How to Use Versioning in DEVONthink

At some point, you have probably worked on a text and created a duplicate to save its current state. For this purpose, DEVONthink offers document versioning. This often-requested backup mechanism automatically creates versions of your document when you make edits. Here is a quick introduction.

First, versioning is enabled on a per-database basis. Select a database, then check the Enable Versioning option in the File > Database Properties popover. DEVONthink now creates new versions as you make an internal edit.

The versions can be seen and accessed in the Tools > Inspectors > Versions inspector, with the most recent version listed at the top. Select a version and click the Quick Look button or choose it from the context menu. If the view/edit pane is open, choosing a version will temporarily switch the view to its contents. You can also remove selected or all versions from the context menu.

In DEVONthink’s Settings > Files > General, you can set the number of versions per-document, the largest a version can grow, and how long the versions should be kept. Be aware versions are consuming space. This is especially important to consider when using encrypted databases as they are created at a specific fixed size.

If you are making quick changes, versions won’t be saved until at least two minutes have elapsed between edits. This avoids generating too many versions. And note: For technical reasons, versions are only created for changes made in DEVONthink. External changes do not create new versions.

For further information, have a look at the Inspectors > Versions section of the built-in Help or user handbook.