Garmin | Backup and restore favorites

Submitted by canuk on Mon, 04/16/2012 - 12:41pm.

The following was obtained from Garmin Support, Frequently Asked Questions

How do I backup my saved addresses or Favorites on my nuvi, zumo, dezl, or LIVE series devices

Our nuvi, zumo, dezl, and LIVE devices allow you the ability to backup the locations saved in the Favorites menu on the device. To backup the Favorites from the Garmin device:

Instructions for a PC:

1. Connect the Garmin device to a computer using a data transfer USB cable.
2. Double-click on My Computer or Computer.
3. Right-click on the Garmin device drive and select Open.
4. Locate and double-click the GPX Folder.
o Some devices require you to open the folder named "Garmin" or "Internal Storage" first, then the GPX Folder.
5. Right-click and copy the Current.gpx file.
6. Locate your computer's Desktop.
7. Right-click and select Paste to save the Current.gpx file onto your Desktop.

To send the file back to the GPS, please follow the steps below:

1. Right-click on the Current.gpx file on your Desktop and select Rename.
2. Name the file Current1.gpx and then press Enter.
3. Right-click on the Current1.gpx file and select Copy.
4. Connect your device to your computer.
5. Double-click on My Computer or Computer.
6. Right-click on the Garmin device drive and select Open.
7. Locate and double-click the GPX Folder.
Some devices require you to open the folder named "Garmin" or "Internal Storage" first, then the GPX Folder.
8. Right-click and select Paste.
9. Disconnect your device from your computer and allow it to boot up. Some devices do not automatically boot up. If your device does not automatically boot up, turn the device on as normal. Your favorites will now be restored on your device.
10. Connect the Garmin device to your computer and delete the Current1.gpx file.

To transfer the saved Favorites from one mass storage device to another, connect the new device to the computer in Step 4 and then follow the remainder of the steps.

Instructions for a Mac:

1. Connect the Garmin device to the Mac using a data transfer USB cable.
2. Double-click on the Garmin device when you see it mounted to the Desktop.
3. Locate and double-click the GPX Folder.
o Some devices require you to open the folder named "Garmin" first, then the GPX Folder.
4. Right-click1 and copy the Current.gpx file.
5. Right-click1 on your Mac's Desktop and select Paste to save the Current.gpx file onto the Desktop.

To send the file back to the GPS:

1. Right-click1 on Current.gpx file on your Desktop and select Get Info.
2. Under Name & Extension, rename the file Current1.gpx and press Enter.
3. Right-click1 on the Current1.gpx file and select Copy.
4. With Garmin device connected to the Mac, double-click on the Garmin Drive.
5. Locate and double-click the GPX Folder.
Some devices require you to open the folder named "Garmin" first, then the GPX Folder.
6. Right-click1 and paste the Current1.gpx file into the GPX folder on your Garmin device.Your favorites will now be restored on your device.
7. Connect the Garmin device to your computer and delete the Current1.gpx file.

To transfer the saved Favorites from one mass storage device to another, connect the new device to the computer in Step 4 and then follow the remainder of the steps.

1If using a Mac with a one button mouse or trackpad, hold the Control button on the keyboard and then click the mouse.

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How do I backup and restore my device's favorites using the Basecamp program ?

The waypoints / favorites on your Garmin Device can be backed up and restored from your PC or Mac using the free BaseCamp program.
To backup your data:

1. Download and install BaseCamp from http://www.garmin.com/basecamp
2. Open BaseCamp
3. Connect your Garmin Device
4. Right Click on the device
5. Click Send to My Collection. The data is now backed up on your PC.

Mac

1. Download and install BaseCamp for Mac from http://www.garmin.com/basecamp
2. Open BaseCamp
3. Connect your Garmin Device
4. Click the Receive from GPS button. The data is now backed up on your Mac.

To send data back to your device or a different device:

1. Open BaseCamp
2. Connect your Garmin Device
3. Right Click on My Collection
4. Click Send to your Garmin Device

Mac

1. Open BaseCamp
2. Connect your Garmin Device
3. Click the Send to GPS button
After following these steps, your waypoints / favorites will be backed up to the computer and reloaded to your device.

It should be noted that there's also other programs such as EasyGPS, MapSource, Turbo CCC's Extra_POI_Editor etc that can be used to accomplish the same.

Change History

canuk - Jun 28, 2014
Thanks to muell9k for recommending to delete Current1gpx as a last step.

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