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Restore large Lucid documents

  • May 6, 2024
  • 9 replies
  • 448 views

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I downloaded, backup of my lucidchart which is around 1 GB, however while trying to restore, I am getting timeout error and only ~20 documents are uploaded. I have 5000+ documents

Best answer by alison cheney

Hi everyone! 

I wanted to provide an update and recent improvement on this post! 

We have made significant updates on our Backup/Restore feature. Here are the steps below to backup and restore your documents:

 

Step 1:
From the Lucid Home Page, click your profile image or initials and select Account settings.

 

Step 2:
Select Document Settings from the menu to the left.

 

Step 3: 
Under "Backup" select Download.

 

Step 4:​​​​
From the options, select which folders you want to download by checking the corresponding boxes.

 

Step 5:
Click Start download.

An .laf file will download to your device. This file type is unique to Lucid and cannot be opened with any other software.

 

Step 6:
In a different Lucid account, click the profile image or initials and select Account settings.
Step 7:
Select Document Settings from the menu to the left.
Step 8:
Under "Restore", click Choose file and select the .laf file from your device.

 

If the file is too large, a notification will appear prompting you to click Download to break the file into multiple smaller files.

 

 

After these have been downloaded to your device, you can upload them one by one using the steps in this section.

 

Step 9:
Click Restore from backup.
You will see a folder on your Documents page called "restore" with the date.

 

Here are some things to keep in mind:

 

  • Transferring via backup/restore gives the new account ownership of the documents. However, sharing rights are not transferred. Users will need to reshare the documents, as needed.
  • If you transfer Lucid files created with features from a premium Lucid subscription to an account with a lower level or no premium Lucid subscription, the documents will remain view-only, and you won’t be able to edit them.
  • When transferring documents from one account to another using backup and restore, do not delete the original account until you have verified that you can see the documents in the new account.

Please refer to this help center article if you have additional questions!

 

Comments

Ria S
Lucid Legend Level 8
Forum|alt.badge.img+19
  • Lucid Legend Level 8
  • May 7, 2024

Hello @jitendra.zaa 

Handling a large backup file of 1 GB with over 5000 documents in Lucidchart and encountering timeout errors during the restoration process can indeed be challenging. Here are a few suggestions you might consider to successfully restore your backup:

  1. Split the Backup into Smaller Chunks - Large files often cause timeouts due to the prolonged time needed to upload and process them. If possible, split your backup into smaller, more manageable files. This could mean dividing the backup into separate files for each category of documents or breaking it down by size.

  2. Use a Stable and Fast Internet Connection - Ensure that your internet connection is stable and fast enough to handle large data transfers. If you're on a wireless connection, consider switching to a wired connection to increase stability and speed.

  3. Increase Timeout Settings - If you have access to settings that allow you to adjust the timeout threshold (this might require administrative access or might need to be done via support), try increasing the timeout limit.

  4. Restore in Off-Peak Hours - Sometimes, server load can affect upload times. Try performing the restore during off-peak hours when the servers might be less congested.

  5. Contact Support: Since you have a large number of documents and a significant file size, there might be specific limitations or issues that only the support team can resolve. Provide details about the error messages, your account type, the number of documents, and file size. They will be able to facilitate a smoother restoration process. Try this link here: Get support – Lucid

  6. Incremental Upload: If splitting the file isn't an option, try uploading a few documents at a time rather than all at once. This can help isolate the problem if it's related to specific documents causing the timeout.

I hope these are helpful. 

 


Micah
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  • Lucid community team
  • May 9, 2024

Thank you for the tips @Ria S! @jitendra.zaa, did you download your backup as an .LAF file? Please let me know if you’re still experiencing trouble with this! 


Forum|alt.badge.img+1

Still facing issue. There is no use of import , export if large files cannot be imported. Doing in small chunk for thousands of doc would take hours if not days. 


Forum|alt.badge.img+1

Hello @jitendra.zaa 

Handling a large backup file of 1 GB with over 5000 documents in Lucidchart and encountering timeout errors during the restoration process can indeed be challenging. Here are a few suggestions you might consider to successfully restore your backup:

  1. Split the Backup into Smaller Chunks - Large files often cause timeouts due to the prolonged time needed to upload and process them. If possible, split your backup into smaller, more manageable files. This could mean dividing the backup into separate files for each category of documents or breaking it down by size.

