> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.coral.inc/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Backups & Restore

> How automatic backups work and how to restore your assistant

Coral automatically backs up your sandbox so you can recover from mistakes or roll back to a previous state. You can also create manual backups at any time.

## Automatic backups

Coral runs a two-tier backup strategy for every active sandbox:

| Tier        | Frequency     | Retention                            | Purpose                                 |
| ----------- | ------------- | ------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------- |
| **Rolling** | Every 4 hours | Latest only (overwritten each cycle) | Quick recovery from recent issues       |
| **Daily**   | Once per day  | Kept for 3 days                      | Protection against longer-term problems |

Backups are encrypted with a per-user key and stored securely. They capture your full OpenClaw configuration, conversation history, and installed tools.

<Tip>
  Automatic backups only run while your sandbox is active. If your sandbox is paused, no new backups are created, but existing backups are retained.
</Tip>

## Creating a manual backup

1. Go to the **Settings** page.
2. Scroll to the **Backup & Restore** section.
3. Click **"Create Backup"**.

The backup runs in the background and typically completes in under a minute. Once finished, it appears in the backup list below.

<Frame caption="Settings page with Backup & Restore">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/coral-4bdba8dc/fCPdlpPS3qJ229YW/assets/screenshots/settings.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=fCPdlpPS3qJ229YW&q=85&s=75ffcb1f1210d176a7498c3fa4987c10" alt="Coral settings page showing backup section" width="1280" height="800" data-path="assets/screenshots/settings.png" />
</Frame>

## Restoring from a backup

1. Go to the **Settings** page.
2. Scroll to the **Backup & Restore** section.
3. Find the backup you want to restore and click **"Restore"**.
4. Confirm the restore action.

<Warning>
  Restoring replaces your current sandbox state with the backup contents. Any changes made after the backup was taken will be lost. Consider creating a fresh backup before restoring if you want to preserve the current state.
</Warning>

The restore process takes 1-2 minutes. Your sandbox will be temporarily unavailable during the restore.

## What's included in a backup

* OpenClaw configuration (`~/.openclaw/openclaw.json`)
* Conversation history and session data
* Installed tools and skills
* Custom files and scripts in your sandbox

## What's not included

* The sandbox operating system and base packages (these are rebuilt from the standard image on restore)
* Temporary files in `/tmp`
* Running process state (your assistant restarts fresh after a restore)