Snapshots & Version History

Snapshots let you save point-in-time copies of your documents and worldbuilding elements. If you make changes you want to undo, or just want a safety net before a big rewrite, snapshots have you covered.

What Is a Snapshot?

A snapshot captures the full content of a document or worldbuilding element at a specific moment. Unlike undo/redo (which only goes back within a single session), snapshots persist across sessions and can be restored at any time.

Each snapshot stores:

• Document content (all text and formatting)
• Word count at the time of capture
• Name and description you provide
• Timestamp of when it was created

Creating a Snapshot

1. Open a document or worldbuilding element
2. Click the history icon (🕘) in the toolbar
3. Click New Snapshot
4. Give your snapshot a name (e.g., "Before rewrite") and an optional description
5. Click Create

Your snapshot appears in the list immediately.

When to Snapshot

Good times to create a snapshot:

• Before a major rewrite or restructure
• When you reach a milestone (finished a chapter, completed a character arc)
• Before experimenting with a different direction

Restoring a Snapshot

1. Open the snapshots dialog via the history icon in the toolbar
2. Find the snapshot you want to restore
3. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) on the snapshot
4. Select Restore
5. Confirm the restore in the dialog

caution

Restoring a snapshot replaces the current content of your document. Consider creating a new snapshot of the current state before restoring an older one, so you don't lose your latest work.

Deleting a Snapshot

1. Open the snapshots dialog
2. Click the three-dot menu (⋮) on the snapshot
3. Select Delete
4. Confirm the deletion

Deleted snapshots cannot be recovered.

Auto-Snapshots

Inkweld can automatically create snapshots of your edited documents, providing a safety net without any manual action.

How Auto-Snapshots Work

Auto-snapshots are triggered in two situations:

• Closing a document tab — when you close a tab for a document you edited, an auto-snapshot is created for that document.
• Leaving the project — when you navigate away from the project, auto-snapshots are created for any remaining edited documents that haven't been snapshotted yet.

Additional details:

• Auto-snapshots are named "Auto-save — document name — date" so you can tell them apart from manual snapshots
• A maximum of 10 auto-snapshots are kept per document — older ones are pruned automatically
• To prevent excessive snapshots, each document is auto-snapshotted at most once every 5 minutes

Enabling or Disabling Auto-Snapshots

Auto-snapshots are enabled by default. To toggle them:

1. Open Settings (click your avatar → Settings)
2. Go to the Project tab
3. Check or uncheck Auto-save snapshots

Auto-Snapshots vs. Manual Snapshots

Feature	Manual Snapshots	Auto-Snapshots
Created by	You, on demand	Automatically on tab close or project exit
Naming	Custom name & description	Auto-generated name with timestamp
Pruning	Never auto-deleted	Oldest pruned beyond 10 per document
Best for	Intentional milestones	Safety net against accidental loss

Both types are stored the same way and can be restored identically.

Snapshots in Local Mode

Snapshots work fully in local mode (offline, no server). They are stored in your browser's IndexedDB alongside your project data. When connected to a server, snapshots sync automatically.

Worldbuilding Snapshots

Snapshots are not limited to documents — you can also snapshot worldbuilding elements (characters, locations, items, etc.). The workflow is the same: open the element, click the history icon, and create or restore snapshots.