Hi, I have just logged in to Anki after a long period away and all my decks seem to have disappeared, both on the web version and desktop app. I don’t know what has happened but don’t seem to be able to restore them from any backup files, which are also all empty. Are there any old versions on the server that can be restored? Otherwise I have lost a huge amount of work!
Yes, the data was removed from your AnkiWeb account in May 2024, after your account had been inactive for at least 6 months. We delete the data from accounts in our system that aren’t being used for syncing or studying, so AnkiWeb isn’t suitable for long-term storage of your inactive collection – AnkiWeb account removal - Anki FAQs.
However that policy only affects the data on our servers. If you still have a local copy of your collection on any of the devices where you used Anki / AnkiMobile / AnkiDroid), you can upload your collection to AnkiWeb and resume syncing.
[I’ll note that you mention looking for backups in desktop Anki, but the AnkiWeb account associated with the email address you used to post here only shows history of syncing with AnkiMobile (iOS). Do you have multiple AnkiWeb accounts?]
Generally when data is removed from an account, that includes the server-side backups. However there is one that was retained in your account – from September 2023. [Just like a local automatic backup, that does not include any media attached to your collection.] I expect that version of your collection is older than whatever you have on your device(s), but if you want me to restore it to your AnkiWeb account, please confirm.
Hi, thanks for looking into this for me!
Unfortunately I deleted the database from my phone due to limited storage, so I don’t have it backed up there. It would be great if you could restore to the September 2023 version. Thank you!
Okay, I’ve restored that to your account. Be sure to choose download on your next sync.