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Time Machine Backups ​

Time Machine is Phi's safety net for updates. Before certain major updates, Phi automatically saves a snapshot of the current version and your data, so if a new release does not work the way you expected, you can roll back to the version you were on. It is there for the rare update that changes a lot at once.

What it is — and what it is not ​

Phi's Time Machine is a version rollback feature, not a general-purpose backup tool. A couple of things it is easy to confuse it with:

  • It is not Apple's Time Machine. It does not back up your Mac, and it has nothing to do with the system feature of the same name.
  • It is not a continuous, scheduled backup of your browsing. Phi does not snapshot every day or let you pick an arbitrary point in time. A snapshot is created automatically, occasionally, right before an update that carries more risk than usual.

If what you want is a backup you control — to move to a new Mac, or keep a copy before experimenting — use Export User Data instead (see Exporting your own data below).

When a snapshot is created ​

You do not start a Time Machine snapshot yourself. Phi creates one automatically, just before launching into a qualifying update, and only once per such update. Most updates do not trigger one at all. When a snapshot does exist, it captures the Phi data that belongs to the previous version — your bookmarks, Spaces, pinned tabs, settings, Memory, and browsing state — together with a record of which app version it pairs with, so that a rollback restores a consistent setup rather than a mismatched mix. The app itself is not stored in the snapshot; it is downloaded during the restore.

Snapshots are stored locally on your Mac. They are not uploaded to the cloud, not tied to your account, and cannot be moved to another Mac.

Rolling back to a previous version ​

  1. Open the Help menu and find Time Machine Backups.
  2. Each available snapshot is listed by version, build, and date — for example, Phi 1.6 (590) on 2026.6.11. If there are none, the menu shows No Backups Available.
  3. Choose the snapshot you want. Phi asks to confirm: "Restore Time Machine Backup?" — noting that Phi will quit and restore it, and the current app and selected user data will be replaced.
  4. Choose Restore. Phi downloads the previous version, replaces the current app and the matching data, and relaunches into the restored version.

Because the rollback fetches the previous version, you need an internet connection while restoring. The restore is designed to either finish or recover safely if interrupted, so a quit or crash mid-restore will not leave Phi in a broken state.

Exporting your own data ​

Time Machine handles update rollbacks. For a backup you create and keep on your own terms, use the Help menu's Manage User Data:

  • Export User Data… saves your Phi data as a single file you can store anywhere.
  • Import User Data… replaces your current Phi data from a file you exported earlier, then relaunches.

This is the right tool for moving to a new Mac or keeping a personal copy — the part Time Machine intentionally does not cover.

How this connects to the rest of Phi ​

A Time Machine snapshot includes the data behind Spaces & Profiles and Memory, so rolling back returns those to how they were at the snapshot. Everything stays on your Mac, in line with Phi's local-first approach described in Privacy & Your Data.