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WINTER ARC · FIELD GUIDE

Recover Winter Arc progress: backup and storage help

Content reviewed

Stop before clearing browser data. An empty screen does not establish that every copy is gone. First identify which browser and origin held the record, then preserve any readable copy.

Which symptom do you see?

  1. An empty setup screen: check the same browser profile and website address, including http/https and port. Private windows and another browser use different storage. Restore a JSON backup if you moved devices.
  2. “Saved arc needs attention”: download the original data from the warning. Do not replace it until you have preserved that file. The app will not silently reset corrupt data.
  3. A save error: allow site storage or free browser space, then retry. The last successful active arc stays unchanged when saving fails. Avoid clearing storage as your first repair step.
  4. The wrong arc after restore: use Undo before reloading, or open Backup & restore → Previous local copy. Review that copy, then confirm if it is the one you need.

Restore safely, step by step

  1. Export the current readable arc first. Confirm the downloaded JSON exists; the app can request a download but cannot promise the browser kept it.
  2. Open Backup & restore. Choose the entire JSON file, or paste its complete contents. Maximum size is 256 KB.
  3. Review the name, inclusive date range, rule list and counts of dates with checks and saved notes.
  4. Confirm only when the preview matches. A matching plan ID is replaced; a new ID adds a plan and archives the current one. Reload and inspect a familiar date. Export the whole library before any replacement.

Version 1, 2 and 3 personal backups are accepted. Version 1 has no notes; version 2 has no day states or saved reviews. Migration initializes only the missing collections, preserves checks and dates, and never labels old blanks as missed or rest. The default single-plan export is now version 4 and also carries three milestones. A separately labelled legacy v3 export remains available without milestones. My plans offers complete library export and restore, with an eight-plan and 2 MB limit. Preview and explicitly confirm any library replacement. A CSV report, rule template, partial JSON fragment or another app’s export is not a personal backup. Templates have their own import in Share rules.

If the file is rejected

Use an untouched copy of the original export. Validation rejects unsupported fields, missing required fields, invalid dates, checks outside the arc, duplicate rule IDs, duplicate rule text and unknown rule references. This is deliberate: guessing at malformed data could silently change your history. Rejection leaves the current arc unchanged.

If you edited a JSON file by hand, keep both copies and return to the original. A file extension alone does not make a backup valid. Repeatedly choosing a new file replaces only the preview; an older asynchronous read cannot overtake a newer selection.

What the recovery copy can and cannot do

Before a confirmed replacement, one previous local copy is retained. A later different replacement can replace that recovery copy, so it is not a version archive. Session undo lasts for up to 20 actions and ends on reload or an external tab update. Downloaded JSON is the portable copy you control.

There is no server account from which we can recover your progress. If browser storage has been erased and no export or previous local copy survives, the application cannot reconstruct the lost check-ins. Do not invent marks to fill a gap you cannot verify.

Storage disabled, cleared or shared

The setup form is disabled when storage cannot be read. Existing progress is not treated as saved after a failed write. The resume-date preference is optional; if it cannot be saved, check-ins still use their own verified save path. Work in one tab while making important edits.

Clear local data removes all saved plans and archives, plus this app’s legacy/recovery copies, viewed date and session undo. Save drafts first. Download the complete library, then select the downloaded JSON so the app can compare every plan, note, review and milestone with the current library. A single-plan backup, different content, failed read or another tab’s changes will block clearing. Only then tick the confirmation and delete. Library JSON restores saved plans and archives; it does not contain legacy/recovery slots, preferences or undo. Preserve any needed recovery copy separately through Data. Downloaded files and other browser profiles are not deleted.

Language and dates during recovery

English and Chinese share the same saved arc on the same origin. Switching language does not translate your rule text or change date labels. “Today” uses the device’s local calendar, so first correct an inaccurate device clock if future-day controls appear wrong.

These steps describe this prototype, reviewed October 5, 2026. They do not promise compatibility with other habit apps’ backups.