel

During imports, the status bar shows progress. Use Cancel to stop an import.

If you cancel, Lifebook stops importing new items. Items that already finished importing may remain in your timeline.

When an import finishes, the status bar summarizes how many entries or photo albums were imported and how many were skipped.

Trial Import Limit

In trial mode, Lifebook imports only up to the remaining 50-entry limit. If you select more entries than the trial allows, Lifebook tells you how many will be imported and offers a purchase option when available.

Import Lifebook Backup

Open Settings, then use Import in Manage Data.

This restores a .lifebook backup file.

Warning

Importing a backup overwrites all current entries. Export a backup first if you want to keep the current data.

After restoring a backup, Lifebook may ask whether to remove entries whose files are missing from your computer.

Export Lifebook Backup

Open Settings, then use Export in Manage Data.

This creates a .lifebook backup file. Use it when you want to restore Lifebook later or move your archive to another computer.

Export Entries as Documents

Open Settings, then choose Export As Text File.

The export dialog lets you choose:

  • Date range: From and To
  • Entire period
  • Output format
  • Whether to include images

Supported export formats:

  • PDF document (.pdf)
  • Word document (.docx)
  • HTML document (.html)
  • Text document (.txt)

When images are included, the export includes text, image, and photo album entries. HTML export embeds images in the document. Text export cannot contain images.

After a successful export, Lifebook shows the export location and can open the export folder in Explorer.

Import Calendar Files

Open Settings, then choose Import Calendar.

Supported calendar extensions:

.ics, .vcs

Calendar events become text entries. The event summary becomes the title, the description becomes the text content, and the event start date becomes the entry date.

Duplicate calendar events already in Lifebook are skipped.

See also: Settings · Troubleshooting · Adding Entries