LifeScribe Biography
Your story, at your pace.
A practical guide to setting up the desktop app, organizing your memories, and keeping your data backed up.
Getting started
Start anywhere; there is no required order.
Install the desktop app and open the default life story, or create a fresh workspace if prompted. The sidebar takes you to the main areas. You can begin with a written memory, a timeline event, a photo collection, or any other section that feels natural.
LifeScribe Biography is a desktop application for Windows and macOS. It works without a LifeScribe website account and your biography is not synchronized to the web.
Your workspace
Build a record from different parts of your life.
Stories
Write and organize chapters and memories.
Timeline
Collect dated milestones and events.
Gallery
Browse images in albums and connect them to your story.
Family tree
Record family members and relationships.
Career
Preserve roles, work history, and achievements.
Maps & Places
Add meaningful places and location context.
Importing your material
Bring in what you already have, then review it.
You can import supported Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn archive exports. Biography turns recognized content into suggested entries; review each suggestion and choose whether to accept, edit, or reject it. Imported content is not silently added to your story.
Folder import can read photo metadata such as dates and GPS information and identify duplicates. Use the import review in the app to confirm what should become part of your biography.
Read and edit modes
Review your biography without changing it.
Read mode presents your saved stories for reading. Switch to Edit mode when you want to change content or organize the workspace. Read mode is local to the app; it does not publish or share a website.
Data and backups
Know where your files live.
Settings shows the app's data location. Keep a backup by closing LifeScribe Biography and copying the complete data folder, including its database and associated images, to a separate storage location. Keep the previous copy until you have confirmed the backup is usable.
Avoid placing the active database in a folder actively synchronized by OneDrive, Dropbox, or Google Drive; simultaneous file synchronization can damage a database. Use a closed-app copy for backup instead.
For a new computer, close the app, copy the full data folder, and follow the app's current documentation for placing it on the new machine.
Privacy and connections
Local storage, with important limits to understand.
The app does not encrypt its database or images. Protect your computer and backups with operating-system disk encryption and access controls. There is no account, telemetry, cloud sync, or connection to the LifeScribe website. Map search and map tiles can contact OpenStreetMap services when those features are used; some video thumbnails may also require a network connection.