Backup & Restore — Google Drive Sync for Your Data

Backup in Video Controls Plus is the export and restore flow for your notes, collections, learning paths, vocabulary, screenshots, transcripts, and preferences. The backup destination is your own Google Drive (the project is zero-cost; we do not run paid storage), which means the backup file lives in your account and the project never sees it. Restore loads the same archive on any browser or device — useful for moving from laptop to laptop, recovering from a corrupted browser profile, or simply maintaining a periodic safety copy outside the browser. The /backup page is public marketing surface; the actual backup operations require sign-in.

Use cases

Periodic safety copies outside the browser

Browser profiles can corrupt; extensions can be uninstalled accidentally; storage quotas can exceed. A monthly backup to your own Google Drive is the simplest hedge.

Migrating to a new computer

On the new machine, install the extension, sign in, click Restore, pick the latest backup. Notes, collections, and preferences load in seconds. No manual re-entry.

Switching browsers

Cloud sync handles cross-device within the same account, but switching browsers (Chrome → Firefox) sometimes resets local state. Restore from backup is the clean recovery.

Sharing your setup with a study partner

Export specific subsets (e.g., a learning path + its associated notes) as a sharable file. Recipient signs in to their own account and imports.

How it works

  1. Sign in with Google. Authenticate with the Google account whose Drive will hold the backups. The extension requests minimum-scope Drive permissions (read/write to the app folder only).
  2. Pick what to back up. Notes, collections, learning paths, vocabulary, screenshots, transcripts, preferences. Backups can be full or selective.
  3. Click Backup. The extension packages the selected data into a single ZIP and writes it to the app folder in your Drive.
  4. Restore on any device. Sign in on the destination device, open /backup, click Restore, pick the archive. Restore merges (does not overwrite) by default; "replace" mode is opt-in.
  5. Optional: schedule. Settings → Backup → Schedule lets you run automatic backups daily, weekly, or monthly while the extension is active.

Examples

  • A monthly automatic backup. Runs in background; ZIP roughly 5–50 MB depending on screenshot count; uploads in under a minute on a typical connection.
  • A laptop-to-laptop migration. Total time including new-machine install: ~10 minutes. Notes, collections, learning paths, and preferences ready on the new machine.

Frequently asked questions

Why Google Drive instead of your own server?

The project is zero-cost and free for users. Running paid storage would change the funding model. Your Drive is yours; the extension only reads and writes to its own dedicated app folder.

Can I use a different storage provider?

Not today. Dropbox and OneDrive support are roadmap items. The export-as-file flow works regardless of where you save the file.

How big is a typical backup?

5–50 MB. Notes and collections are small (text); screenshots are the bulk.

Does restore overwrite existing data?

No — merge by default. Duplicates are de-duplicated by stable IDs; conflicts can be resolved per-item or in bulk.

Are backups encrypted?

Backups travel over HTTPS to Drive and rest on Google's infrastructure with their default encryption. End-to-end client-side encryption is a roadmap item for users who require it.

What does the extension see in my Drive?

Only its own app folder (the minimum-scope OAuth permission). The extension cannot read your other Drive contents.

Tips

  • Run a manual backup before any major version upgrade — rare but possible regressions are easier to recover from.
  • Schedule monthly automatic backups; even a sporadic user benefits from a clean restore point a year later.
  • The export-as-file path (no Drive needed) is a good privacy default for users who avoid Google services.
  • If your storage usage feels surprising, check the screenshots gallery — captures are 80%+ of the backup size for most users.

Limitations

  • Google Drive only; Dropbox and OneDrive are roadmap items. Export-as-file works without any cloud provider.
  • No client-side end-to-end encryption today — Drive's default encryption applies, which means Google holds the keys. For users who require E2EE, the export-as-file flow plus an external encryption tool is the workaround.
  • Restore merges by default; replace mode requires explicit opt-in.
  • The /backup page itself is public marketing surface; the actual backup operations require sign-in with Google.

Last updated 2026-05-06 by Ahsan Mahmood, maintainer.