# Restore data from text file
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-data-from-text-file/67989
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [March 28, 2025, 7:27am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-data-from-text-file/67989 "2025-03-28T07:27:45Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@msfbtvt](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/msfbtvt)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2025, 7:27am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-data-from-text-file/67989/1 "2025-03-28T07:27:45Z")
I really appreciate this plugin—it’s exactly what I wanted, as it allows me to back up the metadata of my highly customized music collection.
However, after using it for a while, I’ve found that restoring the backed-up tags is somewhat inconvenient for me.
The issue is that, when restoring tags, the new file name must exactly match the old file name from the backup, including the file type. For example, if I previously downloaded an album in MP3 format and backed up its tags, then later downloaded the same album in FLAC format, I wouldn’t be able to restore the tags normally unless I manually edited the TXT file (replacing all instances of "mp3" with "flac"). While this process is somewhat tedious and time-consuming, it is still manageable.
A bigger challenge arises during the metadata editing process, where renaming tracks is inevitable. Given that my most common and simplest file-naming format is `"%disc%*%tracknumber%*%title%"`, even a slight change in the file name would prevent a successful restore.
I’ve noticed that Mp3tag and Foobar2000 have a simple yet effective feature that saves tags in an album using a "file tag - tag" format, following the tracklist order. How can I apply this method to restore my backup data?
Thank you for taking the time to read about my issue!
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2025, 7:35am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-data-from-text-file/67989/2 "2025-03-28T07:35:07Z")
> [@msfbtvt](#):
>
> How can I apply this method to restore my backup data?
If you mask the filename section as %dummy%, then the import follows the order of records and selected files.
I doubt, though, that it will work properly with a complete backup of all files and restore to only a subsection of files.
Also, the text method does not include pictures ...
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### Author:  [@poster](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/poster)
#### Post date: [March 28, 2025, 10:57am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-data-from-text-file/67989/3 "2025-03-28T10:57:59Z")
> [@msfbtvt](#):
>
> it’s exactly what I wanted, as it allows me to back up the metadata of my highly customized music collection.
In my personal opinion making a backup only of the metadata **just for restoration** does not make much sense. I think it is advisable to make backups of the music-files itself. And if you do so, you have a backup of the metadata too.
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### Author:  [@msfbtvt](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/msfbtvt)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2025, 7:14am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-data-from-text-file/67989/5 "2025-03-30T07:14:02Z")
> [@msfbtvt](#):
>
> Oh, I have backed up the all music folders and files, pictures, artworks.... But I want more safe, at least If I lose all that files, I still have the metadata (which has smaller sizes, I can do with multi method of backing up) still available and can be restoring.
Oh, I have backed up all my music folders and files, including pictures and artworks. But I want a safer option. At the very least, if I lose all those files, I still want the metadata (which has a smaller size and can be backed up using multiple methods) to remain available and restorable
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### Author:  [@MotleyG](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/MotleyG)
#### Post date: [March 30, 2025, 11:10am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-data-from-text-file/67989/6 "2025-03-30T11:10:05Z")
> [@msfbtvt](#):
>
> I have backed up all my music folders and files, including pictures and artworks.
Definitely the safest approach!
Back to your original concern regarding the backup data in the text file not getting a match to a file name that no longer remains true to the original. This is where you will have to lean on your full back up. What other criteria do you expect will help otherwise?
I am in full support of having multiple backups. But extracting the metadata only from the full package seems less secure. Especially if this text file is not kept up to the point that the matching criteria is no longer valid.
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [May 8, 2025, 6:51am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/restore-data-from-text-file/67989/7 "2025-05-08T06:51:05Z")
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