How to Create a Backup (GUI)
This page walks you through the process of creating a backup (export) using the graphical interface. For command-line automation, see Export via CLI.
1. Open the Export Window
Click the Export button on the Dashboard. The Export window opens as a modal dialog.
The window title shows "AppProfileSafe — Export", or "AppProfileSafe — Export (Test Version)" in test mode.
2. Select Applications
The Export window displays a list of all application definitions found in the AppDefinitions folder. Each entry shows a checkbox, the application name, and a link:
| State | Appearance | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Valid definition | Enabled checkbox, application name, (edit) link | Check the box to include in export. Click edit to open the definition editor. |
| Invalid definition | Disabled checkbox, grayed name, invalid format - edit | Cannot be selected. Click edit to open the raw XML editor and fix the issue. Hover to see the validation error. |
Below the list, the total number of available definitions and the current source folder path are shown.
Toolbar Buttons
| Button | Action |
|---|---|
| Select All | Selects all valid definitions. In test mode, only the first 2 are selected. |
| Deselect All | Clears all selections |
| Create New | Opens the definition editor to create a new application definition |
| Reload | Reloads the definition list from the current AppDefinitions folder (useful after adding or editing definitions externally) |
| Change Location… | Opens a folder picker to load app definitions from a different folder. The default location is the configured AppDefinitions folder. After confirming, the application list is cleared and all XML definitions from the selected folder are loaded and validated. This is useful when working with definitions stored on a network share or in a project-specific folder. |
Test Mode Limitation
In test mode (no valid license), the number of selectable applications is limited to 2. The group box header shows the limit: "Select Applications to Backup (Test Limit: 2)". If you try to select more, a message explains the restriction. See Licensing for details on activating a full license.
3. Choose the Target Location
Click the Export Backup button at the bottom of the window. A Save dialog opens where you choose the manifest file location.
The suggested default filename is APS_Export_yyyyMMddHHmmss.xml (e.g. APS_Export_20260213143022.xml).
You can save to any local folder or UNC network path. If the path is a UNC share that requires authentication, a credential dialog appears automatically. See Working with UNC Paths.
4. Preflight Validation
Before the export starts, AppProfileSafe runs a preflight validation. This verifies administrator rights, license status, configuration integrity, app definition validity, and available disk space.
If any preflight check fails, the export is stopped and you are shown the results. Fix the reported issues and try again.
5. Export Progress
After preflight passes, the progress window opens and shows each item as it is exported. The progress grid displays five columns:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| App | Application name |
| Type | Entry type (RegKey, RegValue, Folder, File) |
| Source | Source path on the local system |
| Destination | Target path in the backup data folder |
| Result | Status of each item (Success, Failed, Skipped) |
A progress bar at the bottom shows overall progress. When the export finishes, you can click Export Results to save the detailed results to a CSV file.
6. Results and Reports
After the export completes, AppProfileSafe:
- Shows the final status in the progress window
- Writes an audit log entry documenting the operation
- Generates a run report (JSON) saved in the Report folder
- Dispatches events to the event pipeline (if configured)
The export uses a best-effort approach: if some items fail (e.g. access denied on a registry key or locked file), the remaining items are still exported. The result for each item is shown individually in the progress window.
Output Structure
After a successful export, the target folder contains:
| File / Folder | Example |
|---|---|
| Manifest file | APS_Export_20260213143022.xml |
| Data folder | APS_Export_20260213143022\ |
| Per-app subfolders | APS_Export_20260213143022\Firefox\Registry\ and ...\Firefox\Files\ |
For details on the manifest file structure, see Understanding the Manifest File. For details on what data is captured, see What Exactly Gets Exported.
Help Links
At the bottom of the Export window, two links provide quick access to online resources:
- "How to create app definitions →" opens the online help for guidance on creating application definitions.
- "Pre-built app definition templates →" opens the GitHub template repository with ready-made definitions for common applications.
See Also
- Export via CLI — Automate exports from the command line
- Export Troubleshooting — Solutions for common export issues
- Import Overview — Restore application profiles from your backup