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Back up and export your data

Download a zip backup of a budget file, or export transactions and reports as CSV files.

Updated November 10, 2026

A full backup is a zip file with the data of one budget file. Download one to keep a copy, to save your data before you delete a budget file, or to restore the file later.

Before you start

A backup holds only the active budget file. To back up another file, switch to it first. See Work with more than one budget file. Without a plan, you can switch files only on a computer, in the budget switcher at the top of the sidebar.

Steps

  1. Select Settings in the sidebar (on a phone, the More tab, then Settings).
  2. In the Your data card, select Export a full backup of “Household Budget”. Your budget file's name replaces "Household Budget".

The button shows "Preparing your backup…" while the file is made. On a phone, keep the page open until the download starts. Your browser then downloads a zip file named like goodsteward-Household-Budget-2026-10-11.zip. The name has the budget file name and the export date.

If you see "The backup couldn’t be created", select the button again. If it happens again, email support@goodsteward.io.

You can also select Export backup on the active file's card on the Budget files page. If you have no active plan and any of your budget files has accounts or transactions, the Export your data card on Billing has an Export a full backup button that does the same.

A backup is a copy from the moment you download it. Download a new one to get a newer copy.

What a backup contains

  • Accounts, account groups, category groups, categories, payees and tags.
  • Transactions, with their splits, transfers, notes, tags, and Cleared, Reconciled and review marks. Each split line keeps its own review mark.
  • Monthly budget amounts and Rollover choices, including your Annual Budget Plan.
  • Rules, schedules, goals, funding formulas and budget templates.
  • The Balance from setting of each bank-linked account and the balance figures your bank reported. See Transactions or Balance only for a bank account.
  • Saved views on Transactions, saved report views, report targets, and the Auto categorization and New transaction defaults settings.
  • Deleted transactions in Trash, and undo and redo history.

A backup does not contain:

  • Bank connections and sync history. Accounts that were connected to a bank are restored as accounts with no bank connection.
  • Your sign-in, profile, plan and billing details.
  • Date format, theme, Privacy mode and menu width.

A backup can hold up to 64 MB and 100,000 records. For a larger budget file, the backup leaves out undo history first, then Trash. If it is still too large, the export fails. Email support@goodsteward.io.

Export to a spreadsheet

A CSV file holds what you are viewing, for use in a spreadsheet. You cannot restore a budget file from it.

  • Transactions: select Export on the Transactions page. See Export transactions to a spreadsheet.
  • Reports: select Export CSV at the foot of a report. A hidden category is written as its name followed by "(hidden)".

Restore a backup

Import the zip on the Budget files page. The import adds a new budget file and does not change the file you backed up. A backup made by an earlier version of the app restores without the Undo and Redo history of the Transactions page. See Import a backup or a Good Steward Local export.

If this article did not answer your question, email support@goodsteward.io and include the article title.