What a .tachibk backup contains

• Your library: titles, categories and reading status.
• Chapter progress: read/unread flags and reading history.
• Tracking connections (you may need to log in to a tracker again after restoring).
• Source and app settings included in the backup options.
• Not the downloaded chapter image files themselves — those live in the app’s storage folder. A backup restores the records; chapters marked downloaded are re-fetched or re-linked from storage.

Create a backup

1. Open Tachiyomi or Mihon → More → Settings → Data and backup.
2. Tap Create backup and tick all categories: library, chapters, categories, trackers, history, settings.
3. Choose a save location you control. The Mihon team’s own upgrade advice is blunt: “Ensure you have a up to date backup before updating to this version.”
4. Copy the file off the device — a backup that only exists on the phone it protects is not a backup.

Where to keep the file

The file is small, so keep two copies: one on a computer and one in cloud storage. Our cloud backup guide compares pCloud, Backblaze and a free manual Google Drive routine for exactly this job. Whatever you choose, rename copies with the date (for example library-2026-10.tachibk) so you always know which is newest.

Restore a backup

1. Install Mihon first and add your extension repositories plus the extensions you used (repository guide) — restoring before this step leaves entries unlinked.
2. Go to More → Settings → Data and backup → Restore backup and pick the file.
3. Wait for completion, then check the library, categories and a few titles’ progress.
4. Re-login to trackers if prompted (tracking setup).

The deadline you should know about

Mihon’s release notes for 0.21.0–0.21.2 state that this is the last major version line supporting Tachiyomi’s backup format and extensions made for it. After the next major version, the only route for a .tachibk file is to restore it on 0.21.x first and then update. A backup created today stays useful — but restoring gets one step longer. Full walkthrough: migrate from Tachiyomi to Mihon.

Restore problems

A “decryption failed” message has specific causes and fixes — see decryption failed, explained. If the app hangs while updating its database after a restore or upgrade, see stuck on the updating screen. Never delete the old app or its data until the new install has restored successfully and you have opened a few chapters.

Related: all tutorials · organize your library

Why a fresh install shows no sources

Tachiyomi’s official extension list was removed on January 9, 2024, days before the project shut down, and Mihon never shipped an official list of its own — the Mihon organization does not run an extension repository. The app is a reader shell: sources arrive as small extension APKs that you install from repositories you choose. This is also why a clean install shows a “No extensions found” state until you add one (see that error explained).

Add the Keiyoushi repository (step by step)

1. Open Mihon and go to More → Settings → Browse.
2. Tap Extension repositories, then Add repository.
3. Paste this index URL exactly: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/keiyoushi/extensions/repo/index.min.json
4. Confirm, return to Browse → Extensions, and pull down to refresh.
5. Find the sources you want and tap Install on each one.

Note: Keiyoushi is a community project, not an official Mihon repository, and neither the Mihon team nor this site controls what is in it. It is simply the repository the community consolidated around after the official list disappeared — it is still actively maintained. Other repositories exist (for example Suwayomi’s and Kavita’s own extension repos for their servers).

The trust prompt, explained

Extensions are real Android packages that run code, and since Mihon 0.21 an extension can only be installed and updated from the repository it came from. When you install from a new repository, Android/Mihon asks you to trust that repository’s signing key. Only confirm trust for repositories you added deliberately, with the exact URL above — lookalike URLs are a known trick used by fake download sites. Never install “extension packs” offered as random APK downloads on forums.

After installing: set up your sources

• Pin your main sources to the top of the Sources tab so global search checks them first.
• Log in to sources that need an account through the extension’s own settings or its WebView page (see WebView login fixes if it loops).
• If an extension later errors with HTTP 403, work through source 403 fixes before reinstalling anything.
• Coming from Tachiyomi? Add repositories before restoring your backup so entries link up — see the migration guide.

Related: all tutorials · Mihon download and setup · install extensions in bulk with Shizuku

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

Categories that actually get used

• Create categories under More → Settings → Library → Categories (or from the library’s category tab).
• Assign in bulk: long-press titles in the library to select several, then use the menu to set categories for all of them at once.
• Keep the count small — five or six state-based categories beat thirty genre folders you never open. A title can live in more than one category if you do want a genre shelf as well.

Sorting, filtering and badges

• Sort each category by last read, unread count, or latest chapter — “unread count, descending” turns your Reading shelf into a to-do list.
• Filters (downloaded, unread, completed, tracked) answer questions like “what downloaded manga can I read on this flight?” instantly.
• Badges for unread and downloaded counts on covers make the state of the library visible without opening anything.

