Reference

Backup & Restore

Snapshot your database before risky actions and restore it without losing data.

Last updated 6/10/2026

LapInsight runs offline at the track. Your database holds every session, note, marker, and metadata pointer — losing it is far more painful than losing a video file (which usually still exists on the original SD card or drive). The Backup & Restore tools are the safety net: a one-click snapshot before risky actions, and a non-destructive restore when something goes wrong.

Backup Now

File → Backup Now... snapshots the live database to:

`` <data_root>/_backups/<YYYYMMDDTHHMMSSZ>__manual.sqlite <data_root>/_backups/<YYYYMMDDTHHMMSSZ>__manual.json ← identity sidecar ``

The sidecar JSON records:

Field	What it captures
`schema_version`	The highest applied migration (e.g. `052_owner_user_id`). Restore refuses to overwrite a newer local schema with an older backup.
`app_version`	LapInsight version that wrote the backup, from `config/app_version.txt`.
`data_root`	Absolute path of the data root the backup was taken from.
`qsettings`	Active QSettings dump (window state, theme, etc.) — only populated when invoked from the GUI.
`media_roots`	Distinct parent directories referenced by `days.day_folder_path`, sessions' `session_path`, and `videos.file_path`, each with an `exists` flag.

The DB is the unit of backup. Media bytes are NOT in the backup — videos and documents stay where they are on disk. Trackside laptops can't snapshot multi-GB media on demand, and on-disk files are individually addressable already. The sidecar's media-root inventory lets restore tell you if you're on a machine where some of your media won't be reachable.

Automatic backups

LapInsight auto-creates a backup before every destructive operation:

Trigger	Backup reason tag
`File → Advanced → Merge Partial Database (legacy)...`	`pre-merge`
`File → Import Library Bundle...` (real import; not Preview)	`pre-bundle-import`
`File → Restore from Backup...` in Replace mode	`pre-restore`

If you ran a merge or import and want to undo it, the most recent automatic backup is sitting right there in _backups/.

Restore from Backup

File → Restore from Backup... opens a picker showing every backup with its date, reason, schema version, app version, and a media-status indicator (✓ if every recorded media root still exists, "N missing" otherwise).

Two modes:

Restore as copy (recommended)

Writes the backup to <data_root>/LapInsight.restored-<iso>.sqlite and leaves your active database untouched. You're free to inspect the restored file (open it in a SQLite browser, compare contents, etc.) before deciding whether to switch.

To switch to the restored copy: close LapInsight, rename the restored file over LapInsight.db, and relaunch.

Replace current database

Atomically replaces the live database with the selected backup. Before doing so, LapInsight automatically takes a fresh pre-restore backup of the current state, so this remains reversible.

You'll be asked to restart LapInsight after a Replace so all in-memory state matches the restored DB.

Schema version safety

Restore refuses if the backup's schema version is newer than the local database — restoring it would crash the app, which doesn't yet know about the newer migrations. Upgrade LapInsight first.

Older-schema backups are allowed and will be migrated forward by the normal startup migration process after restart.

Missing media roots

If a backup's sidecar lists media root paths that don't exist on the current machine (e.g. you've restored on a different laptop, or your external drive is unplugged), the restore dialog shows a warning panel. The restore will still complete; sessions pointing at missing roots will simply show as offline until you reconnect the drive or relink files.

Where backups live

<data_root>/_backups/ — the same data root LapInsight stores everything in (Documents/LapInsight by default). Backups are SQLite files alongside JSON sidecars; you can copy them to external storage or another machine just like any other file.

What backups are NOT

Not a transfer mechanism between installs. Different machines will likely have different data_root paths and may not have the same media. Use Library Bundle for cross-machine transfer — it carries assets too.
Not a sync system. Backups are point-in-time snapshots. There's no continuous sync, no merge, no conflict resolution.
Not encrypted. SQLite files are inspectable and copyable on purpose. If your data root is on a shared drive, treat the backup folder the same way.

Troubleshooting

No backups visible in the picker — the _backups/ directory hasn't been created yet. Take a backup first via Backup Now....
Restore button stays disabled — confirm a row is selected; for Replace mode, also tick the "I understand" checkbox.
"Schema is newer than local" — the backup is from a newer LapInsight version. Update the app first, then restart and try again.