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

Nothing is more frustrating than losing important data. If you accidentally delete or make undesired modifications to your Priority Matrix data, not all hope is lost. Every time you open the app, the app automatically generates a backup copy of your data, so if something goes wrong, you can restore an older version of your data and start again.  To get started, follow the steps in this document.

Restore Backup Data on Mac:

Note***Before you start, please make sure you make a backup of all your files 🙂 You can do this by running this script and following the steps below:

  1. Click the link above to download a file called PMScript.zip
  2. Open the file from downloads file
  3. Quit Priority Matrix completely
  4. Right-click the PMScript app and select “Open”
  5. Proceed to the following steps when this is complete

Now that we’ve made an extra copy of your current data, let’s locate the exact (earlier) version that you want to restore:

        1. Force-quit on Priority Matrix to avoid any data conflicts
        2. Open Finder
        3. Open menu “Go / Go to Folder…” (or press shift-command-G)
        4. Enter “~/Library/Application Support/Appfluence/PriorityMatrix/” (without the quotes) to reach your backups folder
        5. You will see a series of files starting in either “save”, “autosave”, and “sync, and ending in .sqlite. These files are backup copies of all the user data, which the system automatically creates right before a save, autosave or full sync operation. This is where you will find the correct version of your data.
        6. Look at these files and notice their modification date.  Determine which file likely contains the data you want to restore, based on the modification date.  Right-click and choose “get info” to see details of file if that helps you decide.

Finally, we want to take that backup file and use it in place of your current data:

      1. Delete the main data model file, called prioritymatrix_2_27.sqlite or very similar.
      2. Take the chosen backup file and use it to overwrite the data model (i.e. make a copy and give it the same name of the file you just erased, prioritymatrix_2_27.sqlite or similar), but make sure to leave the backup file untouched, or we’ll lose that backup option*** Please note*** Your files may have a different name, such as: “prioritymatrix_2_27.sqlite”
      3. Disconnect the internet to make sure the app doesn’t sync your data yet.
      4. Start Priority Matrix again and see if the data loaded is what you need.
      5. Turn on the internet so the app begins to sync.
      6. For good measure, right-click and export your critical projects as .pmatrix before they’re synced again

See also this document to restore your backups on Windows if that’s your platform instead of Mac.