How to Back Up and Restore InstaScope Chat Snapshots
Download and restore a local JSON backup of Chat Vault aggregates. This preserves saved summaries, not WhatsApp messages, media or a cloud backup.
Open Chat Vault backup controlsBack up the summaries you deliberately saved
Chat Vault can download a JSON backup of your saved WhatsApp aggregate snapshots and restore that file into the local Vault. It cannot back up or restore a WhatsApp conversation, iCloud backup, Google Drive backup or message attachments. The raw chat is not part of a saved snapshot.
Snapshots live in this browser's storage and can disappear when you clear site data or lose access to the device. Downloading a backup is a deliberate local action, not automatic cloud synchronization. Keep the file somewhere private: dates and aggregate counts can still be sensitive.
Export and restore operate on the whole saved Vault, not the temporary date or participant filters in Analyzer. A backup containing aggregate summaries cannot recreate a word list or personalize Wrapped with the original participants. Reopen the original TXT privately for that analysis.
- After importing a real export, use Save to Chat Vault. A fictional demo cannot be saved as your own snapshot.
- Open Chat Vault and choose Export Chat Vault backup to download the validated summaries.
- To restore, choose Import Chat Vault backup and select the JSON file.
- Review the preview of new and existing snapshots. Nothing is written until you choose Confirm import.
What survives a fictional save and restore
This invented example describes fields in a saved summary, not a ready-to-import backup file. The restore process preserves the approved aggregates without reconstructing the original chat.
| Example information | In the backup? |
|---|---|
| 120 exported messages across 10 active dates | Yes, as aggregate counts |
| Recorded date coverage and hourly distribution | Yes |
| Participant names, message text or attachments | No |
| Words, emoji glyphs or a conversation identity | No |
Restore rules protect existing entries
The supported backup input is bounded to 2 MiB and 100 unique snapshots. Unknown versions, extra fields, invalid values or inconsistent distributions are rejected before writing. Existing local snapshot IDs are kept rather than overwritten; an identical ID is not evidence that two exports describe the same conversation.
If the app reports an unreadable stored entry, do not assume a complete backup succeeded. Backup avoids silently dropping corrupt rows; review the warning and remove an unreadable entry only if you intend that deletion. Storage failures leave the currently loaded analysis available.
Restored snapshots can be compared after explicit selection and same-conversation confirmation. They cannot reopen participant lists or recover a transcript. Keep the original text export separately if you need to analyze its messages again.