Native Video Editor backups and protected restore

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Key ideas

Backups are separate from autosave: The native compositor keeps recoverable project snapshots in its project backup area. Autosave/checkpointing, portable JSON export, Dashboard restore, and legacy Flowgen editor backups are separate mechanisms.
Automatic snapshots are conditional: Automatic backups are created on the configured two-minute cadence only while the project is dirty and this session is the editable collaboration leader.
Restore protects current edits first: Before applying a chosen snapshot, restore writes a Before restore safety copy of the current document. If that safety copy cannot be saved, restore is refused.

Open the project menu and choose Restore Backup to view available snapshots, their timestamps, and whether each is Manual, Automatic, or Before restore.
If no backups exist yet, make an edit and wait for an eligible automatic backup, or choose Save Backup to create a manual snapshot.
Select the exact snapshot to restore. The current project is first saved as a Before restore backup, then the selected document is loaded.
Verify the restored composition, timeline, media, and project identity before continuing. Use the newly created Before restore snapshot to return if you chose the wrong point.
Use Save Backup before a risky edit or handoff when you want a named recovery point without waiting for the automatic interval.

Automatic snapshots are produced by the native compositor’s dirty-state backup loop.
Manual snapshots are created from Save Backup.
Before restore snapshots are safety copies created immediately before a restore operation.
The restore list also recognizes supported legacy manual snapshot names; it filters out unrelated editor backup files.

Automatic backup requires an editable leader session; read-only collaborators do not independently create competing automatic snapshots.
A failed safety-backup write blocks restore so the current in-memory project is not knowingly overwritten without a recovery copy.
This is a recovery feature, not a substitute for exporting a portable project when moving the project to another environment.

Create a manual backup before a destructive restructure, then use automatic snapshots as an additional recovery layer.

Automatic backups require project changes and an eligible editable leader session.
Backups are scoped to the native compositor project; do not assume Dashboard or a legacy Flowgen editor can restore them.