Data, privacy and backup

Find your data#

1. Open Settings → Privacy. Read the displayed Storage path; this is authoritative if you relocated it.
2. Choose Reveal in Finder to inspect it. The normal location is ~/Library/Application Support/MeatPad.
3. Quit MeatPad before manually copying or replacing library files. Keep a copy of the entire folder, including subfolders and metadata.

The app’s preferences also use macOS user defaults. Export All Data is a copy of managed files, not an image of every preference on your Mac. Project files remain in the project folders you opened.

Export and keep a recoverable backup#

1. Open Settings → Privacy → Export All Data….
2. Choose a destination folder. MeatPad copies the managed Notes, Snippets, Commands, Macros, Themes and Boards folders and session.json when they exist.
3. Open the export in Finder and check the expected files and attachments. Keep the copy on another drive or in your normal backup system.
4. Back up each external project folder separately; it is not pulled into the library export.
5. For a manual recovery, quit MeatPad, preserve the current storage folder, and restore the backed-up folder structure to the intended storage location. Reopen and verify notes, boards and attachments before deleting either copy.

Export creates plain folders/files, not a ZIP, cloud sync account or a PDF notebook. There is no one-click complete-library import command. Finder copies and backup restoration must preserve names and folder structure. A backup on the same physical disk does not protect against disk failure.

Move the managed storage location#

1. Make a backup and choose a destination folder with sufficient free space.
2. Open Settings → Privacy → Relocate… and select that folder.
3. The destination must be outside the current storage folder. Existing managed entries at the destination are replaced; this is not a merge. Wait for the copy/verification result. Restart MeatPad to finish switching.
4. Confirm the displayed Storage path and inspect your notes, boards and attachments. Keep the old copy until satisfied.

MeatPad copies and verifies before switching the configured root, and leaves the original data intact. Relocation is not continuous two-way synchronization. Do not edit two copies as if they were one shared library.

Understand network and local processing#

MeatPad keeps its managed notes and settings on this Mac; it does not upload the library to a hosted account. Sparkle update checks contact the update service. Turn background checks off in Privacy if desired; Check for Updates… still works when invoked manually.

Code intelligence launches locally installed language-server processes. Terminal sessions and saved commands are programs you invoke and can contact the network, including Git remotes. Opened web links also leave the note editor. The behavior of those tools depends on their configuration and scripts; local storage does not mean every command you run is offline.

Delete all managed app data#

1. Export anything you want to keep. Verify the export outside the active storage folder.
2. Choose Settings → Privacy → Delete All Data….
3. Read the warning, choose Continue…, then type DELETE and confirm Delete.
4. MeatPad moves managed data to macOS Trash and quits. Recover it from Trash before emptying Trash if the deletion was a mistake.

This action includes the managed library, boards, automation, themes and saved session. It does not delete arbitrary external project folders. Emptying macOS Trash makes its recovery much harder; do not use this as a secure-erasure guarantee.