Automatically back up to cloud storage or a NAS

Automatic Backup uploads Prodrafts documents to your chosen cloud storage service or NAS, keeping an extra editable copy. If you need to recover a note, you can browse and restore backups within the app.

Applies to Infinite documents, Vertical documents, Paged notes, and Text documents. Use a version of Prodrafts that includes Automatic Backup.

How Automatic Backup works

Automatic Backup is a one-way upload from Prodrafts to cloud storage. When first enabled, it backs up all eligible documents. After that, it processes only documents whose content or storage path has changed. Each upload contains the complete document in its original .prodrafts format, including text, handwriting, and attachments such as PDFs, images, and recordings.

You can use iCloud sync and Automatic Backup together, and export a ZIP manually when needed:

What you want to do	Feature	Result
Continue editing the same note on different devices	iCloud sync	Syncs document and library changes to other devices. Deletions may also sync.
Keep a recoverable copy in your own cloud storage or NAS	Automatic Backup	Uploads documents in their original format according to your settings. Remote edits do not automatically sync back to Prodrafts, and local deletion does not delete existing backups.
Save a snapshot of the entire library	Export Backup	Creates a ZIP for you to save in a location you choose. Later edits do not update that ZIP.

Documents in the Trash and documents matching excluded names are not included in new automatic backups.

Automatic Backup does not turn cloud storage into another directly editable library. Use iCloud sync to continue editing the same note on another device. To recover a document from a backup, restore it.

Set up and complete your first backup

1. Finish editing your current document, return to the library, and open Settings → iCloud & Backup → Automatic Backup.
2. Tap Storage Provider to open Backup Providers, then tap a provider's name to select it as the current destination.
3. Tap Connect and follow the provider's sign-in and authorization steps. For WebDAV, enter the server address, username, and password.
4. Check Backup Location and Account. If the account is connected but the backup location is not yet verified, tap Verify Backup Location and wait for verification to succeed.
5. Set any network restrictions, excluded names, and backup frequency, then turn on Automatic Backup.
6. Open Backup Status to check progress. Keep Prodrafts open and connected to a working network during the first backup, until both Waiting Documents and Documents to Retry reach 0. Then check Last Complete Backup.
7. Tap the in the upper-right corner to return. Closing settings does not turn off Automatic Backup.

Selecting a provider and connecting an account are separate steps. After connecting, check that the provider is selected and Automatic Backup is turned on. Signing in through the library's cloud storage entry alone does not enable backups.

Choose a provider and backup location

Supported destinations

Provider	Connection details
Google Drive	Follow Google's sign-in and authorization prompts. Prodrafts can access only files it created or files explicitly authorized for this app. Other folders with the same name may not appear.
Dropbox	Follow Dropbox's sign-in and authorization prompts. Backups stay within the Prodrafts app folder in Dropbox.
OneDrive	Sign in with a personal Microsoft account. Work and school accounts are not currently supported.
Baidu Netdisk	Sign in on Baidu's official page within the app. Backups are stored in the Prodrafts app directory in Baidu Netdisk.
WebDAV	Use an existing WebDAV service, such as one provided by your NAS. You need a valid HTTPS server address, username, password, and read/write access to the destination folder.

Your cloud storage service or NAS provides the WebDAV address. If the server is available only on your home or office network, your device must be connected to a network that can reach it. A Wi-Fi connection alone does not guarantee access.

Switch providers or locations

Each device backs up to only the currently selected provider at a time. You can keep several providers connected. Tap another provider's name to switch destinations; the other connections and existing backups remain available.

If you select a provider that is not connected, backups wait until you connect it. Uploads do not continue to the previous provider or automatically switch to another one. Each provider stores one account and one backup location on this device. Set up other devices separately.

To change folders, tap Backup Location, enter the new location, and confirm. The app verifies it before backing up eligible documents there. Backups in the previous location are kept. Check Backup Status again after switching.

File names and overwriting

Backups preserve the library's folder hierarchy within the backup location. Files use the document title, for example, Study/Class Notes.prodrafts. Empty folders without documents are not backed up separately.

• Same full path and file name: The next successful upload overwrites the previous file, even if it comes from another device or a different local document. The content's modification time does not prevent overwriting.
• Same document name in different folders: Each file is kept separately.
• Renamed or moved document or parent folder: The document uploads to the new path. The old backup remains, so both old and new copies may appear in cloud storage.

If different devices hold different notes, use separate backup locations or distinct folder and document names. Automatic Backup does not guarantee a version history for every edit.

Adjust backup options

Backup frequency

After a backup cycle finishes, the app normally waits about 12 hours before automatically backing up later changes. Turn on Increase Auto Backup Frequency to shorten this interval to about 1–2 minutes. A higher frequency uses more battery and data; unchanged documents are not repeatedly uploaded.

The first backup does not require a 12-hour wait, and documents within the same cycle are not uploaded 12 hours apart. To process pending items now, open Backup Status and tap Back Up Now.

These intervals are targets. Actual start and completion times also depend on whether the app is running, the network, and document sizes. Saving locally does not mean the cloud backup is complete. Changing backup frequency does not change local saving or iCloud sync frequency.

Choose the upload network

Upload Over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Only is on by default to avoid cellular data use. If you turn it off, uploads may use cellular data and incur charges. In either case, the destination service or server must be reachable.

Exclude documents or folders

1. In Automatic Backup settings, tap Names Not to Back Up.
2. Tap the in the upper-right corner, enter a keyword, and add it. Add each keyword separately.
3. Documents whose names contain any keyword are skipped. If a folder name matches, its documents are skipped too. Matching is case-insensitive.
4. To include them in future backups again, tap the beside the keyword. Additions and removals are saved immediately.

