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Data & Backup — in plain language

Everything WorkWingman knows about you already lives in plain files on your own computer. This screen (Data & Backup, in the sidebar) adds two more ways to get that data out or back it up — both are things you choose to do, never something that happens on its own.

The short version. Your data already lives on your computer as local files — that never changes. This screen lets you (1) save any of it into an Excel file you can open, edit, and bring back in, and (2) — only if you turn it on, one item at a time — copy a piece of it into your own Google Drive as a backup. Sensitive stuff (money, salary history, demographic answers) stays local-only unless you go out of your way to say otherwise, and you'll see a warning first.

The three ways your data can move

  1. Local files (this never changes). Everything you enter — your profile, saved jobs, applications, study plans — is stored as plain files on your machine. This screen doesn't change that; it's still the one true copy.
  2. Save to an Excel file, and bring it back. Pick one or more of the sections listed below, hit "Export," and you get a normal .xlsx file — the kind Excel, Google Sheets, or LibreOffice Calc can open. Edit it, fix a typo, add a row — then use "Import from Excel" to bring your edits back into WorkWingman.
  3. Back up to your own Google Drive (optional, one section at a time). If you've connected your Google account, you can press "Sync to Drive" next to any section to copy it into a Google Sheet in your own Drive — not WorkWingman's, not anyone else's. This is entirely optional and off until you press the button.

What's on the list

Every kind of thing WorkWingman tracks shows up as its own row: your onboarding profile, saved jobs, applications you've sent, generated resumes/cover letters, study plans, your automation settings, and the fill-rules it's learned. New kinds of data get added to this list automatically as the app grows — you'll never need to ask for a feature to "support backup," it already does.

Your files can't be half-saved

Behind the scenes, WorkWingman is careful about how it writes those local files, so a crash — the app closing at exactly the wrong instant, or even the power going out — can't wreck your data:

  • Saves are all-or-nothing. The app writes your data to a scratch file first and only swaps it into place once it's completely written. You either get the new version or keep the old one — never half of each.
  • It keeps the previous version too. Each save quietly keeps the last good copy as a backup right next to the real file.
  • If a file somehow does get damaged, the app doesn't crash or wipe it. It sets the damaged file aside (kept, timestamped, never deleted — you could still look at it by hand) and brings back the last good copy automatically. Worst case, one section comes back one save older than you left it.

You don't have to do anything for any of this — it's how every save works, all the time.

Sensitive data stays put by default

A few rows are marked Sensitive — right now that's your onboarding profile, because it holds things like salary expectations, past salary, and the voluntary demographic (EEO) answers. Sensitive rows:

  • Never sync to Google automatically or by default.
  • If you press "Sync to Drive" on one anyway, you'll see a clear warning first — "this will leave your machine" — and have to confirm before anything actually sends. No surprise uploads.
  • Exporting a sensitive row to a local Excel file still works exactly like any other row — that file stays on your computer unless you personally move it somewhere.

Encryption — locking the Excel file

There's an optional passphrase field. If you set one before exporting, the .xlsx file gets scrambled with strong encryption (AES-256, the same category of protection as a password-protected zip file) — nobody can open it without that passphrase, not even by renaming it or poking at it with another program. Type the same passphrase back in when you import it later.

There's no "forgot your passphrase" button. If you lose it, that backup file is gone for good — same as losing the password on any encrypted archive. Only use this when you're storing the file somewhere you're not 100% sure is private (a shared drive, a USB stick you might lose, etc.).

Being honest about Google Sheets

Once something is synced into a Google Sheet, it lives there as normal, readable text — Google Sheets has no way to keep a cell "locked" the way an encrypted file can be. So syncing a section to Drive means that data genuinely leaves your computer and sits in your Google account, protected only by however secure your Google account is (turn on two-factor authentication if you haven't). That's exactly why sensitive sections don't go there unless you explicitly say so.

Extra safety when syncing to Sheets

If a saved value happens to start with an unusual character that spreadsheets treat specially (like an equals sign), WorkWingman quietly neutralizes it before sending — so a job title or note never accidentally turns into a spreadsheet formula. You don't need to do anything; it's automatic.

If Google isn't connected yet

Pressing "Sync to Drive" before you've connected your Google account just tells you so, clearly — it doesn't error out mysteriously or silently do nothing. Connect Google on the Connections screen first, then come back.