Settings Reference

Settings reference

This is the control-by-control reference for the Settings page. Changes are saved automatically unless an action opens a confirmation or file picker.

General

Control	What it does
Projects root	Default parent folder used to discover project candidates. It does not back up every child automatically.
Resume where you left off	Opens the page that was active when VaultSync last closed.
Launch at system startup	Starts VaultSync when you sign in.
Show tray icon	Keeps the tray/menu icon available for quick actions.
Run in background when closing	Closing the window hides VaultSync instead of ending it.
Show main window for tray actions	Brings the app forward for tray-started snapshots or backups.
Show mini backup widget for tray backups	Displays a small draggable progress window for tray-started backups.

Backup schedule, retention, and transfer

Control	What it does
Enable automatic backups	Allows background scheduled backups.
Backup interval	Minutes between automatic-backup checks.
Keep last N snapshots per project	Retention cap for ordinary restore points. Protected points and proof floors can prevent deletion.
Simulate retention	Previews suggested deletions and reclaimable space without deleting anything.
Confirm before deleting backups	Requires confirmation before destination data is removed.
Sync backup history across devices	Exports portable, non-secret metadata to .vaultsync/meta/.
Auto-import history when found	Merges metadata when a destination becomes reachable.
Prompt to restore after import	Offers the latest imported restore point before new local work creates another history branch.
Bandwidth limit	Caps network transfer speed. The value is in megabits per second.
Quiet hours	Defers automatic backups inside the entered 24-hour HH:mm window. Manual runs remain available.
Refresh history now	Immediately scans reachable destinations for metadata to import.

Backup location and encryption

Control	What it does
Fallback backup location	The single destination used in simple mode, or when no advanced destination is configured. Never place it inside the protected project.
Advanced destinations	Enables multiple independently configured local, external, or network targets.
Encrypt archive backups	Encrypts compressed archives locally before upload. Destinations receive data.vse.
Allow session-only password fallback	Keeps a password only in memory if secure OS credential storage is unavailable. It is lost when VaultSync exits.
Open-unlock timeout	Minutes a decrypted open workspace may remain available before it is locked.
Set/Clear password	Stores or removes the global encryption secret through the OS credential service where possible.
Enroll project passwords	Applies the configured secret to projects that require encryption enrollment.
Rotate encrypted backups	Re-encrypts eligible archives under the current credential through the guided rotation flow.
Lock opened encrypted backups now	Removes temporary decrypted open workspaces immediately.

VaultSync cannot recover a forgotten encryption password. Read Backup encryption before enabling encryption.

Backup format, performance, and safety

Toggle	What it does and when to use it
Compress backups	Creates a single archive. Useful for WAN/VPN links or many small files; costs CPU and removes folder-level incremental behavior.
Delta sync for large files	Uses rsync block deltas. Best for large files on LAN; it is disabled when incremental backups are enabled.
Incremental backups	Hardlinks unchanged files to preserve history efficiently on compatible local/LAN storage.
Auto-tune archive uploads	Briefly measures the destination and chooses an archive upload buffer.
Parallel archive uploads	Uses multiple writers. It may be faster, but some SMB servers are less reliable with it.
Verify backups after creation	Runs an integrity check after each backup. Recommended.
Full snapshot hashing	Hashes every file. Safest change detection, but slower for large trees.
Use scan cache for snapshots	Skips folders known to be unchanged.
Aggressive scan cache	Trusts matching folder timestamps and skips deeper checks. Fastest, but less safe.
Pause auto-backups on battery	Avoids heavy automatic disk work while unplugged.

Storage

Control	What it does
Prefer external drives	Favors removable/external destinations when selection is otherwise equivalent.
Show drive health warnings	Surfaces health and availability warnings for destination drives.
Reserve free space	Minimum percentage VaultSync should leave free before starting or continuing a backup.

