Auto-save can rescue recent project work after a crash, but it is a single rolling safety copy rather than a version history. Recovery is safest when you preserve the candidate file before experimenting.

Where to look

For a named project, LightBurn stores the Auto-save beside the project with _backup added to the filename. If the project has never been named, the backup is stored in the computer's Documents location. Each automatic save replaces the previous automatic copy, and a normal manual save removes the corresponding Auto-save file.

Safe recovery sequence

  1. Close LightBurn if it is still unstable.
  2. In the file manager, locate the project and its _backup file.
  3. Duplicate the backup before opening it. Give the duplicate a clear recovery name and preserve the original candidate unchanged.
  4. Open the duplicate in LightBurn. Inspect the page size, layers, object count, and Preview before saving.
  5. Use Save As to create a new .lbrn2 project. Do not overwrite the last known-good project until the recovered version is verified.