Projects
Versions and history
Autosave, named snapshots, and why restoring an old version never destroys a newer one.
There are three separate mechanisms here, and it is worth knowing which one you are relying on.
| Mechanism | Scope | Survives a reload? |
|---|---|---|
| Undo / redo | The current editing session | No |
| Autosave | The live design | Yes |
| Versions you name | A snapshot you asked for | Yes — kept until you delete it |
| Automatic and quick saves | Snapshots taken for you as you work | Yes — for 90 days, unless you press Keep |
Autosave
Edits are persisted continuously as you work — there is no Save button to forget. When several people are in the same design, their edits merge rather than overwrite; see Real-time collaboration.
Saving a version
Press Ctrl / ⌘ + S in an editor, or use the versions panel, to freeze the current state under a name. Name it after the decision it represents — *"core moved north"* beats *"v3"* three weeks later.
Restoring is append-only
This is the most important property of the history, so it is worth stating plainly: restoring an old version does not delete anything. The restored state is added to the top of the history as a new entry. Everything that came after the version you restored is still in the list, and you can go straight back to it.
A restore also takes a backup of what you had a moment before, and the confirmation offers Undo — one click puts you back. Nothing you can do in the versions panel is a one-way door.
There is no sequence of restores that can lose a version you named. Automatic and quick saves do expire, though — the panel prints the date each one is kept until, and Keep holds one forever.
If someone else is in the design
A restore replaces what everybody sees. Collaborators in the same design at the time will be moved onto the restored state — tell them before you do it, rather than after.
Saving while offline
If you name a version with no connection, it is kept on this device and uploaded the moment you are back — the panel lists it under “Waiting to upload” until then. If the document changed in the meantime the upload stops and the item is marked “Needs review”, so nothing overwrites work done elsewhere without you deciding.
“On this device only”
Older projects can carry saves made in one browser before versions synced. They are grouped separately because they hold the model, comments and the programme — not the site, sheets or drawings, which stay as they are now. Restoring one takes a full backup first, so it is still reversible.