If Snapshot is missing from your menu, a Snapshot doesn't go through, or you can't find or manage one afterward, the steps below cover the most common causes.
I don't see Snapshot in the File menu
- Make sure you're in Final Draft Cloud in your web browser. Snapshots are not available in the Final Draft 13 desktop app or in FD Go.
- Check your role on the script. Reviewers don't have access to Snapshots, and anyone viewing a script in Reader Mode has Reviewer access, whatever role they were invited with. If you need to take Snapshots, ask the script's Owner to share it with you as an Editor.
- Make sure you're in the script itself, not looking at Versions. The Versions view is read-only and has no File menu. Choose Go to > Writer, then choose File > Snapshot.
The Snapshot dialog stays open and its buttons are grayed out
This usually means your internet connection dropped or is unstable. Final Draft saves your script before taking a Snapshot, and it keeps trying until that save goes through.
Check your connection. Once you're back online, the Snapshot should finish on its own and you'll see a message confirming it was created. You don't need to take it again. If you're on a slow or unsteady connection, this can take 30 seconds or more.
I see an error message when I try to take a Snapshot
Find the message you see below and follow the step next to it.
- "Name can't be empty." Type a name for your Snapshot. A name made only of spaces doesn't count.
- "Exceeds character limit." Shorten the name to 253 characters or fewer.
- "Couldn't save your latest changes. No Snapshot was created." Check your internet connection, then click Retry.
- "Another save is in progress. Try again in a moment." Wait a few seconds, then click Retry.
- "Couldn't create Snapshot." with a Retry button. Click Retry.
- "Couldn't create Snapshot." with no Retry button. Retrying won't help in this case. Please contact our support team and let us know the name of the script.
- "This Retry is for a different script. Open that script to try again." This appears if you moved to another script before clicking Retry. Open the original script and try again.
- "Choose File ▸ Snapshot to start again." This appears if you closed the Snapshot dialog before clicking Retry. Take the Snapshot again from File > Snapshot.
My new Snapshot isn't in the Versions list
If your script has a lot of versions and you scrolled down to load older ones, the new Snapshot may not appear right away. Close Versions and open it again with File > Versions.
I can't restore, rename, or delete a Snapshot
Only the script's Owner can restore, rename, or delete Snapshots. Editors can view and preview them. If you need a Snapshot restored, ask the script's Owner.
For more on details on Snapshots and how they work, see: