Backup & restore
Backup saves your library content and your settings into a single ZIP file — and restores them when you need them. You choose each category individually and decide whether to back it up or restore it.
The page is one list with two buttons: tick what should be included, then decide with Back up … or Restore … which way it goes. The same selection applies to both.
Accessing
PPPTools ribbon → “About” group → Settings → Library → Backup & restore
A "?" sits at the top right of the pane — that button opens this very help page.
Formerly its own button
Backup started as a tab inside Settings, then became its own ribbon button in the Tools group. Both entry points are gone — backing up and restoring now live as a page in the Settings pane.
The two buttons
| Button | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Back up … | Export ticked categories into a ZIP |
| Restore … | Import ticked categories from a ZIP |
Both work off the same selection — whatever is ticked above is what gets backed up or brought back. To restore differently than you backed up, change the ticks before the second click.
Formerly two tabs
The old panel had two tabs with a selection each. Inside a page that is already reached through the navigation rail that would be one layer too many — hence one list and two buttons.
Choosing categories
Each category is its own checkbox. Categories are split into two groups; each group has "All" and "None" buttons at the top for quick selection.
Group "Library"
These categories depend on the library chosen below (Private or Public).
| Category | Content |
|---|---|
| Snippets | All saved snippet items |
| Slides | All saved slide items |
| Storylines | All saved storyline items |
| Actions | All saved action items (code + parameter description + preview image) |
| Value lists (categories/metadata) | Configured dropdown values (language, status, audience, category, tags) |
Group "Settings & presets"
These files live under %AppData%\PPPTools and are independent of the library choice.
| Category | Content |
|---|---|
| Base settings | App configuration (app_config.xml) — storage paths, PIN, other options |
| Export presets | Saved export templates |
| Wordcloud presets | Saved Wordcloud templates |
| Wordcloud exclusion lists | Word lists excluded by the Wordcloud generator |
| Venn presets | Saved Venn templates |
| Project plan presets | Saved project plan templates |
| Puzzle presets | Saved puzzle templates |
| Multiply settings | Settings of the multiply tool |
| Emoji favorites | Your marked favorite emojis |
| Agenda presets | Saved agenda templates (presets) |
| Agenda format templates | The entire agenda-templates folder (restored item by item) |
Choosing the library (scope)
Using the "Library" radio buttons you set which library is used for the library categories (Snippets / Slides / Storylines / Actions):
| Choice | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Private (local) | Your private local library |
| Public | The shared public library |
The scope affects only the library categories. The "Settings & presets" group is not affected.
If no public path is configured, the option reads "Public (no path)" and is disabled. See Storage locations for more.
Export (back up)
- Tick the categories you want included (or All / None)
- Choose library Private (local) or Public
- Click Back up … and choose location/filename
- The ZIP is created — progress and log appear right in the panel (see below)
If no category is selected, the message "Please select at least one category." appears.
Progress & log
The export runs without a progress dialog — everything is shown in the panel itself, below the button:
- a progress bar across all objects to be backed up,
- a status line showing what is currently being exported (e.g. "Exporting: Snippets · 128 / 312"),
- a log that grows category by category (
✓ Snippets — 128 objects, including missing files and errors) and ends with the target path.
The button is disabled while the export runs; PowerPoint stays usable. If the log grows beyond the panel height, the panel scrolls along and jumps to the end automatically. Restoring shows progress and log the same way.
Backup summary (info)
After export, a summary is generated automatically. The header lists the time, add-in version, backed-up library (Private/Public), machine, user and filename; below it follows the content list with counts. It is stored in two places:
- inside the ZIP as
backup_info.txt, - next to the ZIP as
<BackupName>_info.txt(in the same folder).
The same information also appears in the log in the panel.
Import (restore)
- Tick the categories you want back
- Choose the target library Private (local) or Public
- Click Restore … and select the backup ZIP file
If no category is selected, the message "Please select at least one category." appears.
Two different import behaviors
Import treats two kinds of content deliberately differently:
- Individual files (settings & presets as well as value lists) are overwritten — the version from the ZIP replaces the local file.
- Library objects (Snippets / Slides / Storylines / Actions / Texts) are only added — items that already exist stay untouched, nothing is overwritten.
Settings active after restart
Restored settings and presets only take effect after restarting PowerPoint.
Objects visible immediately
PPPTools re-reads restored library objects right after the import — they are available in the galleries and the manager straight away, no restart needed.
Not included in the backup
Deliberately excluded
Daily quotas and license are not backed up or restored — they are tied to the device or account.
License
From Standard up
Backup is available from the Standard license tier. Every user with a Standard license reaches it directly via the Ribbon button — without the Admin view.
Typical use cases
- Setting up a new PC — export a backup from the old machine, import it on the new one
- Safety copy before changes — create a copy before changing value lists, presets or storage paths
- Passing on selected categories — tick only the checkboxes you need and hand the ZIP to colleagues
See also PPPTools settings and Storage locations.