Step 1
Find Import Data in Local Backup
- Open Settings > Data Transfer
- Use Import Data for your local file
Open Settings, Data Transfer, then Local Backup. Import Data opens the local-file restoration path.
Local import needs regular paid Premium, but not Pennie account sign-in or Google authorization. This demonstration uses only synthetic data.
Step 2
Existing transactions stop import
- Read Import unavailable
- Back up existing entries before any clearing
If this device already has transactions, Import unavailable stops the action before file selection.
Do not clear entries just to dismiss this warning. Back them up first, and use an empty destination only when you intend to restore its data.
Step 3
Choose the local backup source
- Choose local backup
- Keep the exported file and its filename intact
In Restore source, choose Choose local backup, not the separate Google Drive backup-by-date option.
On your phone, select the original exported file. The OS file picker is not shown here; a bounded synthetic transport supplies a genuine owned file stream.
Step 4
File selection can be cancelled safely
- Cancel if you do not have the right file
- No selected file means no import
Cancel in Restore source or in your phone's file picker if you are not ready. Import Data becomes available again.
Cancelling file selection does not replace your data. Returning to this page is not a successful-import confirmation.
Step 5
Do not guess an unknown file type
- Read the Unknown file type warning
- Prefer Cancel and the original exported file
An unfamiliar filename extension can show Unknown file type. This warning is not proof that the file is a valid backup.
Use Cancel if you are unsure, and choose the original Pennie export without renaming its extension.
Step 6
Continue does not bypass validation
- Continue still runs content validation
- A renamed encrypted file can be refused
Even choosing Continue does not force an import. Our renamed encrypted sample reaches Import failed because its encrypted filename is not supported.
No data is restored. Use the original exported file rather than guessing a different extension or assuming Continue makes the file safe.
Step 7
Review the verified backup contents
- Read Import backup before confirming
- Check snapshot scope and record counts
Import backup shows the selected file and verified contents. Our genuine full snapshot has two transactions and eleven categories.
Read your own scope and counts carefully. A filename alone does not prove that the backup contains the history you need.
Step 8
A full snapshot replaces the destination
- An empty ledger is not an empty device
- Use Cancel if replacement is not intended
The full-snapshot warning says this replaces everything on this device. Having no transactions does not mean there is no other Pennie data to protect.
Use Cancel if you are not ready for replacement. Cancelling this confirmation does not apply the backup.
Step 9
Empty backup means nothing was restored
- Read Empty backup
- Choose a different non-empty local export
Empty backup means the selected file contains no user data, so nothing is restored. Use OK to return.
The app's shared message mentions an earlier Google Drive date. For this local path, choose a different genuine non-empty exported file.
Step 10
A damaged file is not a successful import
- Read Import failed
- Check that the file is an intact Pennie export
A damaged sample reaches the actual Import failed dialog. No restoration occurs; the existing synthetic ledger is unchanged.
Use OK, then check that your file is a complete Pennie export. Do not treat a closed dialog or a returned button as proof of success.
Step 11
New entries can pause restoration
- Transactions are checked again after confirmation
- Preserve the newly added entries
If transactions are added while you choose a backup, Restore paused stops replacement even after you choose Import.
Nothing has been replaced. Use OK and export those entries before planning another restore; do not discard them just to continue.
Step 12
Choose Import only after checking
- Check the scope, counts and replacement warning
- Confirm only the backup you intend to restore
When the file and replacement warning are correct, choose Import and wait while Pennie applies the backup.
This demonstration restores only an isolated synthetic database. The actual service reproduces every logical table from the genuine two-month snapshot, never a real user ledger.
Step 13
Finish the required reload
- Read Import complete
- Reload, then check your restored data
After a successful import, Import complete says Pennie needs to reload. This real dialog follows the synthetic restoration, not just a simulated success.