Library updates without the noise

Global library updates check every series for new chapters. Restrict automatic updates to your active categories, and use per-series update restrictions for completed or slow series so update runs stay fast and sources do not rate-limit you. Repeated update errors are usually a source problem — see library update failed — not a library problem.

Clean up duplicates

Duplicates sneak in when you add the same series from two sources, or when a source renames a series. They are more than untidy: Mihon’s 0.21.1 release notes describe updates taking up to hours on libraries with many duplicate entries (fixed in that version). Pick the copy with your progress and tracking attached, remove the other, and use the migration tool on a title’s page when you deliberately move a series to a different source. A tidy library also makes backups restore cleanly.

Related: all tutorials · tracking setup

Why you would bother

Modern Android asks for confirmation when one app installs another. With a handful of extensions that is a shrug; when you are migrating from Tachiyomi and reinstalling dozens of extensions — or bulk-updating them later — it is dozens of interruptions. Shizuku lets apps use system-level APIs with your permission, and Mihon can use it as its installer to skip the repetitive prompts.

Set up Shizuku

1. Install Shizuku from Google Play or its official GitHub project page.
2. Enable Developer options on your phone (tap Build number seven times in About phone), then turn on Wireless debugging.
3. In Shizuku, tap Start via Wireless debugging → Pairing, enter the pairing code Android shows, then start the Shizuku service. Its home screen should report that Shizuku is running.
4. (Alternative: start Shizuku with a one-time ADB command from a computer.)

Point Mihon at Shizuku

1. Force-close and reopen Mihon after Shizuku is running.
2. Go to More → Settings → Advanced → Installer and switch the installer from the legacy/package installer option to Shizuku.
3. Approve the system authorization prompt for Mihon (choose the always-allow option if offered).
4. Install or bulk-update extensions from Browse → Extensions — packages now go in without a prompt per item.

Caveats

• Shizuku stops when the phone reboots; restart it (a quick pairing/start on the same Wi-Fi) before your next bulk session.
• Shizuku changes how extensions install, not what is safe to install. Only install extensions from repositories you added deliberately (repository safety notes).
• If an extension still fails with “app not installed”, that is a different problem — signature conflicts and Android version issues are covered in app not installed / parse error fixes.

Related: all tutorials · migration guide

Pick the right reading mode

• Right-to-left (paged): the original order for Japanese tankōbon. If spreads and page turns feel backwards, you are in the wrong mode.
• Left-to-right (paged): for Western comics and translated editions that were flipped.
• Vertical / continuous vertical: scrolls page after page — comfortable for phone reading of standard manga.
• Webtoon mode: removes the gaps between pages entirely for long-strip series; using paged mode on a webtoon is the most common beginner complaint.

Settings worth changing first

• Crop image borders: trims the white margins publishers leave, which makes panels noticeably bigger on phones.
• Double-page mode (tablets): shows two pages side by side in landscape, the way print spreads were drawn. Pairs well with a 10–11″ tablet (tablet guide).
• Tap zones / navigation layout: choose where taps turn pages so your thumb rests naturally; volume-key paging is handy on e-ink devices.
• Keep screen on while reading and a custom brightness inside the reader prevent dimming mid-chapter.
• Per-series overrides: long-press a series or open its reader settings to give webtoons vertical mode while the rest of your library stays paged.

E-ink devices (BOOX and similar)

On e-ink, disable page-transition animations and enable the reader’s flash-on-page-change style refresh if offered — this clears ghosting. Long-strip mode works, but paged mode with a full refresh per page is usually cleaner on e-ink panels. More in our e-ink reader guide.

If pages look wrong

Zoomed-in or split pages usually mean a wide spread is being shown in single-page mode — switch to double-page or the split-wide-pages handling in reader settings. Blank or missing pages after a source change are a source issue, not a settings issue: see 403 errors and library update failures.

Related: all tutorials · organize your library

Download chapters, three ways

• Single chapter: tap the download arrow beside the chapter in the series’ chapter list.
• Several at once: long-press chapters to select them, then use the download option in the menu.
• New chapters automatically: category and library-update settings can download new chapters for series in chosen categories when the library updates — set this only for series you truly follow, or storage disappears fast.

