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Snapshots & backups
Four separate safety nets, what each one covers, and how to get your work back.
Automatic saves #
Charc saves as you type, and takes automatic copies of the manuscript as you work. They appear in the Drafting sidebar and need no decision from you.
They are thinned on a schedule — everything recent, then daily, then weekly — so the list stays short enough to be useful. How far back they reach depends on your plan.
Named snapshots #
A snapshot is one you take deliberately and name — before the Act II rewrite — and it stays until you remove it. Right-click in the Drafting sidebar and choose Save snapshot.
This is the one to reach for before a change you are not sure about. An automatic save is a net; a snapshot is a decision.
Comparing and restoring #
Pin a snapshot to the reference panel and it opens as a compare block: your current scene beside the saved version. Turn on the word diff and added and removed text are highlighted, so you can see exactly what changed without leaving the editor.
Collaborator drafts compare the same way.
Charc Backup files #
A Charc Backup export is the whole project in one file — manuscript, outline, entities, front matter, settings — and restores completely. It is the copy that does not depend on us being here.
Take one periodically. It takes ten seconds, and it is the habit worth having with any tool.
Sync and working offline #
Signed in, your work syncs to every device you use. The indicator beside the word count shows where a save stands, and turns red rather than failing quietly.
Write with no connection and Charc reconciles when you return. If the same scene changed elsewhere meanwhile, both versions are shown and nothing is merged behind your back.