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How to Back Up Codex Conversations and Sessions

Codex Desktop stores local conversations and agent state across JSONL session files, SQLite databases, generated image folders, skills, and plugin cache directories. This guide explains what the migration skill backs up and why those files matter.

Important Codex Data Locations On Mac

Path	Purpose
~/.codex/sessions	JSONL conversation session files
~/.codex/archived_sessions	Archived session JSONL files
~/.codex/state_*.sqlite	Thread and app state index
~/.codex/memories_*.sqlite	Codex memory database
~/.codex/goals_*.sqlite	Goal database
~/.codex/generated_images	Generated image files
~/.codex/skills	User and system skills
~/.codex/plugins/cache	Plugin bundles and manifests
~/Library/Application Support/Codex	Codex desktop app profile and selected state

Backup Command

Run standard mode on the Mac:

bash scripts/create_mac_codex_migration_package.sh \
  --mode standard \
  --project "$HOME/Documents/New project"

The generated package includes manifests, checksums, a Windows restore script, and a Windows verification script.

What Is Not Backed Up By Default

Standard mode intentionally excludes:

• auth.json
• Browser cookies and Login Data
• Local Storage and Session Storage
• .env files
• SSH private keys and API keys
• .git, node_modules, .venv, caches, sockets, and runtime files

This keeps the backup safer to transfer while still preserving the Codex collaboration workspace.

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