User Guide · Mnémosyne

Protect your data.

Mnémosyne functions as a local storage solution on your Mac. Control over your data remains within your work environment, but this also means you need to secure access to the application and maintain an appropriate backup strategy.

Local Safe

Your data remains on your Mac.

Mnémosyne organizes its data in a local vault associated with your work environment.

This architecture allows you to maintain control over your folders, tasks, documents, and notes in the environment where you work.

However, privacy does not depend solely on where your data is stored: your Mac, access to the app, and your backups must also be properly protected.

Safety Principle
1
A local safe Data is stored locally in the Mnémosyne environment on your Mac.
2
Access That Needs to Be Protected Automatic locking reduces the risk of unauthorized access when your Mac is left unattended.
3
A Backup to Plan For A backup protects your work from hardware failure or human error.
4
A Cautious Removal The trash can should only be used when you are certain that an item is no longer needed.
A key point

Local Storage and Backup are not the same thing.

Local storage

Where you work

The vault contains the data that Mnémosyne uses on a daily basis on your Mac.

It is your primary work environment.

Backup

This allows you to recover

A backup is a copy intended to protect your work or to enable recovery if the main storage location encounters a problem.

The guide therefore recommends a policy of regular backups, even when data is stored locally.

i
A vault on your Mac is not, by itself, a backup.

A hardware failure, user error, or a major reorganization may justify keeping a separate copy of your work.

Automatic Locking
1
Open Settings The automatic lock timeout can be set in Mnémosyne's preferences.
2
Choose an appropriate timeframe Adjust it based on how you use your Mac and your work environment.
3
Be more careful in shared environments If other people have physical access to your workstation, avoid delays that are unnecessarily long.
Secure Access

Lock the app when you're away.

The guide recommends using auto-lock when you are working in a shared environment.

The appropriate timeframe depends on how you use it: a personal computer in a private setting does not pose the same level of exposure as a Mac used in a shared office.

The goal is not to impose more restrictions, but to prevent a safe containing business information from remaining accessible unnecessarily.

See the Settings guide →
Backup

Plan for Recovery before you need it.

The guide recommends a regular backup strategy to protect your work, prepare for switching to a new Mac, or be able to restore your data after a hardware issue.

01 Save

Make regular backups when the information in the vault is critical to your business.

02 Check

If you keep an export or a working archive, make sure it matches what you want to preserve.

03 Identify

Use simple names to distinguish between vaults and different backup versions.

04 Restore if necessary

A backup should allow you to recover your work when the main storage location can no longer be used.

When should you back up your data?

Some moments are worth an additional copy.

Reorganization

Before making a major change

The guide recommends making a copy before a major reorganization of your trunk or your data.

Migration

Before switching to a new Mac

A backup or export can be used to prepare for moving your vault to another environment.

Critical Analysis

When the loss is hard to accept

The more important the information stored in a safe, the more important it is to review its recovery strategy.

Backup & Export

Securing a Safe or plan your trip.

The V1.3 guide recommends using the backup or export features when you want to secure a vault or prepare for a migration.

Before treating an export as a working archive, make sure it contains the items you want to preserve.

!
This page does not provide a detailed export procedure.

The V1.3 guide confirms the use of the save and export functions, but does not document their interface in sufficient detail to specify a precise sequence of button clicks here.

Catering
1
Identify the correct backup Check the trunk and the version you want to use.
2
Avoid working blindly If the data is critical, first test the restore in a test environment.
3
Check the result Make sure the restored vault matches the expected backup.
Test the restoration

A backup is more useful when its restoration has been verified.

For a critical issue, the guide recommends testing the rollback in a test environment.

This precaution allows you to verify a backup without having to rely on it for the first time at the very moment an incident occurs.

The level of control to be applied naturally depends on the significance of the data in question.

Identify Backups

A simple name avoids poor restorations.

The guide recommends a simple naming convention that makes it possible to distinguish between the relevant folder and the different backup versions.

Example of a Simple Agreement

Use a descriptive name, along with a date or version identifier when multiple backups need to be retained.

VaultName_2026-08-31
Trash Can

Delete with caution.

The guide recommends moving an item to the Recycle Bin only when you are certain that it is no longer needed.

In an application designed to preserve context, past information can still help understand a case, an assignment, or a decision.

Before deleting, make sure the item no longer provides any useful context and is not intended to be kept in your work history.

Before moving an item to the trash

Verify that this is the correct item, that it is no longer needed for tracking, and that its removal will not take away any important information from the context of the file.

When a major reorganization is planned, first back up the vault.

Data Retention

Safety is also important through a coherent organizational structure.

The guide explicitly links data retention to proper organization of the safe.

Misfiled files, duplicates, or documents placed in the wrong context increase the risk of losing track of things, even when the files themselves are still there.

When a file arrives

Import it, then immediately link it to the correct client file and the corresponding assignment, if necessary.

After a conversation

Add a short note when the information should remain within the context of the file.

At the end of the day

Check the items you've added and sort through what still needs to be organized.

This weekend

Check your open tasks and any notes that are still pending to reduce the buildup of items without a clear context.

If you encounter any difficulties

A question about Your data?

Is my data stored locally?

Yes. The V1.3 guide describes Mnémosyne as a local vault that runs on your Mac.

Is local storage sufficient as a backup?

No. The guide recommends a regular backup plan in addition to the safe used on a daily basis.

I'm going to completely reorganize my trunk

Make a backup copy before making a major change to the organization.

I need to get a new Mac

Use the built-in backup or export features to secure the vault and prepare for a migration.

My case is critical

The guide recommends testing the recovery process in a test environment when the level of risk warrants it.

I want to delete an item

Move it to the Trash only when you are certain that it is no longer needed for your work or in the context of the file.

View the troubleshooting guide →
Help Center

Your Help Center is now full.

Check out the guides on client files, assignments, documents, notes, context, search, activities, settings, and best practices for Mnémosyne.

Back to the Help Center →
Mnémosyne Support

A problem with Your trunk?

If a problem related to your data, a backup, or the configuration persists after performing the recommended checks, contact KharonBridge support.

Contact support
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