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Describe library synchronization replacing autosave #672

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39aad32
Describe library synchronization replacing autosave
koppor Sep 1, 2026
d50c18b
Describe merging of conflicted copies
koppor Sep 3, 2026
ba66158
Describe the per-library synchronization options
koppor Sep 13, 2026
58fca91
Merge remote-tracking branch 'origin/main' into file-sync
koppor Sep 28, 2026
2dfc610
Rename the synchronization option to "Automatically merge external ch…
koppor Sep 28, 2026
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2 changes: 1 addition & 1 deletion en/SUMMARY.md
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Expand Up @@ -74,7 +74,7 @@
* [URL and DOI links in JabRef](advanced/externalfiles.md)
* [OCR](advanced/OCR.md)
* [Command line use and options](advanced/commandline.md)
* [Automatic Backup (.sav and .bak) and Autosave](advanced/autosave.md)
* [Automatic backup (.sav and .bak) and synchronization](advanced/autosave.md)
* [XMP metadata support in JabRef](advanced/xmp.md)
* [Remote operation](advanced/remote.md)
* [Custom themes](advanced/custom-themes.md)
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22 changes: 17 additions & 5 deletions en/advanced/autosave.md
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@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
# Automatic Backup (.sav and .bak) and Autosave
# Automatic backup (.sav and .bak) and synchronization

{% hint style="info" %}
Changelog:\
Expand All @@ -13,6 +13,9 @@
JabRef 5.1\
To reduce the amount of configuration options, the possibility to disable the creation of `.bak` files was removed.\
\
JabRef 6.0\
Automatic merging of external changes: changes made to the library file outside JabRef are merged into the open library, per library or as a global default.\

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[write-good.Passive] 'are merged' may be passive voice. Use active voice if you can.

Raw Output:
{"message": "[write-good.Passive] 'are merged' may be passive voice. Use active voice if you can.", "location": {"path": "en/advanced/autosave.md", "range": {"start": {"line": 17, "column": 88}}}, "severity": "WARNING"}
\
JabRef 3.7\
First introduction of the autosave and backup features.\
`.sav` is the automatic backup feature.\
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* **Mac OS X:** \
`/Users/username/Library/Application Support/org.jabref/jabref`

## Automatic saving of the current library
## Automatic saving and merging of external changes

JabRef can keep a local library and its `.bib` file the same in both directions. Two options control this, both off unless you enable them:

* **Autosave local libraries** (Preferences → General → Saving): changes you make in JabRef are saved to the `.bib` file automatically. No need to click on File → Save or to press Ctrl+S anymore.

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[write-good.Passive] 'are saved' may be passive voice. Use active voice if you can.

Raw Output:
{"message": "[write-good.Passive] 'are saved' may be passive voice. Use active voice if you can.", "location": {"path": "en/advanced/autosave.md", "range": {"start": {"line": 73, "column": 93}}}, "severity": "WARNING"}
* **Automatically merge external changes**: changes another program makes to the `.bib` file (a text editor, a `git pull`, a cloud synchronization client) are merged into the open library automatically. A short notification reports how many changes were merged. If the same entry was also edited in JabRef, the fields changed on disk are still taken over. JabRef only asks you to review external changes when they collide with your own unsaved edits: the same field changed differently in JabRef and in the file, or an entry deleted on one side and changed on the other. The "External changes detected" notification then offers a review of only those items.

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[write-good.Passive] 'were merged' may be passive voice. Use active voice if you can.

Raw Output:
{"message": "[write-good.Passive] 'were merged' may be passive voice. Use active voice if you can.", "location": {"path": "en/advanced/autosave.md", "range": {"start": {"line": 74, "column": 250}}}, "severity": "WARNING"}

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[vale] reported by reviewdog 🐶
[write-good.Passive] 'are merged' may be passive voice. Use active voice if you can.

Raw Output:
{"message": "[write-good.Passive] 'are merged' may be passive voice. Use active voice if you can.", "location": {"path": "en/advanced/autosave.md", "range": {"start": {"line": 74, "column": 156}}}, "severity": "WARNING"}

Automatic merging is decided per library: open Library → Library properties → Saving and choose **On** or **Off** for **Automatically merge external changes**. A library set to **Use global setting** follows the preference of the same name in Preferences → General → Saving, which is off by default. The per-library choice is stored in the `.bib` file, so it travels with the library.

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[write-good.Passive] 'is stored' may be passive voice. Use active voice if you can.

Raw Output:
{"message": "[write-good.Passive] 'is stored' may be passive voice. Use active voice if you can.", "location": {"path": "en/advanced/autosave.md", "range": {"start": {"line": 76, "column": 324}}}, "severity": "WARNING"}

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[write-good.Passive] 'is decided' may be passive voice. Use active voice if you can.

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{"message": "[write-good.Passive] 'is decided' may be passive voice. Use active voice if you can.", "location": {"path": "en/advanced/autosave.md", "range": {"start": {"line": 76, "column": 19}}}, "severity": "WARNING"}

When automatic merging is off, JabRef reports every external change with the "External changes detected" notification and leaves it to you to review or dismiss them.

JabRef offers **automatic saving of the library.** No need to click on File --> Save or pressing Ctrl+S anymore: The opened database are saved automatically without manual intervention.
### Conflicted copies of sync clients

In case the `.bib` file should automatically be saved on each change, you can direct JabRef to do so. This feature needs to be activated in the preferences:
When the library lives in a folder synchronized by Dropbox, Nextcloud, ownCloud, OneDrive, or Syncthing and two machines change it between two syncs, the sync client keeps one version as a "conflicted copy" next to the library (for example `library (conflicted copy 2026-09-03).bib`). With automatic merging enabled and **Merge conflicted copies left by sync clients** switched on (per library in Library properties → Saving, or as the global default in Preferences → General → Saving; off by default), JabRef merges such a copy into the open library with the same rules: silently, unless the same item was changed differently in both. A "Conflicted copy merged" notification then offers to delete the copy; JabRef never deletes it on its own. Copies OneDrive names after another computer are not recognized, since any file with a `-Name` suffix could be an unrelated library.

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[write-good.Passive] 'was changed' may be passive voice. Use active voice if you can.

Raw Output:
{"message": "[write-good.Passive] 'was changed' may be passive voice. Use active voice if you can.", "location": {"path": "en/advanced/autosave.md", "range": {"start": {"line": 82, "column": 604}}}, "severity": "WARNING"}

<div align="center">

<figure><img src="../.gitbook/assets/preferences-autosave.png" alt=""><figcaption><p>Screenshot of the autosave preferences</p></figcaption></figure>
<figure><img src="../.gitbook/assets/preferences-autosave.png" alt=""><figcaption><p>Screenshot of the saving preferences</p></figcaption></figure>

</div>
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