Housekeeping. The one that needs care is moving to a new machine, because your license is tied to the one it was activated on.
Updating
Settings → System → Updates. When a newer version exists a banner also appears at the top of the app, linking here.
Press Update now and let it finish.
Your data is not touched. Folders, imported shares, settings, license and identity all live outside the program and survive an update. Database changes needed by a new version are applied at first start.
Work in progress survives. Publishing and downloading are checkpointed, so an update interrupts them and they resume afterwards rather than restarting. A large database can take a few minutes to come back — the interface shows "System is starting up…" while it does.
Even so, prefer to update when nothing large is mid-flight. Resuming is reliable, but finishing first is simpler.
Docker
The in-app updater is disabled in containers, on purpose — the image is the unit of update:
docker compose pull && docker compose up -d
Your /config volume carries everything across.
Linux archive
Extract the new archive and run it. Keep your data directory where it is and the new version picks it up.
Moving to a new computer
Two separate things move: your license, and your data.
1. Release the license on the old machine
Settings → License → Deactivate (move to another machine).
Do this before wiping the old machine if you possibly can. It is much simpler than the alternative.
2. Bring your data across
Copy the whole data folder from old to new:
| Path | |
|---|---|
| Windows | %LOCALAPPDATA%\UsenetShare |
| Linux | ~/.local/share/usenetshare |
| macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/UsenetShare |
Copy it with the app closed on both machines.
That folder holds your database of folders and imported shares, your settings, and your identity keys. Bringing it over means:
- your published folders are still yours, and you can re-publish and manage them
- your imported shares are still imported
- your identity is unchanged, so private shares published to you still open
Starting fresh on the new machine instead means a new identity — and anyone who authorised you on a private share authorised the old one. They would have to add your new token and re-publish. This is the single best reason to copy the folder rather than start over.
3. Activate on the new machine
Install, then Settings → License → paste your key → Activate.
If it reports being active elsewhere, Move license to this computer claims it for this machine.
If the old machine is already gone
Contact support with your license key. A machine that died without being deactivated is a normal situation and we can release it.
Moving where your data lives
To put the data folder on a different disk without changing machines — for instance onto an SSD, or off a disk that is filling up:
Storage page → find the path → Relocate…
It moves the files and updates the app to match. Better than moving the folder by hand, which leaves the app looking at the old location.
You can also point the whole thing elsewhere with the USENET_DATA_DIR environment
variable, which is the right approach for a service install.
Starting over without reinstalling
Settings → System → Factory Reset.
Clears the app's state and returns it to a fresh install.
This removes your folders and imported shares from the app, and your identity. It does not delete your original files on disk, and it does not delete anything from Usenet — published shares stay published, and anyone with a link can still use them.
Your identity is lost, so private shares published to your old identity will no longer open. Copy your data folder somewhere first if there is any chance you will want it back.
Use it when the install is in a state you want gone. Do not use it as a troubleshooting step — When something is wrong is far more likely to solve the problem, and a reset costs you your identity.
Uninstalling
Windows
Uninstall from Settings → Apps, or use the Uninstall Usenet Share shortcut.
Your data folder is deliberately left behind at %LOCALAPPDATA%\UsenetShare.
Delete it yourself if you want it gone — see the warning below.
Linux
Delete the folder you extracted, and the desktop entry if you created one. For a
systemd install, stop and disable the service, then remove /opt/usenetshare and
/var/lib/usenetshare.
Docker
docker compose down
Then delete the /config and /downloads directories if you want them gone.
Before you delete the data folder
Deactivate your license first (Settings → License → Deactivate), or the activation stays attached to a machine that no longer has the app.
Your identity keys are in there. Once deleted, private shares published to that identity can never be opened again, by you or by anyone. If there is any chance you will come back, keep a copy of the folder.
What is not affected: your original files stay where they are, and anything you published stays on Usenet and keeps working for everyone holding a link. Uninstalling does not unpublish anything.
Backing up
Worth doing once, and it is one folder — the data folder listed above.
| In it | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Identity keys | Irreplaceable. Lose them and private shares published to you cannot be opened. |
| Database | Your folders and imported shares. Rebuildable from links, tediously. |
config.json |
Settings. Quick to redo. |
| License | Re-activatable with your key. |
| Cache and logs | Disposable. |
Copy it with the app closed. Anywhere you would keep a password manager export is appropriate — it contains your keys, so back it up somewhere private, not to a public location.