Protect your work
Storage and Backups
How FictionTools saves projects, keeps local recovery data, creates rolling automatic backups and supports unlimited manual backups.
Do not rely on one copy
A .fictionproject file may represent years of continuity work. FictionTools v2 therefore separates normal saving, emergency recovery, automatic rolling backups and deliberate manual backups.
1. Primary project file
Use Save As to give the project a clear filename and a location you recognize. On browsers that support direct file access, later use of Save writes back to that chosen file and only displays “Saved” after the write completes. On other browsers, saving may create a downloaded copy and the browser decides the download destination.
2. Browser recovery
After changes, FictionTools updates a recovery copy in browser storage on the device. This is designed to reduce loss after a crash, accidental tab close or sudden power interruption. It is not a long-term backup and can be lost if browser data is cleared or the device/browser profile is removed.
3. AutoBackups — short-term safety net
When the browser supports folder access and you grant permission, choose a backup root folder in Settings. FictionTools creates an AutoBackups subfolder and writes rolling backups after changes at the interval you choose. The default is every 10 minutes with the latest 50 automatic copies retained.
Automatic backups are intentionally temporary. Older AutoBackups may be removed according to your retention setting. They are meant to catch mistakes and failures, not to become your permanent archive.
4. ManualBackups — deliberate checkpoints
Manual backups are unlimited. FictionTools does not automatically delete them. With a backup root selected in a compatible browser, they go into the separate ManualBackups subfolder. Otherwise a manual backup is downloaded by the browser. A named backup can include a label such as “Before timeline restructure” or “Book 4 draft complete.”
Firefox and download locations
Firefox currently does not give FictionTools the direct Save As or directory-picker capability needed to choose a manual-backup destination or maintain an automatic backup folder. Manual backups still work, but they are downloads. Firefox controls where those files are saved. If Firefox is set to save downloads automatically, FictionTools cannot redirect an individual backup to another folder. Authors who want a location prompt can adjust Firefox’s own download settings.
Manual backup reminders
The default project setting reminds you after one hour when the project has changed since the last manual backup. You can choose 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours or Off. The reminder does not appear simply because a project has been open if nothing has changed.
Recommended folder idea
My Fiction Project/ My-Series.fictionproject AutoBackups/ ManualBackups/
The backup root can also be somewhere else entirely. For example, the primary file might be on the computer while backups are inside a cloud-synchronized folder or another drive. Consider the privacy implications of any shared or synchronized folder you choose.
Unfinished form drafts
If you are partway through typing a character, scene, event or settings form and have not yet used that form's Save button, FictionTools keeps a local browser draft for recovery. The main project Save and manual backup controls will not claim success for those unfinished fields; finish or save the record first. Project-file backups contain committed project records, while unfinished form drafts remain a browser-recovery safety layer.
Save, Recovery and Backup are different
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Save | Update the main project file or create a chosen project copy. |
| Recovery | Emergency local browser copy maintained frequently after changes. |
| AutoBackup | Rolling short-term file history, where browser folder access permits it. |
| Manual Backup | An intentional checkpoint; unlimited and never automatically deleted by FictionTools. |
Restore safely
To restore a backup, open the backup as a project and inspect it before overwriting anything. The safest recovery method is usually to use Save As and create a new current copy, leaving the backup and previous primary file intact until you are satisfied.
Before clearing browser data or replacing a computer
Make a normal save and at least one manual backup in a location you can verify outside the browser. Do not assume browser recovery will transfer to another device.