Document Snapshots
Snapshots preserve history at the document level; backups preserve data at the Library level. Use a snapshot to view or restore one document’s content at a particular moment. Use a backup to save and restore an entire Library.
Before a major rewrite, save a snapshot so you can compare changes or recover an earlier draft. Whiteboards and cards also support their own snapshots. To review individual edits as they happened, use Writing Replay.
Save and View
Open a document, whiteboard, or card and switch to the Snapshot sidebar panel. In a Cloud Library, first select Local at the top of the panel. Click New Snapshot to save a local version of the current content. If it matches the previous snapshot, WonderPen does not create a duplicate.
On a whiteboard, selecting a single card shows that card’s snapshots. Deselect the card to view snapshots of the whiteboard itself.
Right-click a snapshot to view, restore, rename, or delete it. Document snapshots can also be compared with the current text.
Compare and Restore
Choose Compare from a document snapshot’s context menu. The current text appears on the left and the selected snapshot on the right. Changed paragraphs and individual text differences are marked so you can review the revisions.
The Current Content (Editable) pane on the left can be edited directly. Use the arrow between changed blocks to restore the corresponding snapshot text to the current document. These actions change your current draft; the snapshot on the right remains unchanged.
To restore the entire version, choose Restore to this version at the top of the window or in the snapshot’s context menu. Save a snapshot of the current content first if you want to keep it. What gets restored depends on the item:
| Item | Restored content |
|---|---|
| Document | Body text; the current title and memo are retained |
| Whiteboard | Whiteboard content; the current board name and memo are retained |
| Card | Card content, including its title; the current memo is retained |
Whiteboards and cards support viewing and restoring snapshots, but not the document’s side-by-side difference comparison. In a Cloud Library, restored content synchronizes as an edit.
Named Snapshots
Right-click a snapshot and choose Rename. Names such as “First draft” or “Submission version” make important versions easier to find. Select Only show labeled snapshots in the panel to filter important versions.
When clearing local snapshots in Settings, Include labeled snapshots is unchecked by default, so named snapshots are retained. If you check it, named snapshots within the selected time range are removed too.
To remove a named snapshot you no longer need, right-click it in the Snapshot panel and choose Delete.
Automatic Snapshots and Backups
Open Settings → Advanced → Snapshot to adjust automatic snapshots and backup options.
- Timed snapshots: check for changed content at the selected interval and save a snapshot after editing pauses, without duplicating unchanged content.
- Character-count changes: when enabled, immediately save the previous version when the change in document character count reaches the configured threshold relative to the last saved text. It does not count cumulative typing, and its switch is independent of timed snapshots.
- Include local snapshots in backup: include snapshots stored on this device in Zip backups. Turning it off reduces backup size but excludes those historical versions.
For example, if you accidentally delete a large passage and the change reaches the threshold, WonderPen immediately saves the version before deletion so you can recover the missing text from the snapshot. Pasting a large amount of text can also trigger this.
Automatic snapshots do not replace deliberate saves at important milestones. Save and name a snapshot before a major rewrite so that you can find it easily later.
Clean Up Local Snapshots
Delete an individual snapshot from its context menu, or choose Multiple Selection, select the snapshots, and click Delete. On the Local tab, Clear All removes every local snapshot for the current item, including named snapshots. The Only show labeled snapshots filter does not limit what gets cleared.
To clean up an entire Library, open that Library, then go to Settings → Advanced → Snapshot and click Clear Local Snapshots. Choose snapshots older than one year, older than 30 days, or all local snapshots, and decide whether to include named snapshots.
Cleanup does not change the current text or remove cloud snapshots. Deleting local snapshots cannot be undone, and they do not go to the Trashcan. If you need those versions, first verify that a backup includes them.
Cloud Snapshots
Cloud Libraries also provide snapshots generated by the server. Switch between Local and Cloud at the top of the panel.
Cloud snapshots can be viewed and restored on different devices and require a connection to retrieve. The server creates cloud snapshots for changed content according to its own rules. Local snapshot intervals and local cleanup settings do not change those rules.
Clicking New Snapshot manually creates a local snapshot; it is not uploaded as a cloud snapshot. To preserve those versions stored on this device, enable Include local snapshots in backup and save a backup.
See the plan comparison and the app for current retention periods and availability. Keep separate local backups or exports of versions you need to retain long term.