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Backups & Recovery

How Backups Work

Verkilo creates complete copies of your project database when you trigger a backup. Each backup is a standalone .verk file that contains all your books, sections, characters, locations, and metadata.

Backups are:
- Complete - Contains everything in your project
- Independent - Each backup is a fully functional project file
- Timestamped - Named with date and time for easy identification

Creating Backups

Manual Backup

Create a backup at any time:

  1. Go to Project > Create Backup (or use the menu)
  2. Verkilo saves a timestamped copy of your project
  3. A confirmation appears when complete

When to create manual backups:
- Before major revisions
- Before reorganizing your book structure
- Before experimenting with big changes
- After completing a milestone (draft, revision pass)

Backup Naming

Backups are named with this pattern:

{ProjectName}_{YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS}.verk

Example: MyNovel_20260126_143022.verk

This makes it easy to identify when each backup was created.

Backup Location

Default Location

Backups are stored in:

~/Documents/Verkilo/backups/

Each project has its own subfolder within the backups directory.

Custom Location

Set a different backup location:

  1. Go to Verkilo > Preferences (Mac) or File > Settings (Windows/Linux)
  2. Find Backup Settings
  3. Click Browse next to Backup Location
  4. Select your preferred folder
  5. Click Save

Tip: Choose a location that's:
- On a different drive than your project (for hardware failure protection)
- Synced to cloud storage (Dropbox, iCloud, OneDrive)
- Included in your regular system backups

Resetting to Default

To return to the default location:
1. Open Backup Settings
2. Click Reset to Default

Backup Retention

Verkilo automatically manages old backups to prevent storage bloat.

Retention Policy

Configure how long to keep backups:

  1. Open Preferences > Backup Settings
  2. Choose a retention period:
Option Behavior
30 days Delete backups older than 30 days
90 days Delete backups older than 90 days
2 years Delete backups older than 2 years
Never Keep all backups indefinitely (default)

Automatic Cleanup

  • Cleanup runs automatically when you open Verkilo
  • Old backups are moved to your system trash (not permanently deleted)
  • Only the 5 most recent backups per project are kept, regardless of age

Manual Cleanup

Trigger cleanup immediately:

  1. Open Preferences > Backup Settings
  2. Click Recycle Now
  3. Confirm to remove backups older than your retention period

Restoring from Backup

To restore your project from a backup:

  1. Locate the backup in your backup folder (default: ~/Documents/Verkilo/backups/)
  2. Find the backup you want based on the timestamp in the filename
  3. Close your current project in Verkilo
  4. Copy the backup file to a safe location (in case you need the current version later)
  5. Replace your project file with the backup, or open the backup directly

Opening a Backup Directly

Backups are complete project files. You can:

  1. Go to File > Open Project
  2. Navigate to your backups folder
  3. Select the backup file
  4. Open it as a project

This lets you compare the backup to your current project before deciding to restore.

Full Restoration

To completely replace your current project:

  1. Close the project in Verkilo
  2. Locate your project file (the .verk file you normally work with)
  3. Rename it (e.g., add _old to the name) to preserve it
  4. Copy the backup file to the project location
  5. Rename the backup to match your original project name
  6. Open the project in Verkilo

What's Backed Up

Backups include:
- All books and their settings
- All sections and their content
- Characters and locations
- Keywords and tags
- Version history snapshots
- Interior design settings
- Cover design templates

Backups do not include:
- Attachments (images, avatars) stored separately in ~/Documents/Verkilo/attachments/
- Application preferences (theme, accent color)

Attachments Note

Image attachments are stored separately from your project database. To fully back up a project with images:

  1. Back up your project (creates the .verk file backup)
  2. Also back up your attachments folder: ~/Documents/Verkilo/attachments/{project-id}/

Best Practices

Regular Backups

  1. Before major work - Create a backup before starting significant changes
  2. After milestones - Back up after completing drafts or revision passes
  3. Weekly habit - Even with auto-save, periodic backups provide peace of mind

Storage Strategy

  1. Multiple locations - Keep backups in more than one place
  2. Cloud sync - Use a cloud-synced backup folder
  3. External drive - Periodically copy backups to external storage

Verification

  1. Test occasionally - Open a backup to verify it's complete
  2. Check backup dates - Ensure recent backups exist
  3. Monitor disk space - Backups can accumulate; adjust retention as needed

Troubleshooting

Backup Failed

If backup creation fails:
- Check disk space in your backup location
- Verify you have write permissions to the backup folder
- Try a different backup location

Can't Find Backups

  1. Check the backup location in Preferences > Backup Settings
  2. Look in the default location: ~/Documents/Verkilo/backups/
  3. Use your system's file search to find .verk files

Backup Too Old

If you need a version older than your oldest backup:
- Check your system trash for recycled backups
- Check Time Machine (Mac) or File History (Windows) for the backup folder
- Check any cloud sync services for previous versions

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