Updated July 2026 · 6 min read
Back up and restore settings
A backup packs your subscriptions, extensions and interface preferences into one bundle and puts the whole set back on restore. Knowing what travels with it and what does not saves a lot of time.
What goes into a backup
The profile list and the config files already downloaded, Merge and Script extensions, plus the client interface preferences and toggles all go in together. Those are exactly the parts that are tedious to rebuild on a new machine.
What stays out is anything you can download again: the core binary, GeoIP and GeoSite data, logs and connection history. System-level state travels even less well — service mode, firewall rules and autostart all have to be set up again on the new machine.
Restore replaces, it does not merge
A restore does not blend with the current setup; it drops the archived set on top of it. Subscriptions added after the backup, rules edited on the fly and toggles you moved all revert to the state captured at backup time.
So the order should be: export the current state somewhere first, then restore. Afterwards quit the client fully and start it again so every setting is read fresh — closing the window is not the same thing.
Restoring overwrites: current subscriptions and settings are replaced together. Export the present state first, or the profiles you added locally since that backup are simply gone.
The backup file holds your credentials
Subscription links are stored inside it in plain form, which makes the file itself equivalent to your account. Do not drop it into a group chat for someone to look at, and keep it out of shared cloud folders and public repositories.
If a backup does get out, deleting the file helps little; regenerating the subscription link in the provider panel is the fix that counts. One copy locally or on an encrypted volume is enough, and scattered spare copies are the real risk.
The right order when changing machines
Install the same version on the new machine first, since fields in the backup may not line up across distant versions. Launch it once so the data folder is created, quit the program completely, and only then restore.
Any transfer method works — a USB stick, the local network — and the client can also pull the archive straight from WebDAV so you carry no files at all. After restoring, remember to reinstall service mode, clear the firewall and turn the system proxy or TUN back on, because none of that comes along.
What is the project?
Clash Verge Rev is a Tauri-based GUI for Mihomo with profile management, system proxy, TUN mode, rule editing and WebDAV backups.