> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://scubazenapp.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Back up your logbook

> Export your logbook as three CSV files, see exactly what a backup leaves out, and learn which file can be imported back.

To back up your logbook, open **settings**, tap **backup & restore**, then tap **back up everything**. The app builds three CSV files (your dives, the equipment used on each dive, and each dive's types) and opens your phone's share sheet so you can save or send them. A backup holds your logbook only: photos, certifications, gear and the rest of the app are not included.

## Make a backup

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open backup & restore">
    Open the menu and tap **settings**. Under **app**, tap **backup & restore**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Tap back up everything">
    Under **your logbook**, tap **back up everything**. The app shows **preparing your backup…** while it reads your records.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose where the files go">
    Your phone's share sheet opens with all three files. Save them to your files or a cloud drive, or send them to yourself. When they've gone, the app confirms the backup is ready.
  </Step>
</Steps>

If you close the share sheet without choosing anything, the app shows **export cancelled** and nothing is saved.

## You need a connection

A backup is built from the copy of your logbook on SCUBAzen's servers, not from what is stored on your phone, so it can't leave dives out. That means it needs a connection. Offline, or on a connection too slow to finish, the backup fails with **couldn't build your backup. it needs a connection, so check yours and try again**. Connect and tap **back up everything** again.

## What's in the three files

Every backup contains all three files. Each file name ends with the date of the backup, for example `scubazen_logbook_2026-10-09.csv`. Rows are in dive-number order.

| File | One row per | What it holds |
| - | - | - |
| `scubazen_logbook_YYYY-MM-DD.csv` | Dive | Dive number, date, time in and out, bottom time, site, location, latitude and longitude, max depth, visibility, water and air temperature, start and end pressure, tank size and material, oxygen, helium and nitrogen percentages, weight, suit, how the weight and suit felt, salt or fresh, boat or shore, day or night, current, rating, safety stop, deco details, altitude, shop and notes, with a units column beside each measurement |
| `scubazen_equipment_YYYY-MM-DD.csv` | Dive | Dive number, then yes or no for each item on the per-dive equipment list (mask, fins, wetsuit, BCD, regulator, computer and so on) |
| `scubazen_dive_types_YYYY-MM-DD.csv` | Dive | Dive number, then yes or no for each dive type (reef, wreck, wall, drift, deep, cave and so on) |

The files use plain column names, dates written as year-month-day, and the words yes and no, so they open in any spreadsheet app.

## What a backup does not include

None of these are in any of the three files:

* Dive photos. See [Dive photos](/docs/logbook/photos).
* Certifications, including card photos.
* Insurance policies.
* Your gear list and its service history.
* Trips.
* Your packing list, your kit, and your settings such as units and sizes.
* Travel agent conversations.

The [paperwork](/docs/trips/paperwork) PDF prints some of your certification and insurance details, but not card photos. Nothing in the app exports your photos, gear or travel agent conversations.

## Restore from a backup

Only the logbook file can be brought back into SCUBAzen. On the same **backup & restore** page, tap **import a logbook** and choose your `scubazen_logbook` file. See [Import a logbook](/docs/logbook/import) for the review screen and how numbering works. A note under the two rows on that page says the same: only the logbook file can be brought back in.

* The equipment and dive-type files can't be imported. They are a record you can read, not a restore.
* Every column in the logbook file comes back into its own field, including suit, how the weight and suit felt, helium and nitrogen percentages, current, safety stop, deco details and altitude. Each dive's units come back with it.
* Dives already in your logbook are skipped, so restoring into a logbook that still has those dives brings nothing in.

## Before you delete your account

Deleting your account destroys far more than a backup can save. Read [Delete your account](/docs/settings/delete-account) first.

## Related

* [Import a logbook](/docs/logbook/import)
* [Dive photos](/docs/logbook/photos)
* [Delete your account](/docs/settings/delete-account)
* [Troubleshooting](/docs/help/troubleshooting)


## Related topics

- [Import a logbook](/docs/logbook/import.md)
- [Troubleshooting](/docs/help/troubleshooting.md)
- [Browse and search your logbook](/docs/logbook/list.md)
- [Delete your account](/docs/settings/delete-account.md)
- [FAQ](/docs/help/faq.md)


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