> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.softr.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Database Snapshots > Capture a point-in-time copy of a Softr database and restore it later as a separate, new database. A **snapshot** is a point-in-time copy of a whole Softr database — its tables, fields, views, records, and the links between related records. Take one before any change you might want to walk back: a bulk import, a field type change, a mass delete, or the first run of a new workflow against real data. Restoring a snapshot creates a **new** database and leaves the original exactly as it is, so recovering data is never destructive — you get the old and the new side by side and decide what to do next. Snapshots apply to the entire database. You cannot snapshot a single table or view. ## Taking a snapshot Open the database, click its name in the top-left corner, and choose **Snapshots**. The panel opens on the right. The database menu in Softr Studio, expanded to show the Snapshots option alongside Rename, Localization, Duplicate, Audit Log, Diagram, Move to and Delete Click **+ Take a snapshot**, optionally give it a name, and confirm with **Take snapshot**. The Take a snapshot dialog with the optional Name field filled in with 'Before Q3 equipment import' The snapshot appears in the panel straight away with a **CREATING…** badge, and the **Take a snapshot** button is disabled while it works. After a few seconds the badge changes to **READY** and the snapshot can be restored. If you leave the name blank, Softr calls the snapshot **Snapshot of \**. Every snapshot already shows the date and time it was taken underneath its name, so a name that records *why* you took it — `Before Q3 equipment import` — is far more useful later than one that repeats the timestamp. ## Managing your snapshots The panel lists every snapshot for the database, newest first, each with its name, the date and time it was taken, and its status. Hovering a snapshot reveals its two actions. The Snapshots panel listing two ready snapshots, with the restore and delete icons highlighted on the second row 1. **Restore to a new database** — builds a new database from this snapshot. 2. **Delete** — removes the snapshot. Deleting a snapshot is permanent and cannot be undone. Since restoring never overwrites anything, there is no benefit to clearing out snapshots you might still want — keep the ones that mark a meaningful "before" point. ## Restoring a snapshot Restoring does **not** roll your database back in place. It creates a separate copy, which means you can restore freely without risking the data you have now. Hover the snapshot you want and click **Restore to a new database**. Softr confirms what will happen before doing anything. The Restore to a new database confirmation dialog, reading 'A new database with the data of Before bulk equipment import will be created. The current database is not changed.' The new database appears in your **Databases** list as **Restored: \**, with the tables, fields, views and records the snapshot captured. The Databases list showing 'Restored: Equipment Tracker by Softr' with 29 records above the original 'Equipment Tracker by Softr', also with 29 records The restored database is independent from that point on. Your apps keep reading from the original database until you connect them to the restored one, so you can open both, compare them, and copy across only what you need. ## Snapshots vs. App History The two features protect different things, and one is not a substitute for the other: * **Snapshots** capture your **data** — the contents and structure of a database. * [**App History**](/application-settings/app-history) captures your **app** — its pages, blocks and settings. Restoring an earlier app version does not bring back deleted records. If you are about to make a change that touches both, take a snapshot *and* note the app version before you start. ## Related Open a record to see and edit all of its fields in one panel. How Softr Databases work, and their structure limits. Every field type available in a Softr database. Restore an earlier version of your app. Move an Airtable base into Softr Databases.