  2. Use a Stable and Fast Internet Connection - Ensure that your internet connection is stable and fast enough to handle large data transfers. If you're on a wireless connection, consider switching to a wired connection to increase stability and speed.

  3. Increase Timeout Settings - If you have access to settings that allow you to adjust the timeout threshold (this might require administrative access or might need to be done via support), try increasing the timeout limit.

  4. Restore in Off-Peak Hours - Sometimes, server load can affect upload times. Try performing the restore during off-peak hours when the servers might be less congested.

  5. Contact Support: Since you have a large number of documents and a significant file size, there might be specific limitations or issues that only the support team can resolve. Provide details about the error messages, your account type, the number of documents, and file size. They will be able to facilitate a smoother restoration process. Try this link here: Get support – Lucid

  6. Incremental Upload: If splitting the file isn't an option, try uploading a few documents at a time rather than all at once. This can help isolate the problem if it's related to specific documents causing the timeout.

I hope these are helpful. 

 

 

suggestions did not work

 


Micah
Forum|alt.badge.img+20
  • Lucid community team
  • May 14, 2024

@jitendra.zaa Thanks for the response, and apologies that you’re still experiencing issues with this! Can you please confirm that you downloaded a backup of your documents as a .LAF file and are attempting to re-upload them via the Restore function in your account settings? A detailed description of the steps you’re taking here will help me to determine next steps. Thank you for your help and patience!


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  • February 21, 2025

hi what’s the solution here? Facing same issue unfortunately. Mine is only 300 MB


Forum|alt.badge.img+6
  • Lucid support team
  • February 21, 2025

Hi ​@qswh2003 , 

Thanks for posting in the Community! Please read and try the suggestions provided by ​@Ria S above. Thanks!


ymishra
Forum|alt.badge.img+1
  • Lucid product team
  • April 22, 2025

Hi everyone! I'm Yash, an engineer here at Lucid, and I wanted to share a recent improvement with you—looking forward to your thoughts!

We’ve made updates to the Backup‑Restore flow to support restoring large LAF files. If a file is over 100 MB or a restore attempt fails, you’ll now see a “download fragmentation” banner. This lets you break the file into smaller, more manageable chunks that can each be restored individually.
 

 


alison cheney
Forum|alt.badge.img+4
  • Lucid community team
  • Answer
  • January 22, 2026

Hi everyone! 

I wanted to provide an update and recent improvement on this post! 

We have made significant updates on our Backup/Restore feature. Here are the steps below to backup and restore your documents:

 

Step 1:
From the Lucid Home Page, click your profile image or initials and select Account settings.

 

Step 2:
Select Document Settings from the menu to the left.

 

Step 3: 
Under "Backup" select Download.

 

Step 4:​​​​
From the options, select which folders you want to download by checking the corresponding boxes.

 

Step 5:
Click Start download.

An .laf file will download to your device. This file type is unique to Lucid and cannot be opened with any other software.

 

Step 6:
In a different Lucid account, click the profile image or initials and select Account settings.
Step 7:
Select Document Settings from the menu to the left.
Step 8:
Under "Restore", click Choose file and select the .laf file from your device.

 

If the file is too large, a notification will appear prompting you to click Download to break the file into multiple smaller files.

 

 

After these have been downloaded to your device, you can upload them one by one using the steps in this section.

 

Step 9:
Click Restore from backup.
You will see a folder on your Documents page called "restore" with the date.

 

Here are some things to keep in mind:

 

  • Transferring via backup/restore gives the new account ownership of the documents. However, sharing rights are not transferred. Users will need to reshare the documents, as needed.
  • If you transfer Lucid files created with features from a premium Lucid subscription to an account with a lower level or no premium Lucid subscription, the documents will remain view-only, and you won’t be able to edit them.
  • When transferring documents from one account to another using backup and restore, do not delete the original account until you have verified that you can see the documents in the new account.

Please refer to this help center article if you have additional questions!