Backups & data recovery
Data you can't get back is the one problem no business tool should have. Sheetward gives every workspace backups, restore and a recycle bin — and higher plans add hosted automated backups. Workspace admins run all of it from the Admin console → Data tab, which also shows how much storage the workspace and each app are using.
- Backup workspace (free on every plan) downloads a
.zipof every app — records, design and a contents list — to your own device. Nothing is stored on Sheetward. Sensitive fields — SSNs, card numbers and any fields you've flagged sensitive — stay protected in the file. With field encryption on they're written as unreadable encrypted text; otherwise they're masked. Card numbers are always cut to their last 4 digits, so a full number never sits in a backup. - Restore from file (free on every plan) uploads that
.zipand rebuilds the workspace in one step. It's non-destructive: each record is matched to its own row byRecord ID, existing records are updated, new ones are added, and nothing is deleted. Apps deleted since the backup come back too — from the recycle bin if they're still there, otherwise rebuilt from the design saved in the backup. - Recycle bin. Deleting an app moves it here, where you can restore it for 30 days before it's cleared for good. Delete forever removes it right away and frees the plan's app slot immediately.
- Delete data (per app, in the Data tab's table) wipes an app's records — and their change history — across all of its forms. The app and its setup stay, so you can start the same process fresh. Tick Include user data to also remove non-owner users from the app, along with their access and saved views (the owner and admins stay). This skips the recycle bin, so export or back up first.
- Hosted automated backups (on annual plans that include them): Sheetward takes a daily snapshot and keeps it for a retention window you choose — your plan sets the range. You also get Backup Now and one-click restore. Kept snapshots count toward your plan's storage.
- Retention & purge. On the Housekeeping tab you decide how long the workspace keeps its audit log, billing history, messages and the change history of app records — and purge or export them when you're done. Every record also keeps a per-field change history you can open from the record itself.
| When you… | What happens | Can you get it back? |
|---|---|---|
| Delete an app | It moves to the recycle bin | Yes — restore it within 30 days |
| Delete forever (recycle bin) | The app is removed now and its plan app slot is freed | No — only from a backup file you saved |
| Delete data (per app) | Records and their change history are wiped; the app and its setup stay | No — it skips the recycle bin, so back up first |
Restore is a merge, not a wipe. Because it matches by
Record ID and never deletes, records you added after the backup are kept, and a record you've changed since is reset to its backed-up values. Records that happen to share a name or number are each restored on their own — nothing is collapsed together. To roll back to an exact point in time, restore into a fresh workspace or app instead.Encryption key & restore. An encrypted backup can only be opened with the same field-encryption key it was made under. If that key is later rotated or removed, the sensitive values in older backups are gone for good — keep the key backed up safely, and separately from your data.