# Anki deleted my decks because it didnt prompt me to upload or download and I dont have access to the backup files anymore **URL:** \ **Category:** Syncing & AnkiWeb\ **Created:** [June 4, 2025, 8:03am UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/anki-deleted-my-decks-because-it-didnt-prompt-me-to-upload-or-download-and-i-dont-have-access-to-the-backup-files-anymore/62165 "2025-06-04T08:03:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@mro](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/mro)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2025, 8:03am UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/anki-deleted-my-decks-because-it-didnt-prompt-me-to-upload-or-download-and-i-dont-have-access-to-the-backup-files-anymore/62165/1 "2025-06-04T08:03:18Z")
After making a bunch of new decks on anki the computer app, I finished and closed everything. Then later I wanted to do them on my phone app version of anki but they werent showing up, so i pressed sync. It usually prompts me to upload or download but it didn’t this time. So i went to ankiweb on my browser to check and it had overwritten with the old one from a few days ago instead. No its not my first time pressing sync, i already had a deck i created on the computer app that i had successfully downloaded. It just didnt prompt me and now all my cards have gone. ☹ i did not export the cards or anything or idk if theres a way to make a backup before risking syncing with the phone app. I had pressed the sync button on the computer app and it seemed fine i dont know what happened. ---
**Author:** ![Keks](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/forums.ankiweb.net/keks/32/20537_2.png) [@Keks](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/Keks)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2025, 8:04am UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/anki-deleted-my-decks-because-it-didnt-prompt-me-to-upload-or-download-and-i-dont-have-access-to-the-backup-files-anymore/62165/2 "2025-06-04T08:04:36Z")
# [Backups](https://docs.ankiweb.net/backups.html#backups) ---
**Author:** ![mro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@mro](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/mro)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2025, 9:38am UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/anki-deleted-my-decks-because-it-didnt-prompt-me-to-upload-or-download-and-i-dont-have-access-to-the-backup-files-anymore/62165/3 "2025-06-04T09:38:05Z")
Hi, i forgot to mention but the laptop i used was a borrowed laptop from my university so i dont have any local backup files because i have no idea whoch laptop i was using. ---
**Author:** ![mro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@mro](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/mro)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2025, 9:47am UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/anki-deleted-my-decks-because-it-didnt-prompt-me-to-upload-or-download-and-i-dont-have-access-to-the-backup-files-anymore/62165/4 "2025-06-04T09:47:13Z")
I have made cards on a borrowed laptop before and it synced properly with my app on the phone, all i did was press download from ankiweb. It just didnt prompt me this time and synced my phone app to anki web so i lost several decks. ---
**Author:** ![mro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@mro](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/mro)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2025, 2:48pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/anki-deleted-my-decks-because-it-didnt-prompt-me-to-upload-or-download-and-i-dont-have-access-to-the-backup-files-anymore/62165/5 "2025-06-04T14:48:17Z")
So i went back to borrow the same laptop and luckily i guessed which one it was correctly and was able to access the backup since nobody had logged in and wiped the local drive. I just logged in and synced it then downloaded ankiweb onto my phone and it prompted me this time. ---
**Author:** ![Danika\_Dakika](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/forums.ankiweb.net/danika_dakika/32/17815_2.png) [@Danika\_Dakika](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/Danika_Dakika)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2025, 2:54pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/anki-deleted-my-decks-because-it-didnt-prompt-me-to-upload-or-download-and-i-dont-have-access-to-the-backup-files-anymore/62165/6 "2025-06-04T14:54:54Z")
That’s great! It sounds like you’re all restored then? You can work on your collection on a borrowed device, but make sure that before you do anything else, you set up syncing with AnkiWeb and **download** your collection. If you create a new collection on that device instead, then you’ll have to merge the collections together before you can sync successfully. [Syncing with AnkiWeb - Anki Manual](https://docs.ankiweb.net/syncing.html#merging-conflicts) Syncing when you open the app and when you close/leave the app, on every device, every time, is the best way to avoid syncing conflicts that create unrecoverable situations. ---
**Author:** ![mro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@mro](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/mro)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2025, 8:21pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/anki-deleted-my-decks-because-it-didnt-prompt-me-to-upload-or-download-and-i-dont-have-access-to-the-backup-files-anymore/62165/7 "2025-06-04T20:21:45Z")
I synced on the borrowed laptop before closing it down, the issue arose when i tried to download my save from ankiweb onto the ankidroid app, i pressed the sync button but it didnt prompt me to download, it just uploaded what was on the app onto ankiweb. I synced successfully before though. I dont know what caused the issue. But thanks for the information regardless. ---
**Author:** ![Keks](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/forums.ankiweb.net/keks/32/20537_2.png) [@Keks](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/Keks)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2025, 8:42pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/anki-deleted-my-decks-because-it-didnt-prompt-me-to-upload-or-download-and-i-dont-have-access-to-the-backup-files-anymore/62165/8 "2025-06-04T20:42:32Z")
It may be useful for you. ## [Running from a Flash Drive](https://docs.ankiweb.net/files.html#running-from-a-flash-drive) ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/anki2/original/1X/8f1279ababc5879d54e4838989f606cfe55af8c7.jpeg) [@system](https://forums.ankiweb.net/u/system)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2025, 8:42pm UTC](https://forums.ankiweb.net/t/anki-deleted-my-decks-because-it-didnt-prompt-me-to-upload-or-download-and-i-dont-have-access-to-the-backup-files-anymore/62165/9 "2025-07-04T20:42:50Z")
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