How to copy backup settings and resume backups on a new device in Comet Backup

Kuzma Ivanov

Updated October 01, 2026 02:20

Question

Original device with Comet Backup has become unavailable or has been replaced on an instance. How to configure the new device to adopt the Protected Items on the new device and resume backups?

Answer

When you install Comet Backup on a new server, the software assigns it a brand-new unique device identity. Because Comet treats this as an entirely separate device, it will not automatically inherit or run the backup jobs associated with the old, unavailable server.

Additionally, historical data remains associated with the original device ID in the Storage Vault.

To achieve continuity, you can easily copy the backup settings from the old device to the new device via the Comet Server web interface, and then safely decommission the old device.

Copy/paste feature in Comet Backup is further discussed in this section of Comet Backup documentation:

Copy and paste | Managing your backups with Self-Hosted Management Console | Comet Documentation

Step 1: Copy Protected Item settings to the new device

Log in to your Comet Server web interface.
Navigate to the relevant user account.
Locate the old device under the account (it should still be listed even if it is offline).
Use the Copy button next to the Protected Item settings you want to reuse.
Select your new device from the user account's device list.
Use the Paste button to apply the same Protected Item configuration to the new device.

Step 2: Revoke the old device license

Once you have verified that the new server has successfully adopted the backup jobs and is running correctly, you can reclaim your license:

In the Comet Server web interface, locate the old device.
Revoke the license for the old device.

What happens to existing backup data?

Data Retention: The previous backup data uploaded by the old server remains securely in your Storage Vault. It will not be deleted immediately upon revoking the old device; instead, it is bound by your configured Storage Vault Retention Policy.
Restoring Historical Data: After you revoke the original device, its historical backup data will still be fully visible and restorable. In the interface, this data will simply be labelled as belonging to an "unknown device" because its original hardware identity was revoked.