Skip to main content
HyperWhisper exports your data to a file. You can import that file later on the same machine, on a different machine, or on a different platform. You select what the file contains: settings, modes, and vocabulary. You can also include your API keys or your license key.

​
Export a backup

1

Open Backup settings

Go to Settings → Backup.
2

Choose what to include

HyperWhisper enables three sections by default: Settings, Modes, and Vocabulary. To exclude a section, disable it.Two more items are off by default for security:
  • Include API Keys — adds your cloud provider API keys to the file.
  • Include License Key — adds your HyperWhisper license key to the file.
If you enable one of these two items, a warning banner appears. The banner tells you to keep the file in a secure location.You must select a minimum of one section. Then the Export button becomes active.
3

Export

Click Export. A save dialog opens. Select a name and a location. HyperWhisper saves the file as a .json file (for example, HyperWhisper-Backup-YYYY-MM-DD.json). A vocabulary-only export uses the .hwbackup.json extension.
HyperWhisper does not include API keys and license keys by default. Keep a file that contains them in a secure location. Treat this file like a password.

​
Import a backup

Vocabulary import is merge-only. HyperWhisper never deletes the words in your list. It adds new words and updates existing words (see Vocabulary merge behavior below). Mode import is different on each platform. On macOS, an incoming mode with the same name as one of your modes replaces that mode. HyperWhisper deletes your version first. On Windows, HyperWhisper matches modes by internal ID and not by name. Two modes that you created separately with the same name stay separate, and you keep both. On both platforms, HyperWhisper adds a mode with a new name or a new ID next to your existing modes. You can restore only the sections that the file contains. You can also uncheck any of these sections before you confirm the import.
1

Open Backup settings

Go to Settings → Backup.
2

Pick a file

Click Import. Select a backup file. The dialog accepts .json files. This includes the standard full-backup format and vocabulary-only .hwbackup.json files. HyperWhisper reads the file before it shows the options.If the file is invalid or unreadable, HyperWhisper shows an error and changes nothing.
3

Review what the file contains

An import sheet opens with a summary of the file contents. For a standard full backup (.json), the summary can include Settings, Modes, Vocabulary, and API keys. For a vocabulary-only .hwbackup.json file, the sheet shows only the Vocabulary section. Settings, Modes, and API keys are not in this file, and you cannot select them. HyperWhisper checks each section that the file contains. Sections that the file does not contain are dimmed, and you cannot select them.Uncheck each section that you do not want to restore.
4

Resolve vocabulary conflicts (if applicable)

If the file contains vocabulary and you select it, the sheet shows a count before the merge. The count gives the number of new words and the number of words that already exist in your list. If the file has conflicts, select one option:
  • Skip — your existing entries do not change (default).
  • Replace — the values from the file replace your conflicting entries.
HyperWhisper always adds the words that are not in your list. This option does not change that behavior.
5

Confirm

Click Import. A confirmation shows the number of modes and vocabulary items that HyperWhisper imported. Nothing changes until you click this button.

​
What each section covers

​
Vocabulary merge behavior

Vocabulary import never deletes the words that are already in your list.

​
Cross-platform compatibility

Today, only a vocabulary-only export from macOS moves reliably between platforms. A full macOS backup contains Settings, or Modes, or both. By default, the macOS app saves this backup in the legacy .json format described above, and Windows cannot import that format. The macOS app can also write a universal .hwbackup.json full backup, but the UI does not give you access to this format. Windows always exports and imports .hwbackup.json files (schemaVersion: 2). When you import a schemaVersion: 2 file from the other platform:
  • HyperWhisper applies the shared settings directly, for example paste behavior, filler words, and recording options.
  • The receiving platform ignores platform-specific settings that it does not have, but it keeps them in the file. If you export again from the original platform, these settings come back.
  • HyperWhisper imports modes with the shared mode fields. It keeps platform-specific mode details, for example the local engine selection on Windows. These details survive a round trip, even when the other platform does not show them.
  • HyperWhisper merges vocabulary by the word text, and the match is case-insensitive. The UUIDs from the original device do not create duplicates.
A vocabulary-only .hwbackup.json file contains only the vocabulary key. It is the smallest portable format, and it moves a word list without settings or modes. Today it is the reliable way to move data between macOS and Windows. Windows cannot import a legacy macOS full backup (.json), because the Windows app requires schemaVersion: 2.
Known limitation: macOS reads only the Vocabulary section from a schemaVersion: 2 file that Windows exported. Settings, Modes, and API Keys stay dimmed in the import sheet, even when the file contains them. Today, you can use a Windows backup only as a vocabulary file.

​
What is not included

  • Audio recordings — HyperWhisper never exports the recording files on disk.
  • Transcription history — HyperWhisper keeps past transcripts on your device and does not add them to the backup.
For more information about vocabulary and its effect on transcription, see Custom Vocabulary.