How To Back Up GoodReader

How To Back Up GoodReader

GoodReaderGoodReader is a great application for managing and working with PDFs (and many other types of files) on the iPad. It tends to be what I use.

A while ago, I did a little video showing how it works.

At Macworld this year, I had the great fortune to meet up with awesome DocumentSnap reader Donna and she told me about a time that she had to take her computer in to the Apple Store. After a strange chain of events, she ended up losing everything that she had stored in GoodReader on her iPad.

I still am not sure exactly how that could have happened, but I promised that I’d do a blog post about how to back up the documents stored in GoodReader.

As with everything, there are many ways to do this. Here are a few.

iCloud and iTunes Backup

If you have iOS 5 and later, you are in luck. Your GoodReader data may already be backed up for you with your regular iTunes or iCloud backup.

When/if you have your iPad plugged into your computer, check the Backups section in iTunes. There are 1,001 good reasons to make sure that your iPad is being backed up on a regular basis, and backing up your GoodReader data is one of them.

iPad Backup Settings
iPad Backup Settings

You can also control the iCloud backup settings from the iPad without involving your computer.

You may or may not know this, but you can actually control which applications are backing up to iCloud. Go to Settings > iCloud > Storage & Backup > Manage Storage and then tap on your iPad. Wait a minute or so, and you’ll see what is backing up and how much storage is being eaten up.

iCloud Backup Settings
iCloud Backup Settings

If you can spare the storage, make sure GoodReader is On.

Beware The Downloads Folder

While it is true that GoodReader’s files should be backed up with your regular iPad backup, there is one important caveat.

Starting with iOS 5, there is a special folder in GoodReader called Downloads. Anything stored there is not backed up with the iTunes or iCloud backup.

This is a way to save space, but you will want to make sure that any files that are important to you and that you want backed up are not saved here.

GoodReader Download Folder
GoodReader Download Folder

GoodReader Settings

There are some GoodReader settings that can impact this as well. You are able to turn iCloud backup off from GoodReader, and you can stop it from using the Downloads folder by default altogether.

GoodReader Settings
GoodReader Settings

Copy To Dropbox or Other Service

If you don’t have iOS 5 or want to have a bit more control, one of the good things about GoodReader is that it can connect to a whole whack of cloud and local services.

You can automatically synchronize your documents with Dropbox for example, or upload them to an FTP server or a network share on some sort of regular basis.

Copy Manually Through iTunes

You can also use good old iTunes File Transfer. When your iPad is plugged into your computer, go to iTunes, then navigate to your iPad, then click on the Apps tab. Scroll down to the bottom, and you will see the File Sharing section.

Click on GoodReader on the left, and you will see your folders and files. You can then download them to your computer without having to do it over the network.

GoodReader iTunes
GoodReader iTunes

So, if you run into a situation where you think your GoodReader documents are gone, you may have options. Just take a few minutes every once in a while to make sure that your backup settings are the way that you want them.

About the Author

Brooks Duncan helps individuals and small businesses go paperless. He's been an accountant, a software developer, a manager in a very large corporation, and has run DocumentSnap since 2008. You can find Brooks on Twitter at @documentsnap or @brooksduncan. Thanks for stopping by.

Leave a Reply 6 comments

Nat - June 11, 2019 Reply

Another simple way to backup Goodreader files is to zip your main folder (“My Files” in my case) using the Zip utility within Goodreader. Then just copy that file to another (backup) location over wifi. 500MB takes about 5 minutes for the whole operation and you can do this as often as you please. I just copy the zip file to another computer on my home network (not to the cloud).

    Martin Stern - June 15, 2023 Reply

    Thanks, Nat. Your Zip tip is quick and stores the data independently of the GoodReader app (am hoping it could be opened by others). Don’t like making all my stuff totally dependent on iCloud.

Claudius - October 17, 2017 Reply

Thanks you very much! Exactly what I needed.
This article made me save a whole lot of time.
Clear, concise, to the point.
Cheers.

Caribwatch - March 8, 2016 Reply

Thank you so much for this article — it was clear and easy to follow. This is extremely useful information and guidance– especially for those who are not completely comfortable with the security of the iCloud. GoodReader is the best annotation app period, and I live in constant fear of losing all of my completed work, notes, and annotations.

Jenifer - September 2, 2014 Reply

OMG THANK YOU!!! I’ve been trying for hours to backup my documents – I kept hitting the brick wall of, ” No backing up to iTunes or iCloud” with no explanation as to why.
Goodreader is a great app but the user manual is crap – I just needed someone to tell me to move everything out of the Downloads folder – yeah, it sounds really obvious now, but when you’re using a new, complex app with lots of layers, you just need the basic stuff in the “How To” section.
Thank you!

fhapgood - December 7, 2013 Reply

Cool. But I don't quite understand how to download my backups from the iCloud, should that be necessary. When I look at the list of items in my iPad Air under Backup Options and Next Backup Size GoodReader seems to be on. But when I tap "GoodReader" nothing happens. How do I get access to these backed files for the purpose of downloading them???

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