06 Backup & Recovery Rehearse it

The Laptop-Dies Test

Back up documents so you can restore them

A backup you have never restored is a rumour. Here's how to make it a fact.

I back up. Probably. I've never actually tried getting anything back out.

— almost everyone, honestly

Nothing is on a server — which is the point, and which means no server holds a spare copy for you either. Create Encrypted Backup makes one file, protected by a passphrase you choose. Put it anywhere: it is encrypted before it leaves the app, so the storage never sees your documents.

The backup and restore loop, including the automatic safety snapshot taken before any restore Your vault Live, on this Mac BACK UP One encrypted file Safe to store anywhere FIRST, ALWAYS Verify Backup Checks it opens and is whole RESTORE TAKEN AUTOMATICALLY Safety snapshot Of the vault you had Undo Last Restore If you restored the wrong one
Restoring replaces your live vault, so the app snapshots what you had first — without being asked. If you restore the wrong backup, Undo Last Restore puts it back.

The rehearsal

  • Create the backupChoose a passphrase. Write it somewhere separate from the file.
  • Press Verify BackupOpens the archive, checks every checksum and the database inside. Never touches your live vault.
  • Store the two halves apartThe file and the passphrase. Neither is any use alone.
Backup & Recovery→ Create Encrypted Backup→ Verify Backup

Moving to a new machine

Install, create a throwaway vault to get past setup, then restore over it. The vault then asks for the master password belonging to the backup, not the throwaway — correct, and worth recognising so it doesn't alarm you.

Three things, three places

Master password, recovery key, backup passphrase. If all three live in the same notebook in the same drawer, you have one point of failure wearing three hats.