Backup/Recover Options

Set frequency and folders for auto-recovery, backup, and save notification. Auto-recovery and save notification are controlled by a specified number of minutes.

To display this dialog box:

Click Options or Tools > Options and select Backup/Recover.

Auto-recover

When you start the SOLIDWORKS software after the system has terminated unexpectedly, you are prompted with a list of auto-recovered documents. The list shows under Document Recovery in the Troubleshooting section under the Alerts tab of the Welcome dialog box. You can save an auto-recovered document either by replacing the original file or by creating a new file.

If you start a second session of the application, a message informs you that auto-recover will not work. You can continue with the second session or close the old session and start a new session.

Save auto-recover info every n minutes Activates auto-recover and defines the number of minutes that elapse before an auto-recover file is created for an open document. The files are closed and deleted when you save the documents.
Auto-recover folder Specifies the folder where the auto-recover files are saved. The Auto-recover folder must be a folder on your local system. You cannot use a network location or a mapped network drive.
Save auto-recover info after meshing and after running a simulation study Automatically saves file recovery information on the completion of meshing or running a study. This option is in addition to the Save auto-recover info every n minutes option. This option is available only when SOLIDWORKS Simulation is added in.

Backup

Backup stores a backup of the original document before any changes are saved to the file. It is one version before the last saved version of the document. Backup files are named Backup of <document name>. Multiple backups of a document, are named with the most recent version in Backup (1), the next most recent in Backup (2), etc.

If changes to an active document are saved in error, opening the backup file returns the document to the point before the changes were made. If you save a document without making any changes, the backup file is the same as the original.

Number of backup copies per document Activates backup and specifies the number of copies (from 1 to 10) to save for each document.
Backup folder Specifies the folder where the backup files are saved. The backup folder must be a folder on your local system. You cannot use a network location or a mapped network drive.
Save backup files in the same location as the original This option takes precedence over any specified folder.
Remove backups older than n days Removes older backups when you start the SOLIDWORKS software.

Save notification

A transparent message, Un-Saved Document Notification, appears in the lower right corner of the graphics area if the active document is not saved within the specified interval. Click the commands in the message to save the active document or save all open documents. The message fades after a few seconds.

Show reminder if document has not been saved for n minutes Activates the save notification and defines the number of minutes that elapse before the save notification message appears.
Automatically dismiss after n seconds Controls how long the save notification displays.