> 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/working-with-archived-courses.md).

# Working with archived courses

## Work with an archived course

<mark style="color:$primary;">**Outcome**</mark>\
You access your work in a course that has been archived, restoring data when needed.

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

* The course has passed its archival date.
* Your work was preserved in at least one snapshot before archival.

Education Spaces have a defined lifecycle: after a fixed period, they are archived automatically. Once a course is archived, your Instance still exists and your work is preserved - but you need to follow specific steps to access it.

### **What archival means for your access**

* Your Application and personal data have been backed up to cold storage.
* Applications cannot be launched in an archived course directly.
* You can restore data from a snapshot, after which you can download files or start the Application again.
* After a few days, your restored Instance is re-archived automatically. To access it again, restore the relevant snapshot once more - there is no limit on how often you can do this.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Archived courses are not for everyday use. Restored snapshots are periodically re-archived without taking new safety backups. Restoring a snapshot in an archived course should serve one of two purposes: either to download specific data, or to distribute files, tables, or Applications to another (active) Space.
{% endhint %}

### **What you see in an archived course**

The Assignments view remains accessible (it moves to the bottom of the sidebar) but is shown in a read-only state:

* Assignment rows are greyed out to indicate the archived state.
* Action buttons (such as submit hand-in or edit assignment) are hidden.
* Clicking on an assignment name does not navigate to the assignment detail page.

You can review your assignment history for reference, but you cannot make changes.

### **Find your archived courses**

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Open the Space dropdown menu in the breadcrumbs.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Toggle on the **Archived** option.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Only your three most recent archived courses appear, with greyed-out text. Click **List all archived courses** to see the full list.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

### **Resume work or download data**

Restore a past snapshot to the Current state, then work in the Instance as before. For the restore procedure, see [Restore from a snapshot](/how-to-guides/common-workflows/snapshots/restore-a-snapshot.md) above.

Tip: After you restore a snapshot, you have a three-day grace period during which the Current state remains accessible. After the grace period, the contents of the Current state are removed again. If you need more time, restore the snapshot again - there is no limit on repeats.

## Export files and results

<mark style="color:$primary;">**Outcome**</mark>\
You take your work out of Nuvolos as files you can save locally or upload elsewhere.

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

* You know which files or folders you want to export.
* You have at least Instance Viewer access to the Instance containing the files.

### **Download files from the web UI**

* **A single file** - open the Files view, click ... on the file row, and choose DOWNLOAD.
* **A folder** - same Actions menu; the folder is delivered as a ZIP archive.
* **Up to 10 selected items** - select files via the tickboxes and click DOWNLOAD SELECTED in the top menu.
* **Everything in the current folder** - click DOWNLOAD ALL in the top menu.

### **Export an Application**

If you want to take an Application home - for example, to continue working on course code after the course ends - your instructor or you can export the Application as a Docker image. This packages the Application with its configuration and installed packages, and the image will run on any computer with Docker installed.

Application export requires Instance Editor access. See [Reference › Applications](/reference/applications.md) for the full export procedure.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Exported Application images are public on the Nuvolos container registry. Anyone can use them without authentication. Do not export an Application if its files or installed packages contain personal or sensitive data - and never export with Workspace files included if your Workspace contains assignment files belonging to other students.
{% endhint %}

### **Export tabular data**

If your course uses Nuvolos Tables (the integrated data warehouse), you can export tabular data by running a query and saving the results to a file. For the full procedure, see [Reference › Data storage](/reference/data-storage.md).


---

# Agent Instructions
This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com.

## Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.nuvolos.com/how-to-guides/workflows-for-students/working-with-archived-courses.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.