# Restore a snapshot

<mark style="color:$primary;">**Outcome**</mark>\
You replace the Current State of an instance with the contents of a snapshot - fully, partially, or to a different target.

<mark style="color:$primary;">**Before you start**</mark>

* You hold the **Instance Editor** role in the target instance (Viewers can read snapshots but cannot restore from them).
* The snapshot you want to restore from is available in the timeline.
* You have decided whether to restore to the same instance, to a different Instance, or only specific items.

Restoring a snapshot replaces the Current State of an instance with the contents of the snapshot. If you don't have Editor rights on the target instance, ask an Instance Editor to either restore for you or [distribute](/concepts/distribution.md#distribution-the-push-mechanism) the snapshot to your instance.

{% hint style="info" %}
Before any restore, Nuvolos automatically creates a safety snapshot of the target Instance's Current state. This means you can always revert the restore if it turns out to be the wrong move.
{% endhint %}

### Restore to the same instance

The most common case - bring this Instance back to a previous state.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Navigate to the space containing the instance.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Navigate to the instance.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Open the snapshot timeline view via either the snapshot dropdown in the breadcrumbs (**LIST ALL SNAPSHOTS**) or by hovering over the camera icon on the sidebar and clicking **SNAPSHOTS**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Identify the snapshot you want to restore.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Click the blue restore icon under Actions.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Confirm the operation.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="info" %}
A green padlock icon next to a snapshot in the timeline indicates the snapshot has no separate backup copy. The restore procedure is the same; the icon is informational.
{% endhint %}

### Restore to a different instance

Use this when you want a fresh instance pre-populated with a known-good state - for example, when onboarding a new team member or spawning a parallel exploration.

The limitation: the target instance has to be in the same space as the snapshot. If you need to restore to a different space, use the partial restore technique below, which uses distribution.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Navigate to the space containing the source instance.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Navigate to the Instance that holds the snapshot.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Open the snapshot timeline view via either the snapshot dropdown in the breadcrumbs (**LIST ALL SNAPSHOTS**) or by hovering over the camera icon on the sidebar and clicking **SNAPSHOTS**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Identify the snapshot you want to restore to somewhere else.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Click the two-persons icon under **Actions**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Select the target instance - you must be an Instance Editor of the target, and the target must be in the same space.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Confirm the operation.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

### Partially restore from a snapshot

You can selectively recover specific files, tables, or applications from a snapshot without overwriting the entire Current State. This uses the distribution feature, and unlike full restore, can target an instance in a different space.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Navigate to the space containing the instance.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Navigate to the instance that holds the snapshot.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Open the timeline view of snapshots and click the snapshot name to open it.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Stage the objects (files, tables, or applications) you want to restore.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Open the distribution flow and select the target instance - this can be the same instance, or any instance you have Editor access to (including in other spaces).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Select the **Overwrite** distribution strategy.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Complete the distribution.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

The selected objects in the target instance's Current State are replaced with the versions from the snapshot. Other files in the target instance are left alone.

For the full distribution mechanic and all four distribution strategies, see [Reference › Configuration](/reference/configuration.md).

### Role-specific notes

{% tabs %}
{% tab title="📖 For students" %}
In archived courses, restoring a snapshot to the Current State gives you a 3-day grace period to access the data before the instance is re-archived automatically. You can repeat the restore as many times as needed. See [How-to › For Students › Work with an archived course](/how-to-guides/workflows-for-students/working-with-archived-courses.md) for the full lifecycle.
{% endtab %}

{% tab title="🔬 For researchers" %}
Restoring a named vintage snapshot is the canonical way to begin a reproduction attempt. See [Tutorials › For Researchers › Reproducing a colleague's research project](/tutorials/tutorials-for-researchers/reproducing-a-colleagues-research-project.md) for the full reproduction workflow including verification.
{% endtab %}
{% endtabs %}


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