Aura Start
Aura Start 2.1.1 user guide

Export / Backup

Aura Start is export-first. Exports are created locally in your browser and are not uploaded to an Aura Start server. Open Export in the header for the backup menu, or use the import and export section of Settings.

Available formats

When to use Full Backup ZIP

Use Full Backup ZIP before major imports, resets, duplicate cleanup, or any change where you want an independent file backup. It is the format designed for restoring Aura Start's own data.

The ZIP contains a JSON document with all settings, links, notes, and Restore Points, plus actual current and historical custom background files. ZIP v2 includes only the currently selected original Countdown audio; no generated playback WAV or other historical audio is added. When the built-in signal is selected, there is no audio file in the ZIP. References to different historical sounds are omitted neutrally, so restoring those points keeps the receiver's current sound or default. An individually exported Restore Point includes the original sound selected in it.

The archive includes aura-start.json, an asset manifest, and the referenced media files. It contains no Google sign-in tokens and does not transfer an active running timer. ZIP processing runs in a packaged local worker. Archives and their expanded contents are limited to 256 MiB, with at most 128 entries and a 64 MiB settings document; reaching a limit or finding an unavailable required file reports an error instead of silently dropping backup contents.

Select the ZIP directly in Aura Start's Import backup dialog; manual extraction is unnecessary. Import validates the archive, rebuilds sound playback locally, and saves the required assets before applying settings or links, while preserving this installation's Google Drive connection. A corrupt or unavailable asset required by a complete backup stops the import before local data changes.

The import preview lets you merge with current data or replace it. Merge adds groups and links, resolving ID collisions while retaining current preferences, notes, and Restore Timeline. Duplicate URLs can remain; use Duplicate Finder afterward if needed. Replace applies the backup's groups, settings, notes, and included history, retaining a safety snapshot of your current state and this installation's Drive connection. Choose Replace to restore a complete setup. Aura Start makes a local restore point before either import mode. If connected automatic sync is enabled, changes from the import are shared with the other connected devices. Downloaded ZIP and JSON files are not encrypted by Aura Start; they contain the exported links and notes as readable data.

Settings and links only (JSON)

Choose this smaller format when you do not need background images or audio files. It preserves other preferences, links, notes, and Restore Points without embedding media. Custom-file references and an active Custom background choice are omitted; those omitted choices preserve receiving-device values or use built-in defaults on a fresh profile. Explicit built-in choices and intentional image/sound removals still apply as settings. Use Full Backup ZIP when you want custom files transferred too.

Older Aura Start JSON backups, including portable JSON with embedded images and sounds, and older v1 ZIPs remain importable through the same dialog.

Backups from 2.0.5

Existing 2.0.5 JSON files import without manual conversion. Groups, links, saved settings, and included Restore Points are migrated, and new settings receive defaults without resetting existing choices. Those old exports did not contain the Notes widget text or the actual custom background image. Import cannot recreate missing contents. Updating an existing 2.0.5 installation migrates its locally saved notes and image; removing the old installation first may remove that local source. For future moves, use Full Backup ZIP.

A Fine Start-compatible export

The compatibility format contains group names and bookmark names and URLs. Nested groups become separate groups named with their parent path. It does not include descriptions, tags, settings, notes, background images, or audio. It is for moving a link collection, not restoring an Aura Start setup.

Empty or partial data

Export works even when your start page is empty. If data is incomplete or corrupted, use the recovery screen or Restore Timeline before replacing your current local data.