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NextCloud version control#

Nextcloud supports a simple version control system for files. Version control creates backup copies of files that can be accessed through the "Versions" tab in the "Details" sidebar.

This tab contains the file history, where a file can be rolled back to any previous version. Changes made at intervals of more than two minutes are stored in data/[user]/files_versions.

Desktop app

To restore a specific version of a file, click on the circular arrow on the right. Click on the timestamp to download it.

The versioning application expires old versions automatically to ensure that the user does not run out of space. This pattern is used to remove old versions:

  • For the first second we keep a version
  • For the first 10 seconds Nextcloud keeps a version every 2 seconds.
  • For the first minute Nextcloud keeps a version every 10 seconds
  • For the first hour, Nextcloud keeps a version every minute.
  • During the first 24 hours Nextcloud keeps a version every hour.
  • During the first 30 days Nextcloud saves a version every day.
  • After the first 30 days, Nextcloud keeps a version every week.

Versions are adjusted following this pattern each time a new version is created.

**The versioning application never uses more than 50% of the user's available free space ** If the stored versions exceed this limit, Nextcloud deletes the oldest versions until it reaches the disk space limit again.

For more information, please see the official guide