# Using a rm8 file from a desk top and moving it to a laptop **URL:** \ **Category:** RootsMagic\ **Tags:** question\ **Created:** [October 30, 2022, 1:09am UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/using-a-rm8-file-from-a-desk-top-and-moving-it-to-a-laptop/5592 "2022-10-30T01:09:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![lesstrawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbce88/32.png) [@lesstrawn](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/lesstrawn)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2022, 1:09am UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/using-a-rm8-file-from-a-desk-top-and-moving-it-to-a-laptop/5592/1 "2022-10-30T01:09:40Z")
OK a dumb newbie question and I’m sure the answer is in here somewhere. I use my desktop for my files. I am going away from the desk top for a month and I want to move it to my laptop. Without overwiting it with an imported gedcom file. Or is that the way to do it? ---
**Author:** ![kfunk](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.rootsmagic.com/kfunk/32/68_2.png) [@kfunk](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/kfunk)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2022, 1:31am UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/using-a-rm8-file-from-a-desk-top-and-moving-it-to-a-laptop/5592/2 "2022-10-30T01:31:12Z")
RM8 files and GED files are completely different beasts. They aren’t going to overwrite each other. You can move your RM8 datafile by just copying it to a flash drive, cloud service, removeable drive…anything like that. You can then access that cloud service or drive on your laptop and copy and paste your RM file over. You can also backup the file on your desktop and move the backup file using whatever method you want and restoring it on the laptop. You will need to remember to copy the file back to your desktop when you get home (if you made any changes to the data). ---
**Author:** ![lesstrawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbce88/32.png) [@lesstrawn](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/lesstrawn)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2022, 3:12am UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/using-a-rm8-file-from-a-desk-top-and-moving-it-to-a-laptop/5592/3 "2022-10-30T03:12:52Z")
Thanks. I have tried back up to flash drive, but laptop won’t read the backup file. ---
**Author:** ![lesstrawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbce88/32.png) [@lesstrawn](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/lesstrawn)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2022, 3:13am UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/using-a-rm8-file-from-a-desk-top-and-moving-it-to-a-laptop/5592/4 "2022-10-30T03:13:56Z")
Will work more on it tomorrow. I always appreciate your help and answers. ---
**Author:** ![Terry](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.rootsmagic.com/terry/32/108_2.png) [@Terry](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/Terry)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2022, 9:08am UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/using-a-rm8-file-from-a-desk-top-and-moving-it-to-a-laptop/5592/5 "2022-10-30T09:08:57Z")
1. Are you trying to OPEN the backup file on your laptop or are you using File\>RESTORE. The program does not OPEN backup files - it RESTORES them. 2. Why are using a backup at all? Why not just make a copy of your data file and put it on your laptop. Then reverse the process on your return ---
**Author:** ![lesstrawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbce88/32.png) [@lesstrawn](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/lesstrawn)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2022, 3:00pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/using-a-rm8-file-from-a-desk-top-and-moving-it-to-a-laptop/5592/6 "2022-10-30T15:00:10Z")
Didn’t understand the difference . Will do that! ---
**Author:** ![Terry](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.rootsmagic.com/terry/32/108_2.png) [@Terry](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/Terry)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2022, 4:30pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/using-a-rm8-file-from-a-desk-top-and-moving-it-to-a-laptop/5592/7 "2022-10-30T16:30:18Z")
The backup is a compressed file. It is actually a zip file - in fact you can change the file extension to .zip and it can be opened with any zip file handler so that you can see the contents. ---
**Author:** ![PatJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@PatJ](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/PatJ)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2022, 5:26pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/using-a-rm8-file-from-a-desk-top-and-moving-it-to-a-laptop/5592/8 "2022-10-30T17:26:57Z")
Transferring between laptop and desktop is much easier if you set up so that the RM root folder is the same on both machines. You can assign a drive letter to a folder and use that same drive letter on both machines - I use T: and all the images, backups, data etc are in folders within that folder so my databases are in T:\Roots Magic 8 Data, my backups in T:\Roots Magic Backups and my iages in T:\Rots Magic Images and so on. ---
**Author:** ![lesstrawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbce88/32.png) [@lesstrawn](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/lesstrawn)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2022, 1:20am UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/using-a-rm8-file-from-a-desk-top-and-moving-it-to-a-laptop/5592/9 "2022-11-01T01:20:52Z")
What a good idea! Thanks. Les ---
**Author:** ![kahill1918](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/858c86/32.png) [@kahill1918](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/kahill1918)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 3:17pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/using-a-rm8-file-from-a-desk-top-and-moving-it-to-a-laptop/5592/10 "2022-11-17T15:17:50Z")
I think it would be necessary to install RM on the laptop which means paying twice for the software…for the desktop and the laptop? I won’t use the cloud service if this is how it works with just one copy of the software. ---
**Author:** ![kfunk](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.rootsmagic.com/kfunk/32/68_2.png) [@kfunk](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/kfunk)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 3:33pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/using-a-rm8-file-from-a-desk-top-and-moving-it-to-a-laptop/5592/11 "2022-11-17T15:33:17Z")
No, you don’t have to pay for another copy of the software. I believe with Rootsmagic 8 that you can have it installed on 6 machines that you own or use, for just the initial purchase price. ---
**Author:** ![Rooty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Rooty](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/Rooty)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2022, 5:52pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/using-a-rm8-file-from-a-desk-top-and-moving-it-to-a-laptop/5592/12 "2022-11-17T17:52:07Z")
This thread indicates a widespread important lack of understanding of files and folders . Check Google and the RM8 wiki for the different file types involved and how to use and back up your RM8 data. There are so many horror stories of the vein: my computer died…my file disappeared…where is my backup?..etc. and all so avoidable.