How to export Daylio data without losing the diary behind it

Which Daylio export format do you need?

Daylio advertises CSV and PDF entry exports. Its backup documentation treats the restorable file separately. Keep both a readable archive and a backup if those two uses matter to you.

A filename alone is not enough to establish that a file is usable. After saving, find it outside the app. A document that exists only in a temporary sharing screen is easy to lose track of. Give the saved copy a name that includes the export date.

How do you create a restorable Daylio backup?

The following route is documented in Daylio’s illustrated transfer guide. The vendor page includes Android and iOS screenshots; these instructions have been checked against that documentation, not a personal Daylio account.

1. Open Daylio and choose More, then Backup & Restore.
2. Open Advanced Options and select Export.
3. Use the sharing option to save or send the generated backup to a location you control.
4. On the receiving device, confirm the file arrived before attempting a restore.

Do not replace an existing diary merely to test whether an export worked. A restore can replace data on the destination. Preserve that device’s current record too and read the confirmation carefully before proceeding.

Keep the original export unchanged. If you want to experiment with analysis or conversion, make a copy. That preserves a known starting point if a spreadsheet or conversion tool alters the file.

How do CSV and PDF exports fit into the workflow?

Use the entry-export controls in your installed Daylio version for CSV or PDF. These are different from the Advanced Options backup route above. Menu labels and availability can vary; if you cannot locate the entry-export control, use Daylio’s in-app help rather than treating a backup file as CSV.

Daylio lists PDF export among Premium features. Its PDF guide explains selecting a period and saving through the device’s share options. It also suggests a smaller period or omitting photos when a large PDF fails.

For a CSV, inspect the header row before doing anything else. Find the date, mood and note fields in the actual file. Do not assume every image or setting appears in a table just because the diary contains it.

For a PDF, open the earliest and latest included pages and check an entry you recognize. That small check catches a wrong date range more quickly than discovering the gap after you have changed phones.

What makes the archive useful later?

• Keep a short note describing your mood scale and any personal activity labels.
• Check the date range and an entry with a longer note.
• Store an untouched original separately from any working spreadsheet.
• Choose a private storage location and review sharing permissions before sending the file.

Custom labels often carry meaning that a future reader will not know. “Blue” might be a mood, an activity or your shorthand for a particular situation. A small explanation preserves that context without changing the historical entries.

You can share only the relevant period instead of your entire diary. Make that a separate copy and name it clearly. The existence of an export does not mean every recipient needs every entry.

Can you import the file into Moodwell?

Moodwell does not currently import Daylio data. A CSV that opens in a spreadsheet is not evidence of a compatible Moodwell importer. Keep the original archive, and begin a new record only when that is the workflow you want.

You can carry forward what worked without copying everything: a familiar check-in time, a useful mood vocabulary or the habit of writing one line of context. The earlier record remains valuable even when it lives in a separate archive.

For the next decision, compare Daylio alternatives or use the daily check-in guide. Start with the part you want to keep, then add only what is missing.