Backup and export
CadenceOne has no cloud and no account, so backups are in your hands. There are two kinds of files:
- A backup: everything, private notes included. For you, to keep safe or move to another Mac.
- A team member export: one person's shareable history. Safe to hand over.
Backing up
- Choose File ▸ Backup… (⇧⌘B), or Export all data in Settings ▸ Data.
- Click Export… and choose where to save the file.
The backup is a JSON file named CadenceOne-YYYY-MM-DD.json.
A backup contains: team members, meetings, agendas, private and shareable notes, promises, decisions, wins, moods, development goals, achievements, the templates you created, and your settings.
It does not contain: the built-in templates (they come with the app), how many times templates were used, the app language, and Launch at login.
A backup holds your private notes in readable form. Store it somewhere only you can open, and never send it to a team member.
Restoring a backup
- Open File ▸ Backup… and click Restore….
- Pick a backup file.
- Confirm with Replace and restore.
Restoring replaces all your current data with the content of the file. It does not merge. If you want to keep what is on this Mac, back it up first.
- Your settings are replaced by the ones in the backup.
- Built-in templates stay as they are.
- Only backups made by CadenceOne are accepted.
Moving to another Mac
Back up on the old Mac, copy the file, install CadenceOne on the new Mac, then restore. Your purchase follows your Apple ID: see Trial and purchase.
Exporting a team member's history
Select a person in Team members, then choose File ▸ Export:
| Format | Shortcut | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Markdown… | ⇧⌘E | Notes apps, wikis, plain text |
| PDF… | ⌥⌘E | Printing or attaching, as one long page |
| JSON… | Other tools |
The export covers the person's completed 1-to-1s, and only their shareable content:
- covered shareable topics and shareable notes,
- wins and decisions,
- promises, including completed ones,
- topics to revisit.
It never contains private notes, the mood of a meeting, development goals, or topics that were not covered.
The Export menu is greyed out when no team member is selected.
If your data cannot be opened
If CadenceOne cannot read its data file at launch, it starts on an empty file and says so. The unreadable file is kept, nothing is deleted.
- Restore from a backup… opens the Backup window.
- Show the old file reveals the unreadable file in Finder.
Contact support before deleting anything.
Written for CadenceOne 1.0.1 on macOS. Last checked 2026-09-14. Something unclear or out of date? Tell us.