Backup and Restore
Kitted can back up your database and stock item images automatically on a schedule, and you can trigger a manual backup at any time from the Settings page.
What a Backup Contains
Each backup is a ZIP file with the contents:
| Entry | Description |
|---|---|
kitted.db | A consistent point-in-time snapshot of the database, taken using SQLite’s Online Backup API. The snapshot is safe to capture while the app is running and actively being written to. |
stock-items/ | All images uploaded for stock items. |
Attachments are not included in the backup ZIP. Documents and files attached to suppliers, stock items, and production orders are stored in the
attachments/folder inside your data directory and must be backed up separately. If you use a cloud sync folder (OneDrive, Dropbox, etc.) as your data directory or back it up independently, this is already covered. Otherwise, make sure to include theattachments/folder in any manual backup routine.
Automatic Backups
Configure automatic backups in Settings → Backup:
- Schedule: Daily (every day) or Weekly (Sundays only). Set to Disabled to turn off scheduled backups.
- Run at hour: The local time hour (0-23) at which the backup runs. Default is 2 (02:00 AM).
- Destination folder: Where backup files are written. Defaults to a
backups/subfolder inside your data directory. - Keep last N backups: After each successful backup, older files are automatically deleted so only the N most recent are kept. Default is 7.
The scheduler starts when the application launches and is re-initialised immediately whenever you save backup settings.
Manual Backups
In Settings → Backup, click Back up now to trigger an immediate backup. The filename and timestamp of the last successful backup, and any error from the last attempt, are shown below the button.
Backup File Naming
Backup files are named with the date and time they were created:
backup_2026-03-20_02-00-00.zipFiles are sorted alphabetically, which is also chronological order due to the ISO-format date prefix. The pruning logic uses this sort order when removing older files.
Restoring from a Backup
Kitted does not have an in-app restore wizard. To restore from a backup file:
- Stop the application completely.
- Locate your backup ZIP file.
- Extract the ZIP. You will find
kitted.dband optionally astock-items/folder. - Copy
kitted.dbinto your data directory, replacing the existing database file. - If the backup contains a
stock-items/folder, copy it into the data directory as well, replacing the existing folder. - Restart the application.
Always stop the application before replacing the database file - copying over a live database can result in a corrupt file.
Backup Storage Recommendations
- Keep backups in a different physical location from the data directory - ideally on a network drive, cloud sync folder (e.g. OneDrive, Dropbox), or external drive.
- The default retention of 7 daily backups gives you one week of point-in-time recovery. Increase this value if you need a longer window.
- For high-change environments (frequent sales, production runs), consider Daily schedule with a higher retention count.