immich/docs/docs/administration/backup-and-restore.md

Backup and Restore

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A 3-2-1 backup strategy is recommended to protect your data. You should keep copies of your uploaded photos/videos as well as the Immich database for a comprehensive backup solution. This page provides an overview on how to backup the database and the location of user-uploaded pictures and videos. A template bash script that can be run as a cron job is provided here

Database

Immich stores file paths and user metadata in the database. It does not scan the library folder, so database backups are essential.

Automatic Database Backups

Immich automatically creates database backups for disaster-recovery purposes. These backups are stored in UPLOAD_LOCATION/backups and can be managed through the web interface.

You can adjust the backup schedule and retention settings in Administration > Settings > Backup (default: keep last 14 backups, create daily at 2:00 AM).

:::caution Database backups do not contain photos or videos — only metadata. They must be used together with a copy of the files in UPLOAD_LOCATION as outlined below. :::

Creating a Backup

You can trigger a database backup manually:

1. Go to Administration > Job Queues
2. Click Create job in the top right
3. Select Create Database Backup and click Confirm

The backup will appear in UPLOAD_LOCATION/backups and counts toward your retention limit.

Restoring a Database Backup

Immich provides two ways to restore a database backup: through the web interface or via the command line. The web interface is the recommended method for most users.

Restore from Settings

If you have an existing Immich installation:

<img src={require('./img/restore-from-settings.webp').default} title="Restore from settings" />

1. Go to Administration > Maintenance
2. Expand the Restore database backup section
3. You'll see a list of available backups with their version and creation date
4. Click Restore next to the backup you want to restore
5. Confirm the restore operation

:::info Restoring a backup will wipe the current database and replace it with the backup. A restore point is automatically created before the operation begins, allowing rollback if the restore fails. :::

Restore from Onboarding

If you're setting up Immich on a fresh installation and want to restore from an existing backup:

<img src={require('./img/restore-from-onboarding.webp').default} title="Restore from onboarding" />

1. On the welcome screen, click Restore from backup
2. Immich will enter maintenance mode and display integrity checks for your storage folders
3. Review the folder status to ensure your library files are accessible
4. Click Next to proceed to backup selection
5. Select a backup from the list or upload a backup file (.sql.gz)
6. Click Restore to begin the restoration process

:::tip Before restoring, ensure your UPLOAD_LOCATION folders contain the same files that existed when the backup was created. The integrity check will show you which folders are readable/writable and how many files they contain. :::

Uploading a Backup File

You can upload a database backup file directly:

1. In the Restore database backup section, click Select from computer
2. Choose a .sql.gz file
3. The uploaded backup will appear in the list with an uploaded- prefix
4. Click Restore to restore from the uploaded file

Backup Version Compatibility

When viewing backups, Immich displays compatibility indicators based on the current version and the information from the filename:

• Backup version matches current Immich version
• Backup was created with a different Immich version
• Could not determine backup version

:::warning Restoring a backup from a different Immich version may require database migrations. The restore process will attempt to run migrations automatically, but you should ensure you're restoring to a compatible version when possible. :::

Restore Process

During restoration, Immich will:

1. Create a backup of the current database (restore point)
2. Restore the selected backup
3. Run database migrations if needed
4. Perform a health check to verify the restore succeeded

If the restore fails (e.g., corrupted backup or missing admin user), Immich will automatically roll back to the restore point.

Restore via Command Line

For advanced users or automated recovery scenarios, you can restore a database backup using the command line.

