Comparing Clash Multi-Device Sync Methods: Subscription Links, WebDAV Backup, and Manual Export

With clients installed on your phone, computer, and tablet, how do you keep configs consistent? This article compares subscription-link distribution, WebDAV cloud backup, and manual export/import — use cases, setup cost, and common pitfalls.

Why multi-device configs tend to drift apart

Clash Verge Rev on a computer, FlClash or Clash Meta for Android on a phone, ClashX Meta on a tablet — that's how most people actually use these clients. The problem is that a Clash client's core config (proxy nodes, rule sets, DNS blocks) is typically stored as a single local YAML file, and with three devices each keeping their own copy, over time you get stale node info, mismatched rule versions, or a device that missed an update. Worse, if you're used to manually editing rules (say, adding a DIRECT entry for a domain), that change usually stays only on the device where you made it — switch devices and it's gone.

There are basically three approaches: let the config "update itself" (subscription link), let the config "live in the cloud" (WebDAV backup), or move the config "by hand" (export/import). These aren't mutually exclusive — in practice people often combine them — but their focus and maintenance cost differ a lot, and picking the wrong one means patching problems later.

Option 1: Subscription-link distribution

This is the most common approach and the one usually recommended as your primary method. A proxy service or your own node provider gives you a subscription URL; the client periodically fetches this link, pulls the latest node list, and rebuilds the full config using the rule template you've set in the client. As long as every device points to the same subscription URL, node info stays in sync in theory — because everyone pulls from the same source.

# Typical subscription link structure
https://sub.example-provider.com/link/abcdef123456?clash=1

# The client periodically requests this link and updates the proxies and proxy-groups fields

Know the boundary of what subscription sync covers: it syncs nodes and the provider's preset group template, not any custom rules you've added locally, DNS overrides, or UI preferences. If you manually added a few rules entries on your computer, refreshing the subscription on your phone won't bring those rules over — unless the client supports an "Override" feature, letting you save your custom snippet as a separate override file that's applied alongside the subscription.

• Best for: users whose nodes come from a subscription and who rarely edit rules by hand.
• Pros: set it up once, node updates are fully automatic, multiple devices naturally stay aligned.
• Limits: custom rules, group names, and UI settings don't sync along with it.

Option 2: WebDAV cloud backup

Some mainstream clients (Clash Verge Rev, for example) have built-in WebDAV backup and restore for config files. The idea is to upload the full config (nodes, rules, groups, and some local settings) to your own WebDAV service — a self-hosted Nextcloud, or any cloud storage that supports the WebDAV protocol — and have other devices pull and restore from the same WebDAV directory. The advantage here is "full sync": unlike a subscription link, which only syncs nodes, WebDAV backup carries your manually tweaked rules and group ordering along with it.

# Example WebDAV settings (entered in the client's settings UI, not hand-written into a config file)
WebDAV address: https://dav.example.com/remote.php/dav/files/username/
Username: your-account
Password: an app-specific password (don't use your main login password)

One detail that's easy to overlook with WebDAV sync: it's a backup/restore model, not real-time bidirectional merging like a document collaboration tool. That means if you edit rules on your computer and upload a backup, then edit a different rule on your phone without first pulling the latest backup, the two edits will overwrite each other rather than merge. The right habit is: always "pull the latest backup" on the current device before you start editing, and "upload backup" once you're done — following that order avoids most conflicts.

• Best for: users who frequently fine-tune rules by hand and want multiple devices fully aligned — not just on nodes.
• Pros: full sync, including custom rules and group structure.
• Limits: requires your own WebDAV service, no automatic merging, and doing the steps out of order causes overwrites.

Option 3: Manual export/import

The most basic but also most controllable method: export the config file (usually .yaml or .yml) on one device, transfer it by any means (email, chat app, local network transfer, USB drive) to another device, then manually import it into the target client. This method doesn't depend on any cloud service or subscription mechanism, making it good for quick troubleshooting, sharing a rule setup you've tuned with someone else, or situations with very few devices that rarely get updated.

# Typical local storage location for config files across clients
Windows:  %USERPROFILE%\.config\clash\profiles\
macOS:    ~/Library/Application Support/clash/profiles/
Linux:    ~/.config/clash/profiles/

The biggest downside of manual export/import is that it never updates automatically — the file you transfer today has its node info frozen at that moment, and if your provider changes node addresses later, the manually imported config won't follow along. So this method works better as a one-off transfer or emergency backup, not as your long-term multi-device sync strategy. That said, if you just want to share a rule snippet you tuned on your computer for reference on your phone, this is actually the most direct way, with no need to set up any cloud service account.

• Best for: users who switch devices occasionally and need precise control over one specific config.
• Pros: no dependence on any third-party service, the process is fully under your control.
• Limits: no auto-update capability; long-term use easily leads to forgetting to sync and stale nodes.

How to choose among the three

In practice, most users don't pick just one — they combine methods by purpose. The comparison table below can help you quickly decide on a primary approach:

A fairly solid combination is: let your primary nodes auto-update via subscription link, keep custom rule snippets in a separate override file used alongside the subscription, and — if your client supports it — use WebDAV as a periodic backup for rules and group structure rather than your only sync method. That way, even if the WebDAV service goes down one day, the subscription link still keeps your nodes usable, so you're never left with both broken at once.

Common troubleshooting