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Recover Deleted Projects

If you’re in panic mode because you accidentally deleted a project or element in Dabble, follow this how-to to restore your project.

Jacob Wright avatar
Written by Jacob Wright
Updated over a week ago

! Trash Emergencies ! 

Don’t panic! Just because an element or project is in the trash doesn’t mean it’s deleted. There are a few different ways to recover your work. 

Deleted Story Element 

  1. If you’re inside a Dabble project and accidentally delete a book element like a Chapter or a Plot Grid, go to the left-hand nav menu and click the drop down arrow next to Trash. 

  2. If your deleted element is inside, drag-and-drop it back to its original location in your book. 

  3. If your deleted element is a folder: click on the three dots to the right of the element and select “Restore.” (Drag-and-drop works for folders too, Dabble has multiple methods of recovery. For safety.)

Deleted Project

  1. If you deleted an entire project, go to the Project view and click the tiny trash can icon to the upper right.

  1. The tiny trash can takes you to the realm of trashed projects. 

  2. Hover over any deleted project and click on the arrow in the bottom left corner that says “restore”. Clicking this also pops you back into the realm of active projects. Poof! 

Pro Tip: Since Projects align themselves by “most recently opened” it's easy to accidentally delete one. If you notice a project is missing and you don’t remember deleting it, check the Project Trash just in case.
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Everything is deleted and I’m Panicking!

  1. Take a deep breath and remember that Dabble automatically cloud syncs all your work. That’s why you never have to hit “save”. 

  2. If you’ve looked everywhere for your work and it is just not in the trash, the next step is to message Dabble’s help desk. 

  3. Go to the right-hand nav menu and click the “Help” drop down menu. Click “Chat with Support”. 

You’re messaging Jacob, he’s the creator, he can restore your data. You’re Welcome! 

Pro Tip: Message Dabble as soon as you realize you project is missing. If it’s been more than a year, it’s probably gone forever. 

Trash Non Emergencies: How the Trash Works in Dabble 

If you’re not in panic mode, and are just curious how to delete things, maybe intentionally, you’re in the right place. First off: all your Dabble files are stored in the Dabble Cloud so that's why there are no save buttons. Hitting CTRL+R (PC) or CMD+R (Mac) refreshes and saves your Cloud sync though, if you really feel the need. Your work, including the files in your trash folder, is automatically backed up every 30 seconds. 

Keeping Files in the Trash 

Dabble projects or story elements stay in the trash folder until you permanently delete them. Like Dante’s Inferno, your files are just in purgatory. You can even edit them in the trash folder, see how friendly it is! Drag-and-drop files like Scenes or Story notes to the trash folder at will, then drag them out again.   

Intentionally Delete in Dabble 

You’ve decided to kill your darlings and you really, really want to actually delete. Forever. Here’s how. 

Deleting a Chapter 

  1. (This method works for all story elements: Scenes, Story Notes, Plot Grids, etc.) 

  2. From inside the Project: Drag-and-drop the Chapter you want to delete into the Trash drop down in the left-hand nav menu.

  3. Alternate method: click those three dots to the right of the Chapter (the action menu) and click “Send to Trash”. 

  4. Then go to the Chapter in the trash and hover over Chapter until those three dots appear, and click “Delete Permanently”. WARNING: There is no box that pops up letting you know it’s for real this time. 

Congratulations, your Chapter is deleted! 

Empty the Trash Can 

  1. You want a clean slate. Everything you’ve written up to this point is garbage. Go to the Trash in the left-hand nav menu and hover until you see three dots. 

  2. Click “Empty Trash” and it’s all gone. WARNING: There is no box that pops up letting you know it’s for real this time. Every folder and file is permanently deleted. 

  3. Note that when there is nothing in the Trash folder, there isn’t an “Empty Trash” option. 

Deleting a Book 

  1. If you really, truly want to delete an entire book, and you’re 100% sure, go to the Project View. 

  2. Hover over a project until a tiny trash can appears in the bottom right corner. Click it. 

3. A warning message appears asking if you’re really positive. Click “OK”. Remember: This step is just moving a project to the trash folder, NOT deleting your book. 

4. Your project disappears from the Project View. To truly delete, you must venture into purgatory… or the Deleted Project View. So click the tiny trash can to the upper right of the Project View. 

5. Hover over your book and click the trash can in the bottom right hand corner. Again, confirm that you want to delete and click “OK”. WARNING: This is it. This button really deletes your project forever. 

6. (*See the “Everything is Deleted and I’m Panicking” section of this article if you accidentally click the trash icon three different times and bypassed all the warning signs.) 

To sum up, there are three levels of trash: 

  • Non-trash (regular Project view, regular Book View).

  • Trash (the temporary trash can inside of the Project View or Book View, purgatory for your poorly-written elements).

  • Permanently Deleted Trash (which can *sometimes* be resurrected by the creator). 

Happy trashing from us here at Dabble! 

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