# Replace <DB_USERNAME> with the database username - usually postgres unless you have changed it.
docker exec -t immich_postgres pg_dumpall --clean --if-exists --username=<DB_USERNAME> | gzip > "/path/to/backup/dump.sql.gz"

docker compose down -v  # CAUTION! Deletes all Immich data to start from scratch
## Uncomment the next line and replace DB_DATA_LOCATION with your Postgres path to permanently reset the Postgres database
# rm -rf DB_DATA_LOCATION # CAUTION! Deletes all Immich data to start from scratch
docker compose pull             # Update to latest version of Immich (if desired)
docker compose create           # Create Docker containers for Immich apps without running them
docker start immich_postgres    # Start Postgres server
sleep 10                        # Wait for Postgres server to start up
# Check the database user if you deviated from the default
# Replace <DB_USERNAME> with the database username - usually postgres unless you have changed it.
gunzip --stdout "/path/to/backup/dump.sql.gz" \
| sed "s/SELECT pg_catalog.set_config('search_path', '', false);/SELECT pg_catalog.set_config('search_path', 'public, pg_catalog', true);/g" \
| docker exec -i immich_postgres psql --dbname=postgres --username=<DB_USERNAME>  # Restore Backup
docker compose up -d            # Start remainder of Immich apps

# Replace <DB_USERNAME> with the database username - usually postgres unless you have changed it.
[System.IO.File]::WriteAllLines("C:\absolute\path\to\backup\dump.sql", (docker exec -t immich_postgres pg_dumpall --clean --if-exists --username=<DB_USERNAME>))

docker compose down -v  # CAUTION! Deletes all Immich data to start from scratch
## Uncomment the next line and replace DB_DATA_LOCATION with your Postgres path to permanently reset the Postgres database
# Remove-Item -Recurse -Force DB_DATA_LOCATION # CAUTION! Deletes all Immich data to start from scratch
## You should mount the backup (as a volume, example: `- 'C:\path\to\backup\dump.sql:/dump.sql'`) into the immich_postgres container using the docker-compose.yml
docker compose pull                               # Update to latest version of Immich (if desired)
docker compose create                             # Create Docker containers for Immich apps without running them
docker start immich_postgres                      # Start Postgres server
sleep 10                                          # Wait for Postgres server to start up
docker exec -it immich_postgres bash              # Enter the Docker shell and run the following command
# If your backup ends in `.gz`, replace `cat` with `gunzip --stdout`
# Replace <DB_USERNAME> with the database username - usually postgres unless you have changed it.

cat "/dump.sql" | sed "s/SELECT pg_catalog.set_config('search_path', '', false);/SELECT pg_catalog.set_config('search_path', 'public, pg_catalog', true);/g" | psql --dbname=postgres --username=<DB_USERNAME>
exit                                              # Exit the Docker shell
docker compose up -d                              # Start remainder of Immich apps

:::note For the database restore to proceed properly, it requires a completely fresh install (i.e., the Immich server has never run since creating the Docker containers). If the Immich app has run, you may encounter Postgres conflicts (relation already exists, violated foreign key constraints, etc.). In this case, delete the DB_DATA_LOCATION folder to reset the database. :::

:::tip Some deployment methods make it difficult to start the database without also starting the server. In these cases, set the environment variable DB_SKIP_MIGRATIONS=true before starting the services. This prevents the server from running migrations that interfere with the restore process. Remove this variable and restart services after the database is restored. :::

Filesystem

Immich stores two types of content in the filesystem: (a) original, unmodified assets (photos and videos), and (b) generated content. We recommend backing up the entire contents of UPLOAD_LOCATION, but only the original content is critical, which is stored in the following folders:

1. UPLOAD_LOCATION/library
2. UPLOAD_LOCATION/upload
3. UPLOAD_LOCATION/profile

If you choose to back up only those folders, you will need to rerun the transcoding and thumbnail generation jobs for all assets after you restore from a backup.

:::caution If you moved some of these folders onto a different storage device, such as profile/, make sure to adjust the backup path to match your setup :::

Asset Types and Storage Locations

Some storage locations are impacted by the Storage Template. See below for more details.

:::note The UPLOAD_LOCATION/library folder is not used by default on new machines running version 1.92.0. It is used only if the system administrator activated the storage template engine, for more info read the release notes. :::

1. User-Specific Folders:

• Each user has a unique string representing them.
• You can find your user ID in Account Account Settings -> Account -> User ID.

