How anime list keepers can export history for backup in 2026

Steps to export your anime list history for backup, with tool options and mistakes to avoid.

By VLClean · 2026-11-02

VLClean is published by the makers of Askarr and Watcharr, which are compared here alongside other tools.

Exporting history for backup comes down to finding where your list lives, saving a dated copy, and checking that the copy opens with every entry. The steps below work with any tool that holds your list, and the tools section describes one option, Watcharr, and what it does with a public IMDb list.

Option	Option	What it does	Licence and access
Watcharr	Reads a public IMDb list and gives one link each for Radarr and Sonarr. ^[1]	Code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence. ^[1]	The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1]
Other tools (not named here)	not published	not published	not published

What you need before you start

Before you export anything, decide where your anime history lives today. It might be a list kept inside one app, a spreadsheet, or a public list on IMDb. Write down that location, and make sure you can sign in to it if it asks for a sign-in.

Make a short note of what each record holds, such as the title, the date you finished it, and any rating or notes you added. A backup is only useful if you can tell later what each column or field meant.

If your list is on IMDb as a public list, keep its web address handy. Watcharr accepts any public IMDb watchlist or list from the desktop site, the phone site or IMDb's other-language pages. ^[1]

Choose a place to store the copy, such as an external drive or a cloud folder you already use. Keep more than one copy in separate places so a single failure does not take everything with it.

Step by step

Open the list you want to back up and confirm that it shows every title you expect.
Use the export or download option your list tool offers, if it has one. If it does not, copy the titles and notes into a spreadsheet by hand.
Save the file with the date in its name, such as anime-history-backup, so you can tell which copy is newest.
Open the saved file and check that the titles, dates and notes are all there.
Store the file in a second place, separate from the first.
Repeat these steps on a regular day you choose, and replace older copies only after the new one opens correctly.

Tools that can do it

Watcharr is made by the team that publishes this site. You paste one public IMDb list into it, and you get one link for Radarr with the movies and one for Sonarr with the shows. ^[1]

Each link acts like a small Radarr or Sonarr server, so Radarr checks it every 15 minutes and Sonarr every 5. ^[1] The links are built from the IMDb list's id, so the same list always gives the same two links. ^[1]

If a read of the list fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. ^[1] If you sign in, Watcharr re-reads your list about every 15 minutes and warns you when a list fails three reads in a row. ^[1]

Shows it cannot match are left out, and it tells you which ones it skipped. ^[1]

The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence, and older versions remain under MIT. ^[1] Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale. ^[1]

Other tools are not named on this page. Before choosing one, check how it keeps copies of your history, whether it can export a file, and how it stays up to date.

Common mistakes to avoid

Avoid keeping only one copy in one place. A backup stored beside the original can be lost along with it.

Avoid skipping the open-and-check step. A file can save without errors and still be missing titles or notes.

Avoid assuming a list updates the moment you change it. Watcharr re-reads a signed-in list about every 15 minutes, so a change you make may take a while to appear. ^[1]

Avoid overlooking skipped titles. If a tool leaves some entries out, your backup will be missing them too unless you check what was skipped. Watcharr tells you which shows it skipped. ^[1]

Avoid sharing a backup file widely without checking what it contains first.

Frequently asked questions

How can anime list keepers export history for backup?

Start by finding the export or download option in the tool that holds your list, and save the result with the date in its name. If the tool offers no export, copy the titles and notes into a spreadsheet by hand. Open the saved copy to confirm it holds every entry, then store it in a second place. Repeat the steps on a regular day you choose so the backup stays current.

Can Watcharr export anime history for backup?

Watcharr reads a public IMDb list and gives one link for Radarr, the movie helper, and one for Sonarr, the show helper. ^[1] A backup file is not part of that description, so confirm what the product can save before you rely on it for a copy of your history. Until then, keep your own dated copy using the steps above.

Does Watcharr keep a usable list if the IMDb list cannot be read?

If a read of the list fails, the links keep serving the last list that loaded correctly. ^[1] Signed-in users also get a warning when a list fails three reads in a row. ^[1] That keeps the last good copy available, but it is still worth saving your own copy as described above.

Does Watcharr need an account or installation?

The hosted version needs nothing to install and no account. ^[1] Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence. ^[1] Commercial use is not licensed, and no commercial licence is for sale, so read the licence before using it in any business setting. ^[1]

Can Watcharr share one anime list with a household?

Signed-in users can combine several IMDb lists into one Radarr link and one Sonarr link for the whole household. ^[1] A title that is on two lists is added only once. ^[1] Households that keep more than one public IMDb list can combine them this way. Check that each list is public before combining them.

Its code is available to read under the PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 licence; older versions remain under MIT. ^[1]

Try Watcharr

Sources

Watcharr's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)