# Back up your library or use it on another Mac

- Product: Crabwise
- Category: Library
- Type: How-to
- Updated: 2026-10-30
- URL: https://soji.dev/en/crabwise/support/library/move-and-backup/

A library is an ordinary folder that holds your image and article files plus JSON files with their details. Copy the folder to make a backup. You can open the copy on another Mac.

## Back up

1. In Crabwise, choose :ui[File] > :ui[Close Library].
2. In Finder, copy the library folder. An external drive works as a destination.

## Use it on another Mac

1. Copy the library folder to the other Mac.
2. On the other Mac, open Crabwise and choose :ui[File] > :ui[Open Library…].
3. Select the copied folder and click :ui[Open].

Crabwise has no sync feature of its own, but you can use a service such as iCloud Drive or Dropbox to sync one library across several Macs. If you change the same item on several Macs at once, a conflict can occur. To resolve it, see [Resolve conflicts from syncing](https://soji.dev/en/crabwise/support/library/resolve-conflicts.md).

## Rebuild the index if lists or search look wrong

The data Crabwise uses for fast search (the library index) is stored outside the library folder. It can be rebuilt from the library folder at any time. If items are missing from the list or search results look wrong, choose :ui[File] > :ui[Rebuild Library Index].

If the rebuild fails, restart Crabwise, then rebuild again.