Backup, restore, and reset

Back up your setup, restore it later, or reset Lawnchair.

Lawnchair can back up your settings, home screen layout, and app drawer setup.

You can also restore that backup later or reset Lawnchair to its default state.

Creating a backup

What gets backed up

Most settings are backed up automatically, including:

• Your home screen layout, including icon positions and folders

• App drawer and search settings

• Most Lawnchair settings, including gestures and theme settings

What is not included in a backup

• Widgets

  • Widget placement is saved, but widget data and internal settings are not.

  • You need to reconfigure widgets after a restore.

• Third-party apps

  • Integrations such as icon packs and Smartspacer still require their related apps to be installed.

  • If those apps are missing, Lawnchair falls back to its default settings.

• Work profile apps

  • Work profile apps may not restore reliably because Android handles them inconsistently.

• Apps not installed

  • If an app is missing on the target device, its icon will not appear after restore.

To create a backup:

1. Go to Home settings > More .

2. Tap Create backup.

3. Choose what to include:

   • Layout and settings: Backs up everything noted above.

   • Wallpaper: Backs up your current wallpaper. This setting does not work if you have a live wallpaper.

4. Tap Create. You will be prompted to choose a name and location for your backup file.

   • Save it somewhere easy to access, such as Downloads or a cloud drive folder.

   • The file will have a .lawnchairbackup extension (e.g., Lawnchair_Backup January 01, 2026 00:00:00.lawnchairbackup).

Restoring a backup

Restoring applies a previously saved .lawnchairbackup file to your current Lawnchair installation.

To restore a backup:

1. Go to Home settings > More .

2. Tap Restore backup.

3. On the screen that appears, find and select your backup file.

4. After selecting a backup, you can restore Layout and settings, Wallpaper, or both.

   • See What gets backed up for details.

5. Tap Restore.

Restoring a Nova backup

On Lawnchair 15 Beta 3 and later, you can import some home screen settings from a Nova Launcher backup file (.novabackup).

This helps if you are moving from Nova Launcher.

What gets restored from a Nova backup

• Home screen grid layout

• Icons and their positions

• Widget placement, but not widget data or setup

• Folders and their contents, if the apps are installed

• The selected icon pack, if it is installed

What is not restored from a backup

• Nova-specific settings such as Nova gestures and notification badges

• Subgrid layouts. Lawnchair aligns these items to the nearest standard grid position.

• App drawer layout, categories, and settings

• Lawnchair-specific settings

• Apps that are not installed on your device

To restore a Nova backup:

1. Go to Home settings > More .

2. Tap Restore Nova backup.

3. On the screen that appears, find and select your backup file.

4. A confirmation screen will appear, showing a summary of what will be restored.

• If your Nova setup used subgrid positioning, Lawnchair will warn you that those items will be aligned to the standard grid.

• You can optionally tap Add extra row to show At a Glance if you want to show this feature.

1. Tap Restore.

Reset settings to default

This resets Lawnchair to its default state.

All custom settings, including your home screen layout, will be lost.

Important: This action is irreversible. Make sure you have created a backup if you want to save your current setup before proceeding.

To reset Lawnchair:

1. Go to Home settings > More .

2. Tap App info.

3. On the screen that appears, tap Storage and cache.

4. Tap Clear storage.

5. On the warning that appears, tap Delete.

Troubleshooting

Can't find backup file

Make sure the .lawnchairbackup file is stored on internal storage or in a cloud location your file picker can access.

Can't restore the backup file

If your backup fails to restore:

• Make sure the filename does not contain unusual or unsupported characters. Try renaming it to something simple, such as backup.lawnchairbackup.

• Make sure the file is fully downloaded to your device.

• Make sure the backup is compatible with your installed Lawnchair version.

• Re-download or recreate the backup if you suspect it is corrupted.