Backup and restore

A board lives only in this browser's own local storage — there's no account and nothing is uploaded automatically. A .cosref backup file is how you keep your own copy, move a board to a different browser or device, or just make sure it's safe before clearing your browser data.

Exporting a backup

Choose File → Download a backup (available from the storage-status button in the corner of the board too). This saves every photo, note, and its exact layout into a single .cosref file.

Restoring a backup

Choose File → Open a backup file…, or use the same option from the landing page before starting a board. This opens the backup as a new board — your current board, if any, is left untouched.

A .cosref file is checked before anything is imported: a file from a newer, incompatible version of Reference Photo, or from a different Murago tool entirely, is rejected with a clear error rather than imported partially or incorrectly.

When your browser's storage runs low

Reference Photo checks your browser's available storage after each batch of photos you add. If you're running low, a warning appears in the storage-status panel, and the app automatically frees up space by discarding cached intermediate copies of your photos (never the original image data, and never your layout) before it has to.

If you want this board to be less likely to get cleared automatically when your browser is under space pressure, click Keep this data on this device in that same panel. Your browser may show its own permission prompt for this.