2. Asset Types and Storage Locations:

• Source Assets:
  • Original assets uploaded through the browser interface & mobile & CLI.
  • Stored in UPLOAD_LOCATION/upload/<userID>.
• Avatar Images:
  • User profile images.
  • Stored in UPLOAD_LOCATION/profile/<userID>.
• Thumbs Images:
  • Preview images (small thumbnails and large previews) for each asset and thumbnails for recognized faces.
  • Stored in UPLOAD_LOCATION/thumbs/<userID>.
• Encoded Assets:
  • Videos that have been re-encoded from the original for wider compatibility. The original is not removed.
  • Stored in UPLOAD_LOCATION/encoded-video/<userID>.
• Database Dump Backups:
  • Automatic database backups created by Immich for disaster recovery.
  • Stored in UPLOAD_LOCATION/backups/.
• Postgres
  • The Immich database containing all the information to allow the system to function properly.
    Note: This folder will only appear to users who have made the changes mentioned in v1.102.0 (an optional, non-mandatory change) or who started with this version.
  • Stored in DB_DATA_LOCATION.

:::note If you choose to activate the storage template engine, it will move all assets to UPLOAD_LOCATION/library/<userID>.

When you turn off the storage template engine, it will leave the assets in UPLOAD_LOCATION/library/<userID> and will not return them to UPLOAD_LOCATION/upload.
New assets will be saved to UPLOAD_LOCATION/upload. :::

1. User-Specific Folders:

• Each user has a unique string representing them.
  • The administrator can set a Storage Label for a user, which will be used instead of <userID> for the library/ folder.
  • The Admin has a default storage label of admin.
• You can find your user ID and Storage Label in Account Account Settings -> Account -> User ID.

2. Asset Types and Storage Locations:

• Source Assets:
  • Original assets uploaded through the browser interface, mobile, and CLI.
  • Stored in UPLOAD_LOCATION/library/<userID>.
• Avatar Images:
  • User profile images.
  • Stored in UPLOAD_LOCATION/profile/<userID>.
• Thumbs Images:
  • Preview images (blurred, small, large) for each asset and thumbnails for recognized faces.
  • Stored in UPLOAD_LOCATION/thumbs/<userID>.
• Encoded Assets:
  • Videos that have been re-encoded from the original for wider compatibility. The original is not removed.
  • Stored in UPLOAD_LOCATION/encoded-video/<userID>.
• Files in Upload Queue (Mobile):
  • Files uploaded through mobile apps.
  • Temporarily located in UPLOAD_LOCATION/upload/<userID>.
  • Transferred to UPLOAD_LOCATION/library/<userID> upon successful upload.
• Database Dump Backups:
  • Automatic database backups created by Immich for disaster recovery.
  • Stored in UPLOAD_LOCATION/backups/.
• Postgres
  • The Immich database containing all the information to allow the system to function properly.
    Note: This folder will only appear to users who have made the changes mentioned in v1.102.0 (an optional, non-mandatory change) or who started with this version.
  • Stored in DB_DATA_LOCATION.

:::danger Do not touch the files inside these folders under any circumstances except taking a backup. Changing or removing an asset can cause untracked and missing files. You can think of it as App-Which-Must-Not-Be-Named, the only access to viewing, changing and deleting assets is only through the mobile or browser interface. :::

Backup ordering

A backup of Immich should contain both the database and the asset files. When backing these up it's possible for them to get out of sync, potentially resulting in broken assets after you restore.
The best way of dealing with this is to stop the immich-server container while you take a backup. If nothing is changing then the backup will always be in sync.

If stopping the container is not an option, then the recommended order is to back up the database first, and the filesystem second. This way, the worst case scenario is that there are files on the filesystem that the database doesn't know about. If necessary, these can be (re)uploaded manually after a restore. If the backup is done the other way around, with the filesystem first and the database second, it's possible for the restored database to reference files that aren't in the filesystem backup, thus resulting in broken assets.