// docs · sync and data
Data and backups
Where Snipstack keeps your library, backups and logs on each system.
The data folder
Your library and settings live in one folder per user (logs on macOS and the update cache live elsewhere: see Logs and Uninstall):
| System | Data folder |
|---|---|
| Windows | %APPDATA%\Snipstack |
| macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/Snipstack |
| Linux | ~/.config/Snipstack |
It contains:
| File or folder | What it is |
|---|---|
snipstack.db (with snipstack.db-wal, -shm) |
Your library: a SQLite database with snippets, folders, tags, variables, remembered values, usage counts, conflict copies and your settings. |
backups/ |
Backups saved before a database replaced this device’s library. |
sync-token.bin |
The database token, encrypted with your system’s secure storage. Only there if you connected a database. |
window-state.json |
The main window’s size and position. |
logs/ (Windows and Linux) |
The log files. |
.updaterId |
A random ID created by the updater on its first update check. |
The rest are the usual files of the Chromium engine the app runs on.
The library is not encrypted on disk; only the token is. Anyone who can read your user folder can read your snippets.
Backups
Snipstack writes a backup automatically in one case: just before Replace this device’s data (when you connect a database). The file is backups/before-replace-<date and time>.json; the last 10 are kept. Open the folder from Settings > Data > Automatic backups > Open folder.
A backup is a normal export file, including remembered values. To restore it, import it (Import and export).
There are no scheduled backups. To keep your own, export the library from time to time, or sync it to a database.
Logs
| System | Log file |
|---|---|
| Windows, Linux | logs/main.log in the data folder |
| macOS | ~/Library/Logs/Snipstack/main.log |
When the log reaches 1 MB it is moved to main.old.log and a new one starts. Tokens, secrets and the updater’s install ID are removed from every line before it is written. Open the folder from Settings > About > Open logs folder or the palette action Open logs folder.
Crash reports are kept on this device only and never uploaded.
Starting over
To start from scratch on a device, quit Snipstack (Quit Snipstack in the tray menu) and delete the data folder (and, on macOS, ~/Library/Logs/Snipstack). If you sync, the database still holds your library; see Uninstall for everything Snipstack leaves behind.