Each advanced destination

Control	What it does
Alias	Friendly name shown throughout the app. Keep aliases unique.
Active	Includes or excludes the destination without deleting its configuration.
Path / Select	Folder, mounted share, or network target used for backups.
Test	Checks reachability and the configured access path. Test after any mount, path, or credential change.
Credential	Saved credential profile used when VaultSync must mount or authenticate.
Pre-mounted	Tells VaultSync the OS or user already mounted the share.
Auto-mount if needed	Attempts to mount an unreachable destination with the selected credential.
Auto-unmount after backup	Unmounts only when VaultSync performed the mount.
Count as offsite copy	Gives offsite credit in the 3-2-1 advisor. Enable only when the storage is physically elsewhere.
Sync backup history	Exports portable metadata to this destination.
Auto-import backup history	Imports metadata when this destination is found.
Force full history export	Backfills the full project history on the next backup, then clears the request.
Retry attempts / backoff	Number of transfer retries and seconds between retries.
Checkpoint resume	Saves transfer progress so an eligible interrupted upload can resume.
Soft quota / warning percent	Plans against a destination-specific capacity limit and warns before it is exhausted. Zero quota means no explicit soft cap.

Credential profiles

Control	What it does
Name	Unique label selected by a destination.
Use keychain/credential manager	Stores the secret through Windows Credential Manager/DPAPI, macOS Keychain, or Linux Secret Service when available.
Username	Account name, including DOMAIN\\user where required.
Password / Show	Secret used for mount or login. Showing it affects only the editor.

Appearance

Control	What it does
Theme	Follow system, Dark, Light, or Custom.
Custom theme	Starts from a base theme or preset and edits stable palette slots such as accent, surfaces, text, success, warning, and danger.
Compact mode	Reduces spacing in dense views.
Show project avatars	Displays icons or initials beside project names.

Theme presets include VaultSync Midnight, Deep Blue, OLED Black, Ember, Fjord, Forest, Neon Dusk, Orchid, Aurora Glass, Paper & Ink, Porcelain Glass, and Studio Light.

Notifications

The Enable notifications master toggle controls all notifications. The success, failure, and low-disk toggles select which events are allowed. Turning off the master does not erase those individual choices.

Advanced, diagnostics, and maintenance

Control or action	What it does
Enable verbose logging	Adds troubleshooting detail to the live log.
Save verbose logs to disk	Persists that detail locally while verbose logging is enabled.
Open console / Export logs	Views recent activity or exports it for support.
Export support bundle	Shows every generated file before export. Required report/manifest files stay included; optional sanitized diagnostics and anonymized telemetry can be removed or the export can be cancelled.
Import support bundle	Imports supported configuration from a bundle; diagnostics are not applied as settings.
Crash report assistance	Creates a strictly allowlisted local report after a crash. Nothing is sent automatically.
Maintenance window	Allows selected once-per-day health jobs inside an HH:mm window.
Run consistency scan	Checks project, snapshot, and backup linkage.
Run repair dry-run	Produces an exact repair plan without applying it.
Refresh metadata history	Imports current reachable destination metadata during maintenance.
Backup index: Dry-run plan	Scans for deterministic remaps. Review this before repair.
Backup index: Fix now	Applies only exact actions from the current plan.
Metadata conflict: Keep local	Keeps local destination, restore, verification, and tag choices.
Metadata conflict: Accept imported	Applies the shown values imported from another machine.

Updates and language

Control	What it does
Check for updates on startup	Enables update checks for direct-distribution builds. Store builds remain Store-managed.
Update check interval	Minutes between checks while VaultSync is running.
Check for updates now	Checks the selected channel immediately.
Preview updates	Follows prerelease development builds. These may be unstable.
Language	Changes the language used throughout the UI.
Reset to defaults	Restores settings defaults after confirmation. It is not the same as forgetting projects.

Danger zone

• Clear local cache removes cached metadata and transient state, not project or destination files.
• Forget all projects resets VaultSync's internal project, snapshot, and backup records. It does not delete source or backup files, but the local index cannot be undone. Export anything you need first.

Project-level controls

The Backups page can override global behavior per project:

• automatic backup enabled;
• preferred destination;
• encryption policy;
• restore mode;
• verification policy; and
• backup-now action.

Use global Settings for the normal policy, and project overrides only when a project genuinely needs different storage or safety behavior.