Where files go, and how much space they take

Downloads are stored inside the storage location set under Settings → Advanced → Storage location — on Android 14/15 this is a folder you granted the app access to. A typical chapter is a few megabytes to a few tens of megabytes depending on image quality and page count; a long series can reach gigabytes. If your phone is tight on space, a microSD card (if your device has a slot) or a tablet with more storage helps — see our tablet picks and the local files guide for how storage folders work.

Settings that make downloads reliable

• Battery: set Mihon to Unrestricted in Android’s app battery settings. Aggressive power saving is the number one cause of downloads and background updates stalling mid-queue.
• Network: if downloads only fail on mobile data, check for a Wi-Fi-only restriction in download settings; if they fail everywhere, the source may be challenging the app — work through downloads failing fixes.
• Storage permission: if every download errors instantly, the app may have lost access to its folder — re-pick the storage location in Advanced settings.

Managing and deleting downloads

Use the Downloads section of the app to watch the queue and clear failed items. To free space, open a series and delete downloaded chapters you have finished, or remove a whole series’ downloads from its menu. Remember your .tachibk backup does not contain chapter files — if you wipe downloads you will fetch them again from the source or your own archive (backup guide).

Related: all tutorials · reader settings for long sessions

How the local source works

Mihon is not only an online reader. Its built-in local source indexes manga you already own — downloads from legal stores, your own scans, or exports from a server — with the same library, categories and tracking as online entries. No extension is needed for local files.

Set it up

1. Decide on a storage folder. On modern Android, storage access is scoped: create a folder in your internal storage and point Mihon at it via Settings → Advanced → Storage location, granting access when Android asks.
2. Inside it, make one folder per series, and inside that, one subfolder per chapter — or drop one CBZ/ZIP per chapter into the series folder.
3. Open Browse → Local source (it appears under your sources) and your series will be listed.
4. Long-press a series to add it to your library, then categorize it like any online entry (library organizing guide).

File and naming tips

• Name chapters so they sort correctly: Chapter 001, Chapter 002 — zero-padded numbers prevent the 1, 10, 2 problem.
• A cover.jpg in a series folder gives you a clean cover instead of a random first page.
• Pages inside an archive should also be zero-padded (001.jpg…) — the reader follows filename order.
• CBZ is just a ZIP with a different extension; CBR (RAR) support is less reliable — repacking old CBRs as CBZ on a computer avoids most issues.

Local vs. server libraries

If your collection lives on a computer or NAS rather than the phone, a self-hosted server is the better tool: Suwayomi serves a Mihon-compatible library from a PC, and Kavita and Komga specialize in local collections with OPDS access. Mihon can sit in front of all three as the reading app.

Related: all tutorials · downloading chapters for offline reading

Which services Mihon supports

Mihon 0.21.x integrates nine trackers: MangaBaka, MyAnimeList, AniList, Kitsu, MangaUpdates, Shikimori, Bangumi, Hikka, and Comick, which was added in 0.21.0. The same release also added id: search for AniList, Bangumi, Kitsu, MangaUpdates, Shikimori and Hikka, which makes linking the exact edition much easier when a series has several same-named entries.

Connect an account

1. Go to More → Settings → Tracking.
2. Tap the service (AniList and MyAnimeList are the most common choices) and tap Log in.
3. Approve the authorization page that opens — this is an OAuth login on the service’s own site; Mihon never sees your password.
4. Repeat for a second service if you mirror your list in two places.

Link your library entries

1. Open a title in your library and tap the tracking status row under its details.
2. Search for the title; if search finds several matches, search again with id: plus the ID from the tracker’s website to pin the exact entry.
3. Set your status (reading, plan to read) and confirm. Progress, score and start dates sync from there.

Note: Entries you restored from a Tachiyomi backup usually keep their tracking links; a service may still ask you to log in once on the new install. If a title refuses to link, check that you are restoring with extensions installed first — see the migration guide.

Keeping progress accurate

• Read a chapter to the end for it to count as read; partially read chapters sync when you finish them.
• Fix duplicates early: if the same series exists twice in your library, tracking can attach to the wrong copy. Mihon 0.21.1 specifically fixed very slow updates on libraries with many duplicate entries — another reason to tidy up (see organizing your library).
• If a tracker login fails with a Cloudflare message, update Mihon first: 0.21.2 fixed Kitsu logins failing with “Failed to bypass Cloudflare” (see that error explained).

Related: all tutorials · backups and restore