Import, Export, and Backup

MDash copies imported content into its browser vault. It does not maintain a live connection to the original file, folder, repository, or URL.

Table of Contents

Choose the Right Transfer

Goal	Best Choice	What It Preserves
Add one document	Import File	The supported source file
Bring in a collection	Import Folder	Supported files and subfolders
Copy public text from the web	Import from URL	Supported remote source at the time of import
Keep a readable external copy	Export Folder as ZIP	Live files and folders, without Trash or settings
Create a complete restore point	Create Full Backup	The vault, including Trash, with optional settings

Supported Files

MDash edits Markdown, plain text, and many common code formats. Markdown files receive a rendered preview. Other text and recognized code files appear as highlighted or plain source.

File, folder, drag-and-drop, and URL imports accept supported text formats. Binary formats such as images, PDFs, office documents, audio, video, and archives are not editable vault files. A Markdown document can still reference a remote image by URL, but MDash does not copy that image into the vault or a ZIP export.

Import a File

Open the Import menu and choose Import File, or press Ctrl/⌘ + O. MDash accepts Markdown, plain text, and many common code formats.

Each imported file is limited to 5 MB. Unsupported and binary files are rejected before the vault changes.

When the destination already contains the same name, MDash compares the incoming and existing files before changing the vault. Choose Keep Both, Replace Existing, or Cancel. Identical files can reuse the existing vault copy. Replacements preserve the existing file identity and can be undone immediately after import.

Import a Folder

Choose Import Folder to copy a supported text folder and preserve its subfolders. A folder import can contain up to 5,000 supported files and 50 MB of supported content, with a 5 MB limit for each file.

Limits and Review

MDash scans and validates the complete folder before importing. Unsupported files, files over 5 MB, and otherwise valid files beyond the count or total-size limits are skipped instead of failing the complete import. Review Folder Import shows the discovered, ready, and skipped totals before continuing whenever a file cannot be imported. Scanning stops when a folder exceeds the 25,000-entry safety limit.

Name Conflicts

When the root folder already exists, choose Merge Folders to reuse matching folders or Keep Both to create a numbered copy. Every nested name conflict is reviewed together before the import starts. Identical files keep the existing copy by default, while different files require an explicit decision. Use Set All Unresolved To while unresolved decisions remain, or Reset Decisions after changing a decision.

Progress, Reports, and Undo

The progress dialog reports the current relative path, completed and total file counts, transferred size, created folders, and replacements. Read failures and local-storage failures remain distinct from skipped files in the final report. Every completed folder import offers View Import Report and Save Import Report. Saving creates a detailed Markdown record in the root-level Import Logs folder. Undo Import reverses only that import while preserving unrelated later changes and saved reports. If imported items were edited or now conflict with newer items, undo stops to protect your work.

Folders are created only when they contain supported imported files. Empty folders and folders containing only unsupported files are not copied.

Import from a URL

Choose Import from URL for a supported raw text URL, GitHub file, public GitHub repository, or gist. A repository imports as a folder with its repository name, preserves supported paths, and uses the same limits, review, conflicts, progress, report, and Undo workflow as a local folder. The remote server must allow the browser request.

Fetched content becomes an independent vault copy. Later changes at the URL do not update the imported note.

Migrate an Existing Markdown Folder

Choose Import Folder to bring an existing Markdown collection into MDash while preserving supported subfolders and text files. Review Wiki-Links after migration because short wiki-links resolve by basename, while explicit paths identify a specific file.

Check these items after migration:

Attachments and other binary files are skipped.
Application-specific syntax may remain as plain text or unsupported Markdown.
Duplicate basenames can make wiki-link resolution ambiguous.
Complex YAML frontmatter is preserved, but MDash only edits its supported single-line fields and inline arrays.

Back up the original folder before migration and keep it until you have reviewed the imported copy.

Export a Document

The Export menu supports:

Markdown for the stored Markdown source, or [File Type] File for a code or text file with its original filename and extension.
HTML for a self-contained styled document. Markdown is rendered with embedded KaTeX fonts and diagrams; code and text files are rendered as highlighted or plain source.
PDF through the browser print dialog.
Share by URL for a small compressed document, including its filename and source type.

A share URL contains the compressed document source. Anyone with the complete URL can read it, and browsers or messaging services may retain it. Do not use this option for secrets or documents that require access control. See Privacy and Local Storage for the full privacy model.

Open Export for the active document, or use a file's Vault or tab menu without switching documents. Code and text files use a specific source label such as JSON File, HTML File, or Text File. HTML, PDF, and Share by URL are available for Markdown, code, and text files.

HTML export includes metadata from Markdown frontmatter and does not require a CDN or network connection after download. Code exports use the same Shiki grammar and dual-theme colors as Preview. Frontmatter and Metadata lists the fields MDash recognizes. PDF layout and document properties depend on the browser print engine.

The Export menu remains available in Editor, Split, Stacked, and Preview views.

Text alignment is preserved in MDash's rendered HTML, PDF, and shared-document views. Markdown and ZIP exports preserve the stored source, including compact <div align="..."> wrappers. Other Markdown viewers may require blank lines after the opening tag and before the closing tag, or may strip HTML alignment entirely. See the Markdown Guide for a compatibility example. Choose HTML when you need a self-contained rendered copy.

Export a Folder or Vault

Choose Export Folder as ZIP on a regular folder, or open Settings, then Backup, and choose Export Vault as ZIP. The ZIP mirrors the live folder structure and includes Markdown, text, and code files. Items in Trash and interface settings are not included.

Keep Recoverable Backups

Browser storage is convenient, but it is not a backup. Clearing site data, switching browser profiles, or losing a device can remove the vault.

Open Settings, then Backup, and choose Create Full Backup. The JSON backup preserves the complete vault, including Trash. Enable Include Settings when you also want appearance, panel, workspace, and backup-reminder preferences in the restore point.

Restore Full Backup validates the selected MDash backup and replaces the current vault after confirmation. This is intentionally destructive, so create a current backup first when you may need to return to the existing vault.

Use a full backup for the most complete MDash restore point. Use a ZIP for a readable folder copy that works outside MDash. Store important backups outside the browser, such as on an encrypted drive, in a versioned Git repository, or in a trusted cloud storage folder. Optional weekly or monthly reminders are available in Settings.

Recover Files from Trash

Move to Trash is the normal removal action for editable files and folders. Use the immediate Undo action, or open Trash in the Vault panel and choose Restore. Restored items return to their original writable folder when it still exists, or to the vault root otherwise.

Delete Permanently and Empty Trash cannot be undone. A full backup includes Trash, but a ZIP does not.

Troubleshooting

If a picker closes without importing, confirm that the file type and size are supported.
If URL import fails, try the raw file URL and check whether the server permits cross-origin browser access.
If PDF output differs from Preview, enable background graphics and confirm the selected page size.
If a restored link resolves incorrectly, look for duplicate Markdown basenames.