You may well be able to get it back. You need your project file or one of its backups, and they're often in a place people don't think to look. Your live website isn't affected, so keep your hosting active while you look. Please don't erase or reset any computer or drive until you've finished.
We don't hold a copy of your project file, and a live website can't be imported back into EverWeb. So these steps are the way to recover it. Work through them in order.
1. Check the Trash
A project deleted in EverWeb goes to your computer's Trash (Windows: Recycle Bin). If it's there, put it back, then drag it into the Projects window in EverWeb.
2. Look for automatic backups
Automatic backups are on by default, so you may have some even if you never set them up.
- In EverWeb, go to EverWeb > Settings > Backup (Windows: Edit > Options > Backup).
- Click Show on Disk to open your backup folder.
- Sort the list by date modified. Copy the folder to your Documents folder to keep it safe.
- Open the folders and double-click a
.ewbackupfile to restore it. It should then appear in your Projects window. Try others if it isn't the version you want.
If your Mac says no application is set to open the file: click Choose Application..., change Recommended Applications to All Applications, select EverWeb and click Open.
3. Search your computer
On a Mac: search in Spotlight for .everweb and .ewbackup. An empty result doesn't settle it, because project files are kept in a folder that searches can skip. To look there, go to Go > Go to Folder in the Finder and enter:
~/Library/Application Support/EverWeb/
On Windows: in File Explorer, go to AppData\Roaming\EverWeb inside your user folder. Each project is a folder ending in .everweb. Inside it is a file called EverWeb Project File.ewwinproj. Drag that file into the Projects window.
Project files have long, random-looking names, so look for the extension rather than your website's name.
4. Check anywhere else a copy could be
- Time Machine or another backup of your computer. Look in the same Library folder in earlier backups, under your User Library rather than the System Library.
- External drives, Dropbox, iCloud or Google Drive, including any you've used in the past.
- An old computer, even one you've stopped using.
- Anyone else who has worked on your site, such as a designer or a former volunteer.
If your computer won't start, a data recovery or repair service may be able to copy files from its drive. Ask them to look for the folders above.
5. If you still can't find it
Then your site will need to be rebuilt in EverWeb. Your live website stays online while this happens, and you can use it as your guide.
You can rebuild it yourself, or we can rebuild it by hand from your live site and give you a new project file. Contact us with your website address and roughly how many pages it has, and we'll send a quote.
Once you have it back
Protect your project file so that this doesn't happen again. Keep at least one copy away from your computer.
EverWeb Cloud Backup, available in EverWeb 4.6 and later, is an optional paid service that backs up your project online. See the plans.