Note that this article refers to the backup options in the “classic” version of Priority Matrix for Windows. In the latest version of the apps, this backup mechanism is not necessary because all your data is constantly synced against our database.

Life is not perfect, and sometimes things break down. When that happens, it is nice if you are able to go back in time. Unfortunately, this is not always possible, but if you use Priority Matrix for Windows, we might just be able to help you. Every time you open the app, we automatically generate a backup copy of your data so that, if something goes wrong, you can restore an older version of your data or restore back up data. To get started, this is how you find your backup data:

Locate backup data

In order to find the location of your backups, do as follows:

  1. Open the start panel and open “Computer”
  2. Select the “Local Disk (C:)” drive
  3. Select “Users”
  4. Select your username
  5. Select “App Data”
  6. Select “Roaming”
  7. Open the Priority Matrix folder
  8. There you will find two important types of data:
    • One file called dataModel.pmatrix which contains your current data
    • A number of timestamped .pmatrix files that represent snapshots of your data (this is where you will find the date of the last time your data was correct, and use that file for the new dataModel.pmatrix)
  9. When you want to restore your data, follow these steps:
    • Stop the app to make sure you don’t create any conflicts
    • Remove your dataModel.matrix file to clear your current data version
    • Pick one backup file that contains the desired data, based on the timestamp, which is part of the file name
    • Make a copy of that chosen file and rename it as dataModel.matrix to replace your current data
    • Start the app and make sure that all your data is correct

 

    • Locate back up data

A couple of things to keep in mind:

  • It is possible that other apps (iPhone, Android, etc.) overwrite your restored data when you sync. In that case:
    • Turn off internet while you restore your data as above
    • Try exporting your projects as .pmatrix files, syncing, then importing the file again; This will create a duplicate project, and then you can delete the one you don’t want
  • If you’d like, you can directly import your backup files; This will duplicate your ENTIRE database, so be careful because you will have to clean it up manually

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NOTE** This is only important if we have asked you to send us a copy of your data.

Finally, when we’re looking for a fix for whatever problem you may having, sometimes we will ask you for your a copy of your local data so that we can try to reproduce the issue. In that case, you can zip the contents of folder C:\Users\username\AppData\Roaming\PriorityMatrix\ and send the file to us. This way we’ll see exactly what you’re seeing, and finding a fix will be much faster.

If you are now on Windows, perhaps you should this restore backed up data on a Mac.