Backups & safety

Your manuscript’s safety is the most important thing MUSE does. Several systems work together so you never lose work.

Automatic backups

MUSE automatically creates periodic backups of your .muse project, stored in timestamped folders alongside the project file. Backups use a safe, database-aware copy method (not a naive file copy), so they’re trustworthy even while you’re actively writing.

You can configure backups in Settings:

• Turn automatic backups on or off
• How often they run
• Whether to back up when you close the app or when you compile
• How many backups to keep per project
• Whether to verify each backup’s integrity

You can also lock a backup so it’s never automatically removed.

Belt and suspenders

Because each project is a single .muse file, you can always make your own backup by simply copying that file to another drive or folder.

Snapshots

Within a project, snapshots freeze a single document so you can compare against or roll back to an earlier version. Backups protect the whole project file; snapshots protect individual documents.

Crash recovery

While you have unsaved changes, MUSE quietly saves a recovery draft every few seconds. If the app or your computer shuts down unexpectedly, the next time you open the project MUSE offers to recover your most recent work or discard it.

During alpha: keep copies

MUSE is in early testing. Its safety systems are real, but do not rely on MUSE as the only home for irreplaceable work during alpha. Keep copies of anything you can’t afford to lose.

If you ever lose work or suspect you might have, do not overwrite the backup folders next to your .muse file — and report it immediately. Data-loss issues are our highest priority.