I would like to retrieve the previous version of a doc that I made changes to.

Scrivener Scrivener for iOS
1

I changed a document and don’t like the changes .I unintentionally I synced it and now I don’t have the previous version /original. I’d like to retrieve it . From what I remember, it can be done . Would someone please advise me ?

Thanks ,
Mel

2

Hey Mel,

Did you take a snapshot of your work before revising it? If you did that’s the easiest way to Roll Back to a previous version of document within your project. If you’d like to learn more about Snapshots, I suggest you take a look at this post from the L&L blog: literatureandlatte.com/blog/say … -instagram. Snapshots are a great tool that help you manage your revisions with confidence.

If you didn’t use the snapshot feature, you can restore your writing through a previous backup.

  1. Go to Scrivener > Preferences > Backups > Select Open Backup Folder.

  2. This will open a new finder window with your backed up projects. Scrivener keeps the five most recent by default. Locate the backups for your project in question and double-click to decompress. Open the project in Scrivener and locate your unrevised text. You can then copy and paste this into your live project.

  3. I suggest you delete the decompressed copy from your backup folder to keep it clean.

3

Hey, Oliver.

Summerfield is actually asking about Scrivener for iOS (apparently has an iPad and iPhone) rather than macOS.

Answered here:

literatureandlatte.com/foru … c39b63a80d

Slàinte mhòr.

4

Thanks for the heads up. My mistake. :confused:

Mel, I would like to point out that if you were also editing this project on your mac in addition to your iOS device there should be a backup available on your mac. Unfortunately, Snapshots is a feature only available on the desktop versions of Scrivener at this time.

5

There are several possibilities for recovering lost files.

—If you’re using Dropbox to synch or store Scrivener files, it saves deleted files online. Just go to Dropbox.com, click on “My Files” and then on “Show deleted files.” If you’re using the free version of Dropbox, it only saves them for about 30 days. The business version of Dropbox is a bit pricey at $12.50 a month, but the 120 days of file recovery could be worth the cost. Here are the specifics:
dropbox.com/business/pricing

—If you set Scrivener up to backup files when you exit the app, those files should be where you had them placed. I put mine in a Scrivener Backup folder inside Dropbox.

—If you have a Mac with Time Machine enabled and know the approximate date that file was deleted, you may be able to find it. As time passes, Time Machine deletes older files to have space for newer ones, so it may or may not be around. For Time Machine, you might want to use the largest disk drive you can find. Speed doesn’t matter much, just space.