Short answer: your reading history lives in a small .tachibk backup file and, separately, in your downloaded chapter files. Keep dated copies of both off the phone: the .tachibk in cloud storage you control, and big download folders backed up like any other important files. A phone replacement then becomes a restore, not a loss.
What to back up (three layers)
- The .tachibk backup — library, progress, categories, tracking links. Tiny file, catastrophic to lose, and time-sensitive: 0.21.x is the last Mihon line that restores it directly (how to create one).
- Downloaded chapters — the actual image files in your storage folder or server. Losing them means re-downloading everything.
- Server data — if you run Suwayomi/Kavita/Komga, its database and library folders (server comparison).
Option 1 — pCloud (sponsored): for the .tachibk and everyday files
A general cloud drive is the natural home for .tachibk files: automatic phone upload, versioning of older copies, and access from any device when you migrate. pCloud is the drive we link for this — set the phone app to auto-upload the folder where you save backups, and keep the dated-copy habit from our backup guide. (Sponsored link — we may earn a commission; we recommend the workflow regardless of provider.)
Option 2 — Backblaze (sponsored): for the big desktop library
If your manga archive lives on a computer — a Suwayomi server, a Komga/Kavita collection, folders of CBZ — an automatic whole-computer backup beats manual uploads. Backblaze backs up the whole machine continuously, including that archive drive, for a flat subscription. (Sponsored link.)
Option 3 — the free manual routine
No budget? Once a month: create a fresh .tachibk, copy it to a free Google Drive (or any cloud) folder and to a computer, named with the date. Free tiers are plenty for backup files — what matters is that two copies exist in two places. The discipline is the product; the providers above just automate it.
Test your backup once
A backup you have never restored is a hope, not a backup. After setting up, do one trial restore on a spare device or a fresh install (migration steps double as the test) — five minutes that prove the whole chain works, including your cloud copy.
Note: This page contains sponsored affiliate links (pCloud, Backblaze). We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you — see our affiliate disclosure.
Related: all buying guides