### Backing Up and Restoring Callsign Certificates, Station Locations, and Preferences

TQSL can be directed to save all of your Callsign Certificates, Station Locations, and Preferences in a single Backup File with a `.tbk` file extension. If you copy this Backup File to a safe place, you'll be able to quickly recover from a computer failure by directing TQSL to restore your Callsign Certificates, Station Locations, and Preferences.

You can configure TQSL to when terminating, automatically create a Backup File named `tqslconfig.tbk` in a specified folder. You can also configure TQSL to retain a specified number of such automatically-created Backup Files.

##### Safe Places to Store your Callsign Certificates, Station Locations, and Preferences

An external hard drive, a thumb drive, or another computer on your home network will provide local backup that you can quickly access, but will not provide protection against a local catastrophe. A free "cloud storage service" like DropBox or Google Drive or Microsoft SkyDrive can provide better protection, but requires internet access for both backup and recovery. Ideally, important files should be saved both locally and in cloud storage.

##### Creating or Updating a Backup File

To save your Callsign Certificates, Station Locations, and Preferences to a Backup File,

1. | Select the File menu's Backup Station Locations, Certificates, and Preferences... command.
2. | In the Enter file to save to dialog that appears,

| 2.a | Navigate to the Folder in which you want the Backup File created.
| 2.b | Specify the File name of the Backup File to be created, or select an existing Backup File to be replaced with an updated version..
| 2.c | Click the Save button

##### Configuring TQSL to Automatically Create a Backup File When Terminating

To configure TQSL to automatically create a Backup File named `tqslconfig.tbk` when terminating,

1. | Select the File menu's Display or Modify Preferences... command (on OS X, select the Application menu's Preferences command).
2. | In the Preferences dialog that appears, select the Options tab; on this tab,

| 2.a | Check the Allow automatic configuration backup box.
| 2.b | Click the Browse button to the right of the Backup File Folder textbox and use the Browse For Folder dialog that appears to select the folder in which Backup Files will automatically be created when terminating.
| 2.c | Specify the Number of Backups to retain setting.
| 2.d | Click the OK button.

The most recent automatically created Backup File is named `tqslconfig.tbk`. Older retained Backup Files are named `tqslconfig-yyyy-mm-dd-hh-nn`, where yyyy-mm-dd-hh-nn is the UTC date and time at which the Backup File was created:

| `yyyy:` | `year`
| `mm:` | `month`
| `dd:` | `day`
| `hh:` | `hour`
| `nn:` | `minute`

##### Restoring from a Backup File

To restore Callsign Certificates, Station Locations, and Preferences from a selected Backup File,

1. | Select the File menu's Restore Station Locations, Certificates, and Preferences... command.
2. | In the Select saved configuration file dialog that appears,

| 2.a | Navigate to the Folder that contains the Backup File you wish to restore.
| 2.b | Select the Backup File to be restored.
| 2.c | Click the Open button