Exporting Your Project Data From localStorage

TLDR: LocalPM has no export button, but copying your data out of localStorage by hand gives you a manual backup that protects against accidental browser data loss.

LocalPM's offline-first architecture stores all your project data in the browser's localStorage. This design provides instant access, zero-latency interactions, and complete privacy. But it also means your data lives in a single location. If you clear your browser data, switch browsers, or move to a new machine, that data does not follow you automatically. LocalPM has no export or import feature, so the only bridge between local-first convenience and data portability is a manual one: copying the raw data out of your browser yourself.

Understanding Where Your Data Lives

Before exporting, it helps to understand what localStorage is and how it works. Every modern browser allocates a small database for each website you visit. This database stores key-value pairs of data that persist between sessions. When you create a project in LocalPM, all of your projects, stories, sprints, epics, team members, standups, and retrospectives are saved together as one JSON value under the key localpm-data.

The data is specific to your browser and your machine. Chrome on your laptop has different localStorage than Firefox on the same laptop, and different from Chrome on your desktop. This is by design. It keeps your data private and self-contained. But it means nothing moves between environments unless you copy it yourself.

How to Export Your Data

LocalPM does not have an export button or a download option. What you can do is copy the raw data yourself. Everything lives in that single localpm-data value: project metadata, all stories with their descriptions and acceptance criteria, sprint configurations, team member information, epic definitions, standup history, and retrospectives.

To copy it, open your browser's developer tools, go to the Application tab (Storage in Firefox), expand Local Storage in the sidebar, and select this site. Click the localpm-data key, copy its value, and paste it into a plain text file. That file can be saved anywhere on your file system, uploaded to cloud storage for safekeeping, or kept on a USB drive.

This is a manual workaround, not a LocalPM feature, so treat the file as a snapshot for your records. Your light or dark theme choice is stored separately under localpm-theme and does not need backing up.

Creating a Backup Strategy

A regular backup strategy protects against the most common data loss scenarios.

Scenario one: Accidental browser data clearing. Most browsers let you clear browsing data with a few clicks. If you select "all data" or "site data," your localStorage is wiped. LocalPM has no restore or import feature, but a saved copy sitting on your desktop or in a cloud folder means your stories, decisions, and history are not lost, and you have everything you need to rebuild.

Scenario two: Browser or OS update. While rare, browser updates occasionally reset localStorage. Having a recent copy means you are never more than a few days behind.

Scenario three: Machine failure. If your laptop dies, your localStorage dies with it. A backup stored elsewhere, whether on a USB drive, in email, or in cloud storage, ensures your project data survives hardware failures.

A simple backup schedule works best. Copy your data every Friday afternoon as part of your end-of-week routine. Name the files with dates so you can find specific versions if needed: localpm-backup-2025-09-22.json.

Transferring Data to Another Machine

LocalPM has no import feature and no sync, so moving to a new computer or browser is not a one-click job. The only route is the same manual workaround in reverse: open LocalPM once in the new browser, use its developer tools to paste your saved value into the localpm-data key, and reload the page. This is unsupported, so keep your original copy until you have confirmed everything came across.

Sharing a project with teammates this way is not practical. Each browser keeps its own separate copy, nothing syncs, and LocalPM has no multi-user collaboration, since it is designed for local-first use. If several people need to follow the same board, have one person own it and share their screen.

What the Saved Data Contains

Understanding the structure of the saved JSON helps you trust the process and troubleshoot if needed. The localpm-data value includes:

• Project metadata: Name, key, description, and creation date
• Stories: Every story with its title, description, acceptance criteria, status, priority, story points, assignee, and epic association
• Sprints: Sprint definitions including start and end dates, sprint goals, and which stories are assigned to each sprint
• Epics: Epic names, descriptions, and color assignments
• Team members: Names, roles, and avatar colors
• Standup history: All recorded standup entries with dates and notes
• Retrospectives: What went well, what to improve, and action items for each sprint

The file is plain JSON, which means it is human-readable and can be opened in any text editor. You can inspect it and search through it whenever you need to look something up.

Long-Term Data Safety

Think of your saved copies as project archives. Even after a project ends, the data has value. Sprint velocity trends inform future project estimates. Retrospective notes contain lessons learned. Story descriptions document decisions that might be questioned months later.

Store copies of completed projects in a dedicated folder with a clear naming convention. When a new project starts and someone asks "How long did the last similar project take?" you can open the file, review the sprint history, and give a data-backed answer instead of guessing.

Your data is valuable. Copy it out, back it up, and keep it safe. To understand why local data ownership matters, read the case for local-first project management. And if your project eventually needs more than what localStorage can offer, learn when your project outgrows LocalPM and what to do about it.

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