Snapshots: creation, retention and restoration
Snapshots are complete backups of your applications and databases on Square Cloud. This article brings together, in one place, how they're created, how long they're kept, and how to restore them.
How snapshots are created
- Automatically: Square Cloud generates a safety snapshot on important events — for example, when your subscription expires, the system tries to create a full backup of all your applications and databases.
- Treat snapshots as a safety net, not as your only backup strategy. For critical data, keep your own backups too.
Retention (how long a snapshot is kept)
The rule is single and the same for everything: 30 calendar days.
Snapshot type | Retention |
|---|---|
Applications and files | 30 days |
Databases | 30 days |
Snapshot created on subscription expiration | 30 days |
After 30 calendar days, snapshots are permanently deleted and can no longer be recovered.
How to restore
While the snapshot still exists (within the 30 days):
- Renew or reactivate your subscription — for snapshots created on expiration, renewing is what reopens access to the data.
- In the Dashboard, your applications, files and databases become available again.
- If you can't find your data after renewing, open a ticket with support as soon as possible, still within the 30-day window.
After 30 calendar days, restoration is no longer possible.
Related
See also What happens to your files if your subscription expires?.
Updated on: 07/02/2026
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