> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.nuvolos.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.nuvolos.com/how-to-guides/workflows-for-students/snapshot-your-work.md).

# Save and recover work

## Take a snapshot

<mark style="color:$primary;">**Outcome**</mark> \
You preserve the complete state of your Instance - files, tables, and Application configurations - as an immutable, time-stamped record.

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

* You are in the Current state of your personal Instance.
* All work you want to preserve has been saved.

The procedure for creating a snapshot is the same regardless of the role taking it. See the canonical procedure: [How-to › Common Workflows › Create a snapshot](/how-to-guides/common-workflows/snapshots/create-a-snapshot.md).

{% hint style="info" %}
Take a snapshot before any major change to your work - before a risky refactor, before submitting an assignment, or at the end of a working session. The snapshot preserves the *entire* state, not just files, so you can roll back without losing your Application configuration.
{% endhint %}

## Restore from a snapshot

<mark style="color:$primary;">**Outcome**</mark>\
You revert your Instance to a previous state captured in a snapshot.

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

* You have taken at least one snapshot of the Instance.
* You understand that restoring will replace the Current state with the snapshot contents.

The procedure for restoring from a snapshot is the same regardless of the role doing it. See the canonical procedure: [How-to › Common Workflows › Restore from a snapshot](/how-to-guides/common-workflows/snapshots/restore-a-snapshot.md).

{% hint style="info" %}
Restoring affects the entire Instance. Before any restore, Nuvolos automatically creates a snapshot of the current state so you can revert the restore if needed.
{% endhint %}

## Delete a snapshot

<mark style="color:$primary;">**Outcome**</mark>\
You permanently remove a snapshot you no longer need, freeing up storage.

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

* You have identified the snapshot you want to delete.
* You understand the action is irreversible.

The procedure for deleting a snapshot is the same regardless of the role doing it. See the canonical procedure: [How-to › Common Workflows › Delete a snapshot](/how-to-guides/common-workflows/snapshots/delete-a-snapshot.md).

{% hint style="info" %}
If you delete files from your Current state but the data is still referenced in a snapshot, storage is not freed. To fully reclaim storage, delete the snapshots that contain the data as well. For the reasoning, see [Concepts › Snapshots, distribution, and states](/concepts/distribution.md).
{% endhint %}