Snapshots & Versions

Snapshots let you save point-in-time copies of your chapters, so you can always go back.

Taking a Snapshot

There are two ways snapshots get created:

• Automatic — Writefully So quietly saves snapshots as you write (throttled to avoid clutter)
• Manual — Press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + S or click Save in the snapshot panel to create one on demand

Manual snapshots let you add an optional label (e.g., “Before restructure” or “Draft 2 complete”).

The Snapshot Panel

Open the snapshot panel from the toolbar’s history icon. You’ll see all snapshots grouped by date:

• Time — when the snapshot was taken
• Type badge — “Manual” (accent-colored) or “Auto”
• Word count — how many words the chapter had at that point
• Label — your custom label, if you added one

Previewing a Snapshot

Click any snapshot to preview it in a read-only split pane. The preview shows:

• A “Snapshot — Read Only” banner at the top so you know you’re looking at a saved version, not your live chapter
• A Snapshot badge in the split pane tab with the date and time
• The full chapter content as it was when the snapshot was taken
• No toolbar, rulers, or status bar — just clean reading

This lets you compare the snapshot side-by-side with your current chapter without any risk of accidentally editing the old version.

Restoring a Snapshot

To restore a snapshot (replace your current chapter with the saved version):

1. Hover over a snapshot in the panel
2. Click the restore button (circular arrow)
3. Click again to confirm

Before restoring, Writefully So automatically saves a snapshot of your current content labeled “Before restore” — so you can always undo the restore if you change your mind.

Labeling Snapshots

Hover over any snapshot and click the pencil icon to add or edit a label. Good labels make it easy to find important versions later:

• “First draft complete”
• “Before cutting chapter 3”
• “Editor feedback incorporated”

Deleting Snapshots

Hover over a snapshot and click the trash icon to delete it. This is permanent — deleted snapshots can’t be recovered.

When to Use Snapshots

• Before major edits — save a snapshot before you restructure or rewrite a chapter
• At milestones — snapshot at the end of each draft
• Before experiments — try a risky rewrite knowing you can always go back
• Before sharing — lock in your version before sending to a beta reader

Tips

• Name your snapshots descriptively — your future self will thank you
• Snapshots are stored locally as part of your project database — they don’t take up much space
• Combine snapshots with regular file backups for a robust safety net
• Use the preview to compare your current version with an older one side-by-side