For example, adding Temporary excludes a document named Temporary Draft and documents inside a folder named Temporary Materials. Blank or duplicate keywords cannot be added.

Exclusions affect future backups only. They do not delete existing remote copies. Removing an exclusion makes eligible documents available for checking again, but does not force unchanged, successfully backed-up documents to upload again. An upload already in progress may still finish.

Check progress and pending items

Open Automatic Backup → Backup Status to check the current destination:

• Current document and percentage: Shows the document being processed. The percentage measures that file's upload, not the whole library. Each document has its own progress. Confirmation is still needed after transfer, so the percentage alone does not prove completion.
• Waiting Documents: Tap the count to see unfinished documents. This may include documents being processed, documents not yet ready on this device, and failed backups.
• Documents to Retry: Tap the count to see failed documents and their errors. Failed items are also included in the waiting count; do not add the two counts together. Viewing the list does not retry them.
• Last Complete Backup: The last time all pending and failed items were resolved. If you edit a document afterward, this older time does not mean those new changes have been backed up.

A blue backup ring also appears at the top of the library during uploads. Tap it for a brief progress summary. The ring disappears when the activity ends; check Backup Status for remaining or failed items.

Back up now or retry failed items

Tap Back Up Now in Backup Status to check local changes and retry pending and failed items without waiting for the normal interval. It still follows network restrictions, connection requirements, and conditions needed to save documents safely. It does not force every completed document to upload again, and it does not create a ZIP of the library.

If the button is unavailable, check that Automatic Backup is on, the selected destination is connected, and the backup location is verified. If a task is already running, wait for it to finish.

Resolve the reported cause before tapping Back Up Now:

• Network or server unavailable: Restore a connection that can reach the destination. For a NAS, check its server address and which networks can access it.
• Sign-in required: Return to the provider's settings, tap Connect, authorize again, and check the status.
• Cloud storage or NAS full: Free up space or add capacity with the provider, then return and tap Back Up Now. Insufficient space pauses later backups to that location. Reopening the app or toggling the switch alone does not clear this pause.
• Document incomplete or not downloaded: Open the original document in Prodrafts and confirm that its content and attachments are available locally, then retry. Automatic Backup does not download iCloud content for you.
• Waiting for saving, recording, or an operation in another window: Finish the operation so the document can be saved safely. Processing continues when conditions allow.

Failed documents are not automatically retried just because the network returns, the app reopens, or the account reconnects. Besides tapping Back Up Now, editing and successfully saving the document again, or renaming or moving it to create a new backup path, gives it another backup opportunity at the normal interval. Expired authorization or insufficient storage must still be resolved first.

Restore a document from backup

1. In Automatic Backup, select the provider holding the backup. Check the account and backup location, and make sure the connection works.
2. Tap Browse and Restore Backups and open the required folder. If an upload just finished, tap the in the upper-right corner to refresh the list.
3. Select the .prodrafts file, read the confirmation, and tap Restore as a New Copy.
4. Wait for downloading, verification, and import to finish. Verification or import may continue after the download reaches 100%; do not repeatedly select other files while it is processing.
5. Return to the library's root folder, open the restored document, and check its content and required attachments.

Restoring creates a new editable document and keeps existing notes and remote backups. It does not overwrite an existing document with the same name. Restoring an individual document does not recreate the library's folder hierarchy, order, or favorites. You can organize the restored copy afterward.

Browsing and restoring backups does not require the Automatic Backup switch to be on. It requires a working connection and a verified backup location. You can also download a valid .prodrafts file from cloud storage and restore it through file import.

Frequently asked questions

Will backups continue when I lock the screen, switch apps, or close Prodrafts?

A new backup cycle starts while Prodrafts is active. In the background, the app continues the current cycle for the limited time allowed by the system. It stops when that time runs out, keeps unfinished items, and checks them again when you return. Failed documents still require the retry steps.

Automatic Backup does not guarantee a background wake-up every 12 hours or completed uploads after locking the screen or force-quitting the app. Keep the app open for the first backup or when uploading large documents.

Do I need Automatic Backup if I use iCloud?

iCloud lets you continue editing across devices. Automatic Backup keeps an extra recoverable copy in your own cloud storage or NAS. You can use both, or back up local documents without using iCloud.

Automatic Backup processes only readable documents and attachments that are fully saved on this device. Content available locally can be backed up even if it has not uploaded to iCloud yet. An iCloud placeholder or a document still downloading must become fully available locally first.

Will deleting documents, turning off backups, or disconnecting delete remote files?

No. Deleting local documents, adding exclusions, turning off Automatic Backup, disconnecting, or switching locations does not delete existing remote backups.

Turning off Automatic Backup stops future automatic uploads and keeps connections and settings. Disconnect removes only that provider's connection on this device. If you disconnect the current destination, backups wait for a connection; they do not switch to another provider automatically.

Do remote backup edits, renames, or deletions affect local notes?

Remote changes do not automatically sync back. The next time a local document needs uploading, Prodrafts updates the backup at the path and name used by the local document.

The app does not continuously check whether remote copies of unchanged documents have been deleted. An empty queue therefore does not confirm that all remote files remain intact after you change them manually. Back Up Now does not force all missing remote files to be recreated. Check important files in cloud storage and keep a separate manual backup.

Can I back up to multiple providers at once?

Each device uses only the currently selected provider. It does not upload to several providers simultaneously or in rotation. You can configure devices separately. If they share a backup location, check the same-path overwrite rules.

Can Automatic Backup create PDFs or files I can read in cloud storage?

Automatic Backup currently uses only the Prodrafts native format so you can restore and continue editing. It has no automatic PDF option. To read on a device without Prodrafts, separately export a PDF or image. Text documents also support their own text export formats.

If you still need help, provide your device, app version, provider, and full error message through Contact and support.