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title: "Codex Skin Backup and Restore: A Workflow That Survives a Reinstall"
description: "Codex skin backup is one of those jobs nobody does until the week it matters."
tags: ["codex", "skin", "backup", "restore"]
canonical_url: https://awesomecodexskin.com/blog/codex-skin-backup-and-restore-workflow
Codex skin backup is one of those jobs nobody does until the week it matters. You reinstall Codex, or an update resets the theme directory, or you set up a second machine, and the palette you spent an evening tuning is simply gone.
What a Codex skin backup actually contains. A theme file is only half of it. Most skins ship as a .codedrobe-theme or a JSON palette (the formats are broken down in Codex skin file formats explained), and that part travels well.
How to export Codex theme settings. Export before you touch anything else. Two minutes now beats rebuilding a palette from screenshots later.
How to restore Codex skin after reinstall. Order matters more than speed here. - Install first, restore second. A theme file copied into a directory that does not exist yet gets overwritten the moment Codex creates it.
Codex skin sync across machines. Two options, and they suit different people. | Approach | Setup cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Version the export folder | Low, one git repo | One main machine, occasional second |
| Sync the skin directory with a file-sync tool | Lowest | Two machines you use daily |
| Re-apply from the skin index on each machine | Near zero | Casual setups, few tweaks |
The export-folder approach wins if you edit skins.
The part worth keeping: Every skin in the Codex Skin Index can be exported and restored with the steps above, so a backup is worth keeping for the ones you actually reach for. Full write-up is on the source blog.
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