backing up your clipstudio paint materials library to new pc

thought i'd share my experience with this topic in case it comes in handy for anyone who's looking for it. for context i'm using pc with windows (10 & 11). this'll likely work for mac users too just transpose the os terms or google the equivalent system locations. and if you're a phone or tablet user there's an easier method for this (ie default backup & restore app settings) but you can try along if you want.

TERMS

ClipStudio or "CS" is this program. it is NOT the software you draw in, it's the application you launch clipstudio PAINT (csp) from after the initial installation. we'll be referring to this program in the steps.

Materials library or "library" is everything that's in/imported from the materials window (ie. downloaded assets, your custom assets and layer settings, brush tips of imported brushes/tools, additional default assets that you can download during initial csp setup, registered/downloaded workspaces). it even includes the application settings of your current csp like preferences, command bar setup, workspace layout, etc. i'm not sure where the distinction of app settings and library is or if they're one and the same, but if i have to guess it depends if you can register it to materials or not. probably doesn't matter

this post will not include backing up "Works" or clip files because we (pc & mac users) know where those files are. however, if you're curious, you can back them up to cs cloud (tutorial) if you like.

BACKUP & RESTORE APP SETTINGS

when you want to move your materials library to a new device or just synch it to both, you can use the standard backup and restore in CS's cloud settings. phone & tablet users will be fine with this method because i don't think they have the storage a desktop pc/mac can amass with custom assets & a horde of downloads (just imho).

if your library is less than 10gb (cs cloud's allotted size per user) then you'll be fine with the above method. how can you know how big your material library is? open CS app > click ⚙️ > location of materials and copy that folder address. CLIPStudioCommon is your materials library. right click>properties to see the total size. if it's more than 10gb read on.

MANUAL BACK UP OF LIBRARY

for this i highly recommend an external drive or a large capacity cloud service. to be clear we're gonna be copying (ctrl+c / cmd+c) the library NOT moving. i mean you can move it if you like but if something bad happens to that ext drive or the cloud server goes kaput then you've lost your one and only copy of yer library. in hindsight having either or both of these tools is an investment of sorts that'll be useful for you in the long run

find the CLIPStudioCommon folder and back it up/copy it to the ext drive or your choice of cloud. side tip: if you get errors copying that large volume of files try tera copy you don't need to buy pro for this, the personal/free version is wholly adequate. i was able to move my 43gb library in a few hours (my old pc was slow) AND it verified the files post-copy automatically. you won't need this app if you'll be backing up to a cloud (it's your internet connection and cloud bandwidth plan that'll determine how fast the files gets copied).

RESTORING LIBRARY TO NEW PC

DO NOT OVERWRITE YOUR NEW LIBRARY WITH YOUR OLD DATA. do NOT copy+paste the old library yet.

after installing CSP to your new pc locate the new materials library same way as before just to be sure. delete the contents inside that fresh CLIPStudioCommon folder (do NOT delete the folder itself) and then copy+paste the data from your ext. drive or cloud in there.

nearly done! after everything's copied open the CS app > ⚙️ > maintenance menu > organize material database and let it do its thing. once it's done open csp and check if all's there from your old pc.

Exceptions

there may be some things not carried like fonts and special icc profiles (like in my case), because those files aren't inside cs's materials library. not unless you installed them in csp/csp's folders. because normally these files are in the system folders of windows or macos. if you wanna bring them along find their folder location (ask google) and back em up. then "restore" by installing them the usualy way in the new pc (if you have to ask, ask google. i'm not being facetious here it'll take you less time to google than wait for a reply for system location questions).

Conclusion

this method worked perfect for me in that my recent downloads from my old pc is in my new pc as if i haven't left; personal tags and custom folders are there too! just don't ever forget the organise database step! because cs can't automatically "identify" the files you just copied to the library folder so you have to tell it to read again. i can't take credit for this method btw, i found it long ago in the forums of 2014 (lol) and i'm super glad it still applies today with no problems(#^v^#)

oh and if you get problems with the steps lemme know via comments or dm so either me or someone else can help☮️ i wonder if there's another method to this hmm

safe voyage to your library and hope it all arrives intact!