Back up, export, and print Journal entries on iPhone
To include your entries from the Journal app in a backup of your iPhone, your iPhone backup must be encrypted and stored locally on your computer or external storage device.
Your Journal entries on your iPhone are stored automatically in iCloud, which makes it easier to restore them when you get a new iPhone. In addition to storing Journal entries in iCloud (or if you aren’t using iCloud), you can back up your Journal entries in an encrypted backup of your iPhone. You can also export, print, or save PDFs of your Journal entries right from the Journal app.
Back up Journal entries in an encrypted backup
For your Journal entries to be included in a full backup of your iPhone, you must create an encrypted backup of your device, which requires a Mac or a PC. By default, Journal entries aren't included in unencrypted iPhone backups, so even if you back up your iPhone to iCloud regularly, the backups won't include your Journal entries unless you create an encrypted backup.
Open the Finder on your Mac or the Apple Devices app on your PC. If your PC doesn't have the Apple Devices app, or your Mac is using macOS Mojave or earlier, open iTunes instead. Find out what macOS your Mac is using.
Connect your device to your computer with the included USB cable.
Locate your device on your computer. In the Finder on Mac, click your iPhone in the sidebar.
From the General tab or the Summary tab, select "Encrypt local backup" under Backups.
When asked, make a password. Create one that you'll remember, write it down and store it safely, or add it to the Passwords app. There's no way to restore from your backup without this password. If you forgot your password, learn what to do.
Enter the same password again to verify it, then click Set Password.
After you confirm your password, your backup will start and immediately overwrite and encrypt your previous backups. From now on, when you back up your iPhone using your computer, the backup will be automatically encrypted. You can still back up your device with iCloud. Just be aware that Journal entries won't be backed up to iCloud, so you should periodically back up your device in the manner described here.
You can easily restore your encrypted back up that includes your Journal entries to a new device or to the same device if you had to restore it to factory settings.
Export journal entries
When you export a copy of your journal entries, photos, locations, and other media you added to each entry are included in the exported file. The exported entries are collected into a single ZIP file.
Open the Settings app, scroll down, then tap Apps.
Scroll down, then tap Journal.
Scroll down, then tap Export All Journal Entries. You might be asked to enter your device's passcode.
Tap Export. This might take a moment or two. Stay on this screen until the process completes.
When your journal entries are ready, the Files app will open to iCloud Drive by default, and you can choose where to save them.
Tap Save when you're ready. This might take a little while to complete.
After you export your journal entries, you can find a ZIP file called "AppleJournalEntries" in the Files app on your device. You can move the ZIP file anywhere you want so you can access the Journal entries outside of the Journal app.
Print journal entries or save as PDFs
In iOS 18 or later, you can save copies of your journal entries as PDFs in the Files app, or you can print them if you'd like physical copies.
In the Journal app, tap the More button
on an individual entry. To select multiple entries, tap the More button
in the upper-right corner.
Tap Print, then choose the entries you want to print or save:
To print or save all your entries, tap All Entries.
To print or save a range of journal entries, tap Date Range, then select the dates. If the end date is today, you won't need to select the ”To” date.
Tap Print again.
On the print options screen, choose what you want to do with the entries:
To save your entries as PDFs in the Files app, tap the Share button.
To print physical copies of the entries directly from your iPhone to an AirPrint-enabled printer, select your printer, choose any print options you want, then tap Print.
Store Journal entries in iCloud
If you're signed in to your Apple Account on your iPhone, your Journal entries are stored automatically in iCloud and are encrypted as they go between iCloud and your iPhone, and while stored in iCloud. And if you have more than one iPhone, your Journal entries also sync across devices.
To check that your entries are stored in iCloud, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > See All > Journal, then make sure Saved to iCloud is turned on.