How to back up Pro Tools sessions (Save Copy In, Auto Backup)

Choose File › Save Copy In, tick All Audio Files under Items to Copy, and save the copy to a second drive: you get a complete session folder with every audio file it uses. For everyday backups copy the whole session folder, not just the .ptx file. Pro Tools’ Auto Backup only saves the session file, into the Session File Backups folder inside the session.

1. Save a complete copy

Choose File › Save Copy In.
Under Items to Copy, tick All Audio Files.
Keep the format as Latest unless the copy must open in an older Pro Tools.
Save it to a second drive. The new session folder holds the session and every audio file it uses.

2. Copy the whole session folder

Every day: a second drive with Time Machine, or a cloud folder.
The folder, not the .ptx: Audio Files, Session File Backups and the rest go together.
Off site: at least one copy that is not in the same room as the studio.

3. Turn on Auto Backup

Open Setup › Preferences › Operation.
Under Auto Backup, select Enable Session File Auto Backup.
Set how many backups to keep and how often to save.

Auto Backup saves the session file, not the audio, and keeps it inside the session folder. It undoes a bad edit; it does not replace a copy on another drive.

4. Check a backup by opening it

Open the copied session with the original drive disconnected. Play it through: missing audio shows at once.

Common questions

Is the .ptx file enough to back up a Pro Tools session?

No. The .ptx file holds the edits and the mix but only points to the audio. Copy the whole session folder, with Audio Files, or use Save Copy In with All Audio Files.

Does Pro Tools back up sessions by itself?

It can save the session file while you work: Setup › Preferences › Operation › Auto Backup, with how many to keep and how often. Those backups are session files only, kept in the Session File Backups folder inside the session.

What is the difference between Save As and Save Copy In?

Save As switches you to the new session. Save Copy In writes a copy and leaves you working in the original, so it is the one to use for archiving.

Does Save Copy In include audio I removed from the session?

No. It copies the audio the session uses. Audio that was recorded and then removed from the session is left out.

Or let Songcase do it

Songcase keeps backups of Pro Tools, Logic and Live projects, like Time Machine for your sessions: drop the project folder on the page; only files that changed take new space, and any backup downloads as one zip. Backups come with a Songcase membership. See Songcase.