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When you are working with a standalone project (saved to your own computer or a network drive), you should save your project frequently and make regular back up copies. Saving and copying your project can help prevent loss of data in the event of a power outage or hardware malfunction.
When you are working with a server project, you do not need to save your project to protect your work. Each change you make is saved automatically to the NVivo server, as you work.
You can use the copy function (similar to 'save as') to make a back up copy of your project or to take a snapshot of your project at a particular point in time.
If you are working with a server project, you can use the copy function to create a standalone version of the project. Likewise, you can use the copy function to create a server version of a standalone project.
What do you want to do?
Keyboard shortcut To save your project, press CTRL+S
NOTE If you are working in a project stored on a network drive, by default your changes are saved to a temporary file and the project file on the network is not updated until you close your project. It is important to close your project, before you turn off your computer. Refer to Set save options for network projects for more information.
If you are working with a standalone project saved as a .nvp file on your computer or network drive, it is important to save your project at regular intervals. By default, NVivo prompts you to save your project every 15 minutes. You can adjust the time interval between save reminders, if you want to be reminded more or less frequently.
Click the File tab, and then click Options.
The Application Options dialog box opens.
Click the Notifications tab.
Increase or decrease the interval between save reminders by changing the value in the minutes box.
Click OK.
NOTE If you want to turn off project save reminders, clear the Enable project save reminders every check box.
By default, if your project is stored on a network drive, when you save the project your changes are saved locally—the .nvp project file on the network is only updated when you close the project. To avoid loss of data, make sure that you close your project before you turn off your computer.
You can change NVivo's save options so that the .nvp file on the network is updated each time you save the project. Saving regularly to the network, can prevent loss of data, in the event that your computer shuts down before you close your NVivo project.
To change your save options:
Click the File tab, and then click Options.
The Application Options dialog box opens.
On the General tab, under Performance, for Update projects on network drives, click On save or On close.
Click OK.
The Copy to Project File dialog box opens.
Select where you want save the copied project—do one of the following:
To save as a standalone project, select NVivo Projects (*.nvp ) from the Save as type list, and then enter a name for the copied project in the File name box.
To save as a server project, select NVivo Server Projects from the Save as type list, then select the server from the Connection name box, and then enter a name for the copied project in the Project name box.
Click Save. A copy of your open project is saved at the selected location.
The Connection name box is empty if you have not set up any server connections—click the Add button to create a new server connection using the Connection Properties dialog box.
If you cannot select NVivo Projects (*.nvp), check your connections. You need a standalone connection to create a new project on your computer.
If you receive a message indicating that you do not have permission to create a project on the server, verify with your server administrator that you are in a server user group that has permission to create new projects.
If you copy a server project to your computer (as a standalone project), project user groups are not retained.
If a server project, excluding media files, exceeds the maximum size for standalone projects (4GB), you cannot copy and create a standalone project.
If you copy a server project that contains embedded media files to a new standalone project, the media files are embedded in the new standalone project until the project reaches 3GB, after which media items are stored as linked media files.
The Copy Project dialog box opens.
Click the Browse button next to the Copy project box, and then locate and select the project you want to copy.
Do one of the following:
To copy a standalone project, select NVivo Projects (*.nvp ) from the Save as type list, and then locate and select the project you want to copy.
To copy a server project, select NVivo Server Projects from the Save as type list, then select the server from the Connection name box, and then select the project in the Project files box.
Click Open.
Click the Browse button next to the To location box, and then select where you want save the copied project.
Do one of the following:
To save as a standalone project, select NVivo Projects (*.nvp ) from the Save as type list, and then enter a name for the copied project in the File name box.
To save as a server project, select NVivo Server Projects from the Save as type list, then select the server from the Connection name box, and then enter a name for the copied project in the Project name box.
Click Save.
Click OK. A copy of the project is saved at the selected location.
NOTE
The Connection name box is empty if you have not set up any server connections—click the Add button to create a new server connection using the Connection Properties dialog box.
If you cannot select NVivo Projects (*.nvp), check your connections. You need a standalone connection to copy or create a project on your computer.
If you receive a message indicating that you do not have permission to create a project on the server, verify with your server administrator that you are in a server user group that has permission to create new projects.
If you copy an NVivo 9.1, NVivo 9.0, NVivo 8 or NVivo 7 project, the project is copied and converted to create a new project in NVivo 9.2 format—the original project is not changed.
If you copy a server project to your computer (as a standalone project), project user groups are not retained.
If a server project, excluding media files, exceeds the maximum size for standalone projects (4GB), you cannot copy and create a standalone project.
If you copy a server project that contains embedded media files to a new standalone project, the media files are embedded in the new standalone project until the project reaches 3GB, after which media items are stored as linked media files.