Confirm what is saved
Meridian maintains a working document and save status. Mac: use File → Save Project (⌘S) and inspect project status. iPhone/iPad: use Project Options → Save and the saved-state label; open Project Health for details.
A save records editing decisions. Original media remains separate, even when you keep managed copies alongside the project. Use project collection before a handoff, and keep your own backup for device or storage loss.
Undo and Redo have a context
Use document Undo/Redo with an editing surface focused. On Mac and a mobile hardware keyboard, use ⌘Z / ⇧⌘Z; iOS also has editing actions and Tools → Commands. A text field owns its own Undo while typing.
History is different from a named version. History steps backward and forward through edits; a version is a deliberate checkpoint that you name and later review or restore. Saving the current document does not make every checkpoint independent of source media.
Finish a pending adjustment or caption draft
Some continuous inspector changes are pending until they can be committed. A failed commit shows an adjustment warning. Closing or switching projects can wait for that state to be resolved.
Caption text/timing uses an explicit draft: Apply commits, Revert discards the draft. On iOS, retained caption drafts can survive relaunch. If a recovered cue no longer matches the saved cue, copy/share its text and timing before deciding to revert. See mobile caption recovery.
Recover from a write failure
- Keep the project open and read the failure details.
- Check free space, folder access, and the availability of the original destination.
- Use Retry Save after fixing the storage issue.
- If the original location cannot be used, choose Save a New Copy. The mobile recovery banner labels this Save New Copy.
- Confirm the new copy opens with the expected work before discarding anything.
If a pending adjustment has a Discard Adjustment path, use it only when you accept losing that unsaved adjustment. Keep Adjustment preserves it while you resolve the problem. Do not discard just to clear a warning.
Handle a file that changed on disk
Reload From Disk adopts the file’s saved state and discards the current unsaved in-memory work. Save a New Copy preserves the current work in a separate destination and leaves the original alone. Keep Editing, when offered, returns to the current document without resolving the disk conflict.
Choose a new copy when both edits matter. Give it a clear name, such as “Interview — recovered edit,” then compare the copies after the work is safe. A file conflict is not resolved by moving source media.
Open safely next time
On iOS, Projects lists available saved projects; unavailable cards explain their issue. Open from Files makes a local working copy of an external project. On Mac, use Open Project or Open Recent. Check saved state before closing, and preserve portable media alongside the project if the destination is another device.
Recovery does not promise a complete backup of every possible process failure. The strongest practical workflow is a confirmed save, a named version before major revisions, intact originals, and an independently checked project backup.