# Back up and restore your workspace

> Save a backup of everything in PlexiDesk on this computer, rely on the automatic snapshots, and restore a backup when you need to.

Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/data-backup-restore
Section: Account, plans and support > Your data and privacy
Plans: All plans
Updated: 2026-10-15

Everything you make in PlexiDesk is stored on your computer, in one place. A backup is a copy of all of it in a single file, which you can keep somewhere safe and restore later, on this computer or another one. PlexiDesk also takes backups for you automatically.

## Before you start

- **Plan.** Backups work on every plan, signed in or not.
- **Backups belong to this computer.** They hold what is stored on the computer you make them on.
- **Sync is not a backup.** Sync keeps your computers in step, so a change or deletion reaches all of them. A backup is a copy from one moment that you can go back to. See [Sync your work across devices](https://plexiidesk.com/help/accounts-and-sync).

## Find Backup & data

1. Click the gear at the right-hand end of the header to open **Settings**.
2. Click the **Data** tab.
3. Scroll to **Backup & data**.

Under the buttons, a line shows how many snapshots PlexiDesk has kept and when the last one was made, for example **8 snapshots · last 2h ago**.

## Save a backup

1. In **Backup & data**, click **Export a backup**.
2. Choose where to save it. The file is named **PlexiDesk-backup-** followed by the date and time, and ends in .fbbackup.
3. Click **Save**.

PlexiDesk says **Backup saved.** Keep the file somewhere other than this computer too, such as an external drive or a cloud folder.

### What a backup holds

A backup holds everything PlexiDesk stores in its database on this computer: your rooms, desks, widgets, tables, documents, notes and calendar time blocks. Your Vault is included too, still encrypted with your master password.

A backup does not include:

- **Your API keys.** They are kept in your computer's secure storage. Add them again after you restore on a new computer. See [Add your own API keys](https://plexiidesk.com/help/api-keys).
- **The contents of files in Files.** Copy your files separately if you are moving to a new computer.

## Automatic snapshots

PlexiDesk takes a snapshot for you when you open it, at most once every 12 hours. It keeps the seven most recent automatic snapshots and removes older ones.

To see them, click **Open backups folder** in **Backup & data**. Automatic snapshots are named **auto-** followed by the date and time.

## Restore a backup

Restoring replaces everything in PlexiDesk on this computer with what is in the backup.

1. In **Backup & data**, click **Restore from backup…**.
2. Choose the backup file. To use an automatic snapshot, click **Open backups folder** first to see where they are.
3. PlexiDesk asks **Replace all your current data with this backup?** Click **Replace my data**.
4. PlexiDesk says **Restored. Reloading…** and reloads with the restored workspace.

### You can undo a restore

Before it restores, PlexiDesk saves a snapshot of your current data, named **before-restore-** followed by the date and time, in the backups folder. To go back, restore that snapshot.

If anything goes wrong during a restore, PlexiDesk puts your previous data back and tells you what happened.

## Move to a new computer

The easiest way is to sign in on the new computer and let sync bring your work across. See [Sync your work across devices](https://plexiidesk.com/help/accounts-and-sync).

To move with a backup instead:

1. On the old computer, save a backup.
2. Copy the file to the new computer.
3. Install PlexiDesk on the new computer, then restore the backup.
4. Add your API keys again, and copy across any files you need.

## Tips

- **Save a backup before a big change,** such as a large import or a clean-up of old rooms.
- **Restore one document instead of everything.** Office documents keep their own version history. See [Version history](https://plexiidesk.com/help/office-version-history).
- **Want a copy you can read or use elsewhere?** Use **Export my work (JSON)**. See [Export your work and import it elsewhere](https://plexiidesk.com/help/data-export-import).

## Common questions

**Does restoring merge the backup with what I have?**
No. Restoring replaces everything. To add work from elsewhere without replacing anything, import an export instead. See [Export your work and import it elsewhere](https://plexiidesk.com/help/data-export-import).

**It says "That backup failed an integrity check and may be corrupt."**
The file is damaged. Try another backup, such as one of the automatic snapshots.

**It says "That file is a database, but not a PlexiDesk backup."**
Choose a file made by **Export a backup**, or a snapshot from the backups folder.

**Are backups stored online?**
No. Backups are files on your computer, or wherever you save them.

## Related tasks

- [Export your work and import it elsewhere](https://plexiidesk.com/help/data-export-import)
- [Sync your work across devices](https://plexiidesk.com/help/accounts-and-sync)
- [Version history](https://plexiidesk.com/help/office-version-history)
- [Privacy settings and what leaves your computer](https://plexiidesk.com/help/settings-privacy)
- [Add your own API keys](https://plexiidesk.com/help/api-keys)