JWL Merger

Take all your JW Library backups — old and new, from every device — and merge them into one restore file. JWL Merger brings together the notes, highlights, bookmarks, tags and playlists from each one, so you get all your personal study data back in one place.

Open JWL Merger

How it works

JW Library doesn't share your personal notes between devices. JWL Merger combines them for you in three simple moves:

1Back upMake a backup on each device

2MergeJWL Merger combines them into one

3RestoreLoad that one backup on every device

Things that are on more than one device are kept once — no duplicates.
If you changed the same note on two devices, the newest version is picked — and you can review each one and choose the other version, or keep both.
Duplicate notes (same text in the same place) and duplicate audio and video in your playlists are cleaned up too.
Before saving, it checks that every note and highlight is still there. If anything is wrong, it saves nothing.
Your backups are never uploaded — everything happens on your own phone or computer. The site only counts visits anonymously.

How to use it

Make a backup on each device. In JW Library: Settings → Backup and Restore → Create a backup. Save it where the device you'll merge on can reach it — iCloud Drive, Files, OneDrive, or email it to yourself.
Open JWL Merger at jwl-merge.vercel.app on any phone, tablet or computer. Tap the language at the top to change it.
Choose your backups — one from each device. Each one shows how many notes and highlights it has.
Tap Merge backups. A table shows each backup and the merged result.
Tap Save merged backup. You get a file called Merged [date].jwlibrary in your Downloads.
On every device, open JW Library → Settings → Backup and Restore → Restore a backup, and choose the merged file.

Important: restoring replaces what's on that device. Keep your original backups until you've checked that your notes look right.

Step by step, for each device

1 · Make the backups and put them on one device

Before you start: update JW Library on every device, and decide which device you'll merge on — any phone, tablet or computer with a web browser.

iPhone or iPad

Open JW Library and go to Settings.
Tap Backup and Restore → Create a backup.
In the menu that opens, tap Save to Files, choose iCloud Drive, then tap Save. (Or AirDrop it straight to the device you'll merge on.)

Android

Open JW Library and go to Settings.
Tap Backup and Restore → Create a backup.
Choose where to send it — Google Drive, Files, or email/WhatsApp it to yourself.

Windows PC

Open JW Library and click Settings.
Click Backup and Restore → Create a backup.
Save it somewhere easy to find, like Downloads or OneDrive.

Put all the backups on one device

Move every backup to the device you'll merge on — with iCloud Drive, OneDrive, Google Drive, AirDrop, an email to yourself, or Beam. Each file ends in .jwlibrary.

Add them to JWL Merger

Tap Tap to choose backups and pick all of them at once. On iPhone or iPad, tap Browse, find the files, tap Select and choose them. On a computer you can also drag them onto the box. Each backup shows how many notes, highlights and bookmarks it has, so you can check you've got the right ones. Tap Remove to take one out.

2 · Merge

Tap Merge backups. It takes a few seconds — up to a minute for very large libraries.
A table shows each backup and the Merged result. The merged numbers are usually at least as high as your biggest backup.

What the merge does

Notes, highlights, bookmarks, tags, filled-in answers and playlists from every backup are combined.
Anything that's on more than one device is kept once.
If you edited the same note on two devices, the newest edit is picked — after merging you can review each one, choose the other version, or keep both.
If two devices used the same bookmark slot, one moves to a free slot, so none is lost.
Duplicate audio and video in playlists are removed.
Notes with the same text in the same place (for example typed on two devices) are kept once.
Identical highlights (same words, same colour) are kept once. Tick Also combine overlapping highlights of the same colour to join highlights whose words overlap into one.
Under Choose what to merge you can leave out notes, highlights, bookmarks, tags, favorites, filled-in answers or playlists. The backup from the newest JW Library keeps everything it already has.
Before saving, it checks that every note and highlight is still there. If anything would be lost, nothing is saved.

Downloaded publications, videos and audio aren't part of backups — each device keeps its own downloads.

3 · Save and restore on every device

Tap Save merged backup. You get a file called Merged [date].jwlibrary:
- iPhone or iPad: if Safari asks, tap Download. The file is in the Files app → Downloads.
- Android: in your Downloads folder (or tap the download notification).
- Windows or Mac: in your Downloads folder.
Send the merged file to every device, the same way you gathered the backups.
On each device, open JW Library → Settings → Backup and Restore → Restore a backup, choose the merged file and confirm. (On iPhone or iPad you can usually also open it from the Files app: tap and hold the file → Share → JW Library.)
Open a few notes and highlights to check everything is there.

Important: restoring replaces everything on that device with the merged backup. Don't add notes on your other devices between making the backups and restoring — anything new would be replaced. Restore on all your devices soon after merging.

Next time: repeat these steps whenever your devices get out of step — for example once a week.

Everything JWL Merger can do

The three steps above are all most people need. These are the extras, in the order you meet them in the app.

Merging

Merges two or more backups: notes, highlights, bookmarks, tags, favorites, filled-in answers and playlists.
Takes old backups too, even ones from years ago or from an old phone.
Main backup: the newest backup is picked as your main one, and its bookmarks are the ones kept. Tap Main backup on another one to choose it instead, or untick the option to combine the bookmarks of every backup.
Choose what to merge: leave out any kind of item you don't want copied.
Overlapping highlights: tick the option to join highlights of the same colour whose words overlap.
Just one backup: cleans up its duplicate notes, highlights, audio and video.

Checks before you save

Health check: every backup you add is checked. A damaged one is refused, and you are told if one is empty, added twice, or much older than your newest.
Progress: you see which backup is being read or merged.
Preview: shows what each device will gain, before anything is saved.
The new items, one by one: a list grouped by device and by publication, with a search box that covers every note.
Notes edited on two devices: compare the versions and keep one, or both.
Safety check: if any note or highlight would be lost, nothing is saved.

After the merge

Send with a QR code: scan it with your other device and the merged backup opens there. The copy is locked and is deleted after 1 hour.
Send with Beam-It: it goes straight to your other devices.
Undo: save any of your original backups again, unchanged. The originals of the last 7 days are also kept on the device you merged on; you can turn that off.
List of publications: every publication you have notes or highlights in, with a jw.org link to download it again.
Monthly reminder: adds a repeating reminder to your calendar to back up and merge again.

Good to have

Works without internet: once you have opened it, it opens and merges with no connection. Sending with a QR code or Beam-It still needs internet.
Install it like an app: add it to your Home Screen from the browser's Share or menu button.
Backups folder: on a computer with Chrome or Edge, choose the folder where you keep your backups and add them all with one button.
Seven languages: English, Deutsch, Español, Français, Italiano, Português and Shqip.
Windows offline file and Mac app: the downloads are on the tour page.

Good to know

Don't like the result? Can I go back?

Yes. After merging, JWL Merger shows Not happy with the merge? Tap Use this one instead next to any of your backups to save it unchanged, then restore it in JW Library. This also undoes a merged backup you've already restored. Start over lets you choose different backups.

Can I use just one backup?

Yes. Choose a single backup and tap Merge to clean up its duplicate notes, audio and video, without merging anything.

Does it work with old backups?

Yes. Backups from older versions of JW Library can be merged with new ones. The result is always in the newest format.

Which devices does it work on?

iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac and Windows — in any browser. On iPhone or iPad you can tap Share → Add to Home Screen to use it like an app. Once opened, it also works without internet.

Is my data safe?

Your backups never leave your device. JWL Merger doesn't upload, store or see your notes.

Open JWL Merger