How to Migrate from Tachiyomi to Mihon (Before the .tachibk Window Closes)

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Short answer: back up your library in Tachiyomi as a .tachibk file, install Mihon, add your extension repositories in Mihon first, then restore the backup. Do it while Mihon is on the 0.21.x line — the Mihon team has announced that 0.21.x is the last major version that restores Tachiyomi .tachibk backups directly and the last to support extensions made for Tachiyomi (1.4 extensions). From the next major version, a .tachibk file will only restore by restoring it on 0.21.x first and then updating.

Why migrate now

The original Tachiyomi stopped at v0.15.3 in January 2024 and receives no updates. Mihon is the successor built by members of the original core team, and it reads the same backup format — for now. Mihon’s 0.21.0 release notes (repeated in 0.21.1 and 0.21.2) state: “This is the last major version to support Tachiyomi’s backup format (.tachibk) and extensions made for it… From the next update, the only way to restore a .tachibk backup file will be to restore it on this version and then update to the latest version.” Migrating today is a five-minute job; waiting until after the next major release adds an extra install step in the middle.

One hard requirement: current Mihon needs Android 8.0 or later, while Tachiyomi 0.15.3 runs on Android 6.0+. If your device is stuck on Android 6 or 7, it cannot run current Mihon — back up your library anyway (the file stays valid), and read our notes for older devices at the end of this guide.

What moves, and what does not

  • Library entries and categories — every title in your library, with its category assignments.
  • Reading progress — read/unread chapter states and history.
  • Tracking links — connections to services such as AniList and MyAnimeList (Mihon also supports Kitsu, Shikimori, Bangumi, MangaUpdates and others).
  • Downloaded chapters — the backup records them; the chapter files themselves live in your storage folder and are not inside the .tachibk file.
  • What does not move: the extensions themselves. You reinstall them in Mihon from your repositories, which is why the order of steps below matters.

Step 1 — Back up in Tachiyomi

  1. Open Tachiyomi and go to More → Settings → Data and backup → Create backup.
  2. Tick every category you care about: library, chapters, categories, tracking and history.
  3. Save the resulting .tachibk file somewhere safe — not only on the phone. Copy it to a computer or cloud storage (see our backup and restore guide for storage ideas).
  4. Before upgrading anything, the Mihon team also advises: “Ensure you have a up to date backup before updating to this version.”

Step 2 — Install Mihon 0.21.x

Download Mihon from its official GitHub release — our Mihon download page lists every v0.21.2 file with its size and SHA-256, and the main button goes straight to GitHub (universal APK). If you are not sure which file to pick, choose the universal package. Installing Mihon does not remove Tachiyomi; both apps can sit side by side while you migrate.

Step 3 — Add your extension repositories in Mihon first

A restored backup refers to sources by ID. If the matching extensions are not installed yet, entries can come back unlinked. So before restoring: in Mihon, open More → Settings → Browse → Extension repositories, add the same repositories you used in Tachiyomi (the community Keiyoushi repository is the one most readers use — it is unofficial; see how to add extension repositories), then install the extensions for your sources under Browse → Extensions.

Step 4 — Restore the backup

  1. In Mihon, go to More → Settings → Data and backup → Restore backup.
  2. Pick your .tachibk file.
  3. Wait for the restore to finish, then open your library and spot-check a few titles: categories, read chapters and tracking status should match Tachiyomi.
  4. Reconnect any tracker that asks you to log in again (tracking setup guide).

If something looks wrong

Entries showing without a source usually mean the extension was missing at restore time — install it and restore once more. A restore that fails with a decryption message has its own fix list in our decryption failed guide. If the app sits on an updating screen after an upgrade, see stuck on updating screen.

Older devices (Android 6/7)

Current Mihon, TachiyomiSY, TachiyomiAZ and TachiyomiJ2K 1.8+ all require Android 8.0 or later, so there is no maintained successor that installs on Android 6/7. Your realistic options: keep running Tachiyomi 0.15.3 (it still works, but extensions will keep drifting as source sites change), keep a fresh .tachibk backup safe for the day you change devices, or move your reading to a newer phone or tablet — our tablet guide covers inexpensive options.

Next steps: all tutorials · Tachiyomi download page · Mihon vs Tachiyomi compared

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