Restore from a backup

Bring a budget back from an exported backup file, on this iPhone or a new one.

Restoring reads a backup file and rebuilds the budget it holds. It is how you recover from a mistake, and how you move to a new iPhone.

Before you begin

  • A backup file, reachable from the Files app.
  • Pentos installed on the iPhone you are restoring onto.

Steps

To restore from a backup, follow these steps:

  1. Open the Settings tab.
  2. Tap Restore from Backup.
  3. Choose the backup file.
  4. Confirm Replace Everything.

Pentos confirms when the restore is complete.

Warning

Restoring replaces the current budget entirely. Everything in the open budget is gone, including anything recorded since the backup was made. Export a backup of the current state first if there is any chance you will want it.

If the restore fails

Your current data is unchanged. A restore that cannot complete leaves the budget exactly as it was rather than partly overwritten.

The usual cause is the wrong file. Pentos reports when a file is not a readable backup, which most often means a CSV export was picked instead. A CSV cannot be restored. Refer to Back up your budget.

Moving to a new iPhone

  1. Export a backup on the old iPhone.
  2. Get the file onto the new one, however you normally move a file.
  3. Install Pentos on the new iPhone.
  4. Restore the backup.

Your budget arrives complete, including rules, schedules, and every month of history.

Next steps