Tracy gives you three ways back, where supported: undo the file changes of one request, ask Tracy to revert a content change, or restore a backup. WordPress and Joomla full backups include files and database; EmDash backups include database and media, not template code.
What is a backup in Tracy?
A backup is a restore point for your whole site. On WordPress and Joomla it keeps the site’s files and its database: posts, pages, menus, settings, users, comments and orders. On EmDash it keeps the database and media; the template code is not included.
- The first backup is made when the site is set up. It is called Initial backup and keeps the site as it was handed over.
- After that, you create backups. In Site changes, choose “Create a backup”. The title is optional; left blank, the backup is named by its date and time. Tracy drafts notes from the changes since the previous backup, and you can edit them.
- A backup changes nothing on the site. If a backup cannot be made, Tracy tells you, and nothing on the site is changed.
Backups appear in Site changes between the changes, so you can read the site’s history as known good points with the work in between.
When should I create a backup?
Create a backup whenever you reach a point you would be happy to come back to:
- After a batch of changes you have checked. For example, once the new homepage text and images look right on desktop and mobile.
- Before a larger change, such as a header redesign, a new page structure or a template change.
- Before handing work to a client. The backup title and notes become a clear record of what was delivered.
- Before installing or updating extensions, since those changes can touch many files at once.
On a live site the database changes all the time, with orders, comments and form entries, so a backup can keep something new even when Site changes lists nothing since the last one.
How do I undo the file changes of one request?
- Find the row in Site changes.
- Open its menu and choose “Undo file changes…”.
- Read the confirmation and confirm.
Only eligible files that change touched go back. Later changes to those files can block Undo; other changes stay. Content Tracy wrote in that request stays as it is; to put content back, choose “Ask Tracy to revert” on the row. See See what Tracy changed.
How do I restore a backup?
Open the backup in Site changes and choose one of:
- Restore files… The site’s files go back to that backup. The database is not changed.
- Restore everything… The files and the database go back to that backup. Everything saved on the site after that point is deleted: posts and pages, orders, form entries, users, comments and settings.
- On EmDash, Restore content… The database and media go back to that backup, and the site is offline for a few seconds while it restarts. Restore files is not offered on EmDash.
Before it restores everything, Tracy takes a “Before restore” backup, so you can come back to the saved state within the backup’s scope. To confirm, you type “Restore”. Only an Owner or Editor of the site can restore everything or restore content. Data saved after the selected backup is deleted.
Undo, restore files or restore everything?
| Undo file changes | Restore files | Restore everything | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What goes back | The files of one change | All of the site’s files, to the backup | Files and database, to the backup |
| Content in the database | Not changed | Not changed | Back to the backup; anything saved later is deleted |
| When to use it | One request went wrong | Many file changes went wrong | The site has to be exactly as it was |
What can and cannot be undone?
- Older backups without a database copy. Backups made before Tracy kept the database, and backups whose database copy is missing, can only put files back; Restore everything is not offered for them. Tracy keeps the database copies of the newest 20 backups.
- Files on EmDash. Tracy does not keep a file history for EmDash sites, so file changes there cannot be undone from Site changes. Request Undo is also unavailable. EmDash backups restore database and media, not template code.
- Things that are not part of the site. A restore cannot call back an email a contact form already sent, data already sent to an outside service, a change at your domain provider, or what a visitor saw before the restore.
Does this make AI edits risk-free?
No. Undo and backups lower the cost of a mistake; they do not remove the need to check the result. Tracy does not promise that a change can never break a page. What it gives you is a record of supported changes, a Diff to read available file changes, and recovery options that depend on the change and platform. Checking key pages after a change, and creating backups often, is what keeps that safety net useful.
Frequently asked questions
Does restoring a backup bring back article text?Restore everything does: the database goes back to the backup, including article text. Restore files does not change the database.
Will I lose new orders or form entries if I restore everything?Yes. Everything saved after the backup is deleted, including orders, form entries, users and comments. Tracy shows what will be deleted before you confirm, and takes a “Before restore” backup first.
Can I undo a restore?Before it restores everything, Tracy takes a “Before restore” backup. Restore that backup to come back to the state it saved, within its supported scope. EmDash backups exclude template code, and external effects cannot be recalled.
Who can restore a backup?Only an Owner or Editor of the site can restore everything or restore content.
Can I undo a text change that Tracy made?Choose Ask Tracy to revert on that row in Site changes. On WordPress and Joomla, Tracy can use its record to help revert that change; later edits can prevent an exact reversal. On EmDash, ask Tracy to change the content back, or restore a backup of database and media, excluding template code.