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    Taking and restoring snapshots in Airtable
    • 04 Feb 2025
    • 2 Minutes to read
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    Taking and restoring snapshots in Airtable

    • Updated on 04 Feb 2025
    • 2 Minutes to read
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    Article summary

    Plan availability

    All plans with varying limitations

    Permissions

    • Collaborators with “Editor” or “Creator” permissions can take manual snapshots.

    • All collaborators can use a base snapshot to restore that base in a workspace where they have “Creator” permissions.

    Platform(s)

    Web/Browser, Mac app, and Windows app

    Airtable automatically takes snapshots of your bases based on usage while also allowing you to take manual snapshots of bases. Remember that bases encompass all of the automations, interfaces, extensions, tables, views, and records that make up that bases.

    NOTE

    • Taking snapshots doesn't impact the original base. Restoring a base from a snapshot creates a new base without affecting your existing one.

    • Various IDs across the base will be preserved (record, view, table, interface, and other IDs), however, since a new base is created, there will be a new app ID.

    • Bases restored from snapshots will not have revision history but will include record comments.

    Snapshot limitations by plan type

    Taking snapshots in Airtable

    To take a snapshot:

    1. Open your Airtable homepage.

    2. Open the base you want to snapshot.

    3. Click the base history icon to the left of “Help.”  

    4. Click Snapshots, then Take a snapshot.

    Restoring snapshots in Airtable

    To restore a snapshot:

    1. Open your Airtable homepage.

    2. Open the base you want to restore.

    3. Click the base history icon to the left of “Help.”

    4. Select your preferred snapshot  under “Take a snapshot.”

    5. Name your base snapshot and click Create.

    FAQs

    When are automatic snapshots taken?

    The exact scheduling of snapshots is based on the count of user actions taken in a base. On a base that's very actively used, you'll probably get at least one snapshot a day. For bases not used as frequently, snapshot cadence will adjust accordingly. You can get a sense of the regularity around which you can expect snapshots to be taken, presuming usage levels remain steady, by viewing your current snapshot intervals after a few days of using your base at a typical rate.

    What is the limit on manual snapshots?

    If you take a snapshot manually, you'll need to wait for a little while before you can take another. This time period is typically just a few hours, but can vary depending on how many changes are made in your base since that last snapshot was taken.

    Do base snapshots include interfaces?

    Yes. Base snapshots do include interfaces, and any edits currently pending on those interfaces.

    Can snapshots replace an existing base?

    No, snapshots create a new base. The existing base cannot be overwritten to be returned to a previous state.

    Can I schedule snapshots to be taken at automated intervals?

    No. Airtable does not currently support this feature.

    Do snapshots preserve backend Airtable IDs?

    Yes, with one exception. Record IDs, interface page IDs, View IDs, etc. will be preserved. The only ID that will change is the Base (aka “app”) ID, since a new base is created when using snapshots to restore a base.

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