About Smartsheet data backups

To request a one-time sheet or workspace backup, you need Viewer permissions or higher. To request recurring workspace backups, you must hold Owner or Admin permissions on the workspace.

Backup contents

• Backups include sheet data, comments, and attachments.
• Backups don’t include reports, dashboards, formulas, workflows, cross-sheet references, formatting information, or custom configurations.
• Workspace backups include sheet data from the workspace, not its structure. Backups keep your data secure. However, restoring your solution will require rebuilding each Smartsheet item.
• Backup files have a size limit of 4 GB.

If you want a backup copy of your data and you're on a Business or Enterprise plan, you have the following options:

• Request a one-time or weekly recurring backup.
• Request a sheet snapshot from a specific point in time from the sheet's Activity Log. 

Any plan type can:

• Manually export one or more sheets or reports. 

Tips for managing backup data

• Schedule recurring weekly backups. This is for Business and Enterprise plans only.
• Set yourself a reminder to export your data at the start or end of every workday.
• Check with your IT department to find out what backup processes they already have in place.
• Use File > Save as New... to copy your dashboards. That way, you'll have a local version with all the widgets and formulas in place, just in case. 

Understand and resolve formatting issues in Smartsheet backups

Smartsheet backup data might not retain original formatting, but you can manage backups and formatting effectively.

To request a sheet or workspace backup, you need at least Viewer permissions or higher. For recurring workspace backups, you must be the workspace Owner or Admin.

You can't see formatting information when you export your data to a backup. The sheet stores the formatting information, and it’s separate from your data.

When you import data from a backup into a new sheet, you may need to reformat (word wrap, bold, conditional formatting) once you’ve reimported your data.

If your sheet includes hierarchy (indenting or outdenting to create subtasks), the rows are grouped in outline format in the exported Excel file.

Select the + (plus icon) to the left of the row numbers in Excel to expand any collapsed rows to reveal their subtasks.

For more information about using hierarchy in Smartsheet, see Hierarchy: Indent or outdent rows.