Your data, as a file
Zen keeps your habits on your device. When you want a copy of them, Settings gives you two ways to get one, both as JSONL: one JSON object per line, which is a format any text editor can open and any AI assistant can read without special handling.
Export once
Settings → Your data → Export writes the file and opens the iOS share sheet, so you can save it to Files, mail it to yourself, or send it straight into another app. Nothing leaves your device unless you pick somewhere to send it.
Keep a copy in iCloud Drive
Settings → Your data → Keep a copy in iCloud Drive keeps that file up to date instead of making you export it again. Zen rewrites it when your habits change, so whatever reads it always sees your current history. It stays in your own iCloud account: Zen has no server and never receives a copy.
Where to find it
On your iPhone or iPad, open Files → Browse → iCloud Drive → Zen - Habits, and the file is zen-habits.jsonl.
On a Mac signed in to the same Apple Account, it is in Finder → iCloud Drive → Zen - Habits. In Terminal, the full path is:
~/Library/Mobile Documents/iCloud~com~zenhabit~app/Documents/zen-habits.jsonl
Turning the setting off deletes the copy from iCloud Drive.
What is in the file
Every line is one complete JSON object with a type, so the file can be read a line at a time without loading all of it.
| Line | What it describes |
|---|---|
meta |
Format version, app version, when the export was taken, and what the other lines mean |
habit |
One habit: its title, goal, schedule, start and end dates, notes, and whether it is archived |
day |
One habit on one calendar day, with the status you recorded and any note |
reminder |
A habit's reminder time and whether it is on |
A day line carries its habit's title alongside the habit id, so a single line makes sense on its own without joining it back to the habit lines.
The export covers the habits, days and reminders held on that device. It does not include Challenges, which hold other participants' data, or the timer and counter amounts recorded against a goal. The meta line says so too, so anything reading the file knows what it is not being given.
Using it with an AI assistant
Point the assistant at the file and ask your question. Because it is plain JSONL, no import step or conversion is needed:
Read ~/Library/Mobile Documents/iCloud~com~zenhabit~app/Documents/zen-habits.jsonl
and tell me which weekday I most often miss.
The file is a copy for you to read, not a backup Zen can restore from. To move your habits between your own devices, use Settings → Sync → Sync my devices, which keeps them in step through your iCloud account.