Backups 3 min read

Recovering a Project From a Backup in Deckle

Step-by-step instructions for finding, extracting, and reopening a Deckle project from one of its automatic zip backups.

Deckle backs up your whole project automatically, but getting one of those backups back open is a manual, few-step process. Here's exactly how.

What You'll Need

  • Deckle installed, and access to the backup folder for the project you're recovering (Downloads by default, unless you changed it in Settings).

Step-by-Step

  1. Open Deckle's Settings → Backup tab and click Open next to the backup folder path: this reveals the folder in your operating system's file manager. (If you can't open Deckle at all, navigate there directly: by default, it's a "Project Name Backups" folder inside Downloads, or Desktop/Documents if Downloads wasn't available.)
  2. Find the backup you want. Each file is named {ProjectName}_{date}_{time}.zip. Pick the most recent one, or an earlier one if you're specifically trying to undo something that happened a while ago.
  3. Extract the zip using your operating system's built-in extraction (right-click → Extract on Windows, double-click on macOS). Inside, you'll find a {ProjectName}.deckle file plus that project's Images and research folders.
  4. Open the extracted project in Deckle via File → Open… and select the .deckle file from the extracted folder. Your project opens exactly as it was at the moment that backup was taken.
  5. Save it under a new name if you're unsure, using File → Save As, so you're not working directly out of a folder buried in your extraction location, then move the project wherever you normally keep your work.

Common Mistakes

  • Looking for a "Restore" button inside Deckle. There isn't one. Recovery is always extract-then-open, using your operating system's own zip tools plus Deckle's normal File → Open.
  • Opening the .zip directly instead of extracting it first. Deckle only opens .deckle files, not zip archives. Extract it fully first.
  • Grabbing the newest backup without checking whether it already contains the problem. If you're recovering from a bad edit or a corrupted document, an automatic backup from right before you closed the project might have captured the issue too. Check an earlier dated backup if the most recent one still has the problem.
  • Forgetting each project's backups are named after that project. If you have multiple similarly-named projects, double-check the filename prefix before extracting the wrong one.
  • Manually digging through backups when the whole project looks corrupted, not just one chapter. If Deckle itself flagged the project as out of sync on open, automatic crash recovery has likely already handled it. Check that first before assuming you need to restore a backup by hand.

FAQ

Can I restore just one chapter from a backup instead of the whole project?

Not directly from a whole-project backup: those restore the entire project as it was at that point in time. To step back a single document without touching the rest of your project, use Document Snapshots instead, if you created one before the change you want to undo.

What if the most recent backup still has the problem I'm trying to fix?

Check the backup folder for an earlier dated .zip. Deckle keeps a rolling set of backups (20 by default), so there's usually more than one point in time to choose from.

Will opening a recovered backup overwrite my current project?

No. Opening a .deckle file extracted from a backup opens it as its own project. Your current project on disk isn't touched unless you deliberately save over it.