Cloud sync

Cloud sync keeps a copy of your writing in a cloud drive you already use, and keeps it current as you write. Your pieces show up as ordinary files you can open on any device, and they stay safe even if you ever lose access to Inkbreaker.

Cloud sync is a Pro feature. It is not part of the free trial.

Connecting a drive

Go to Preferences, on the Account tab, and find the Cloud sync card. Choose Connect next to Google Drive or OneDrive. You will be sent to that provider to approve access, then brought back. Inkbreaker only asks for permission to the folder it creates, never the rest of your drive.

Once connected, your work begins syncing into an Inkbreaker folder in your drive. Each piece is saved three ways: a Word (.docx) document you can open in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, a readable Markdown (.md) file you can edit in any editor, and a small companion file that lets it come back into Inkbreaker with all its formatting intact. Your own notes and any pending suggestions travel inside the .docx as real Word comments and tracked changes.

The .md is the two-way channel: edit it anywhere and the change flows back here. The .docx is a faithful, always-current copy for reading and sharing in Word or Google Docs.

Keeping it current, both ways

Sync runs on its own in the background, and you can press Sync now on the card any time.

Edits flow both directions. A change you make in Inkbreaker updates the file in your drive. A change you make to the file in your drive comes back into the piece here on the next sync, landing in your draft so it never disturbs a published version without your say-so.

If the same piece changes in both places before a sync catches up, Inkbreaker does not guess. It keeps a conflict copy in the drive so neither version is lost, and you can reconcile them yourself.

What syncs

• Pieces, in the same folders you keep them in here, each as a .docx, a .md, and a companion file.
• Worlds: every entry as its own editable file, plus each language’s full lexicon, every map with its art and pins, and the relationship web. The summaries, lexicons, maps, and relationship web are read-only mirrors, always current.
• Files you add yourself become drafts here. On OneDrive, anything you drop in the folder. On Google Drive, files you pick with Add files from Drive.

Knowing a sync finished

The Cloud sync card shows a live Syncing… indicator while a run is in progress, then the time of the last sync and how many items it covered. When you connect a drive or use Restore from Inkbreaker, you also get a notification when it finishes, so you do not have to watch the card.

Restoring your drive from Inkbreaker

If your cloud files were deleted, damaged, or restored from an old backup, open the card and choose Restore from Inkbreaker. It rebuilds the folder from your work here without deleting anything already in it, and re-writes the Word, Markdown, and companion files for every piece. Your work in Inkbreaker is always the source of truth, so nothing is lost.

Troubleshooting

The card says a sync failed, or asks me to reconnect. This usually means the drive access expired or was withdrawn. Choose Disconnect on the card, then Connect again. Reconnecting inside Inkbreaker restores access and the sync resumes.

I don’t see my files updating in the folder. Cloud drives do not change a folder’s own “modified” time when files inside it change, so the folder can look untouched while its contents are current. Open the folder and sort by “last modified”, or search your drive for a piece’s title, to see the up-to-date files.

I revoked Inkbreaker’s access in my Google account, and now there’s a second Inkbreaker folder. Revoking access at your Google Account’s permissions page severs Inkbreaker’s link to the original folder, so a fresh sync starts a new one. To avoid this, disconnect and reconnect from inside Inkbreaker rather than revoking at Google. The old folder is a harmless copy you can keep or delete; your current folder is the one the newest sync writes to.

Disconnecting

On the same card, choose Disconnect next to a provider. Syncing stops, and the files already in your drive are left exactly where they are.

Questions

Is my whole drive exposed to Inkbreaker? No. Inkbreaker asks only for access to the folder it creates, so it can neither see nor touch the rest of your files.

Which providers can I use? Google Drive and OneDrive today. iCloud is coming to the iPhone and Mac apps in a future release.

Does this replace the export? No. Exporting your book and the full data export are still there for a one-time download. Cloud sync is the always-current mirror.

See also: Saving and recovering your work.