Backup & Restore

Move your full CRSpit library or selected subsystems to another iPhone — plus share individual garage sale records without moving the whole sale.

Two ways to move data

MethodWhere in appFileUse when
Full or partial backupAbout → Backup & Restore.crspit-backupNew phone, or moving whole subsystems (inventory, field reports, all garage sales)
Garage sale recordsGarage Sale → share menu.crspit-garagesaleAdding a few items to an existing sale on another phone (most common)

Export everything (full backup)

  1. On the source device, open About → Backup & Restore.
  2. Leave Export everything turned on.
  3. Tap Export Backup File.
  4. From the share sheet, choose AirDrop and select the destination iPhone.
  5. On the receiving phone, tap Save to Files → On My iPhone (not iCloud Drive, if possible).

Includes locations, inventory, borrow/loan records, helpful notes, field reports, all garage sales with photos, and weather map preferences.

Export selected subsystems only (partial backup)

  1. Open About → Backup & Restore on the source device.
  2. Turn Export everything off.
  3. Enable only the subsystems you need:
    • Locations — garage, vacation home, bins (included automatically with My Stuff)
    • My Stuff — home inventory with photos
    • Borrow Loan Return — loaned and borrowed items
    • Helpful Notes — letter templates and reference notes
    • Field Reports — open and closed cases with photos
    • Garage Sale — all sales, seller profile, and items
    • Weather Settings — radar animation and map viewport
  4. Tap Export Backup File and AirDrop or save to Files.

Partial backups are smaller and AirDrop faster — good when you only need one area on the other phone.

Import a backup on the receiving device

  1. Install CRSpit on the new device.
  2. If the file landed in iCloud Drive, open Files, tap the .crspit-backup file, wait for download to finish, then Move to On My iPhone.
  3. Open About → Backup & Restore → Import Backup File, or tap the file in Files and open in CRSpit.
  4. Read the confirmation — only subsystems in the file will replace data on this device.
  5. Tap Replace selected subsystems.
iCloud latency tip: A failed import right after AirDrop usually means the file is not fully local yet. Save to On My iPhone in Files, then import again.

Garage sale records (not a full backup)

For day-to-day sharing between neighbors, use record files — they merge into an existing sale instead of replacing the whole app.

Export records

  1. Open Garage Sale and select the sale.
  2. Tap the share icon in the toolbar:
    • Share all records — every item in this sale
    • Share selected records… — use All / None, then pick individual items
    • Share record — one item from its context menu
  3. AirDrop the .crspit-garagesale file.

Import records into an existing sale

  1. On the receiving phone, save the file to On My iPhone if possible.
  2. Open Garage Sale → share menu → Import records into sale…, or accept an AirDrop into CRSpit.
  3. Choose which existing sale should receive the records.
  4. Tap Add to sale.

Prefer small batches (a few records at a time) over an entire sale with many photos — faster AirDrop and fewer iCloud delays.

AirDrop checklist

GoalExport fromImport to
New phone — everythingAbout → Backup & Restore (Export everything)About → Import Backup File
New phone — one areaAbout → Backup & Restore (select subsystems)About → Import Backup File
Share sale items onlyGarage Sale → Share recordsGarage Sale → Import records into sale

Troubleshooting

ProblemWhat to do
Import fails immediately after AirDropWait for iCloud download; save file to On My iPhone
Wrong file typeBackups use .crspit-backup; garage records use .crspit-garagesale
Inventory missing location namesExport My Stuff (includes Locations automatically)
Duplicate garage items after re-importRecord imports always add new copies — avoid importing the same file twice

Related: Workflows · User guide