S3 PDM Vault is a version control tool, not a backup system. While it maintains file history in cloud storage, it is your responsibility to maintain independent backups of critical files.
Best practice: Use S3 PDM Vault as a version control system alongside regular backups to external drives or other cloud services.
Not installed yet? Check out the Installation Guide to set up S3 PDM Vault first.
Check In… opens a file picker to select which files to upload. A comment is required (describe your changes).
Check In Selected uploads the modified/untracked files you've selected in the tree. Select a folder to check in everything inside it.
Click Refresh to sync with the vault. See which files have changed, been added, or are untracked. The first refresh builds a local cache; subsequent refreshes only fetch changes and are much faster.
Downloads newer versions of tracked files from the vault. Your local changes that haven't been checked in are never overwritten. Safe to use anytime.
Open the Log tab to see every check-in, rename, untrack, and restore operation. Shows dates, comments, and affected files. Double-click a file to see its version history and restore any previous version.
Right-click any file or folder for quick access to: Check In, History, Rename/Move, Untrack, Open (launch in SOLIDWORKS), and Show in Folder.
Latest versions are always stored in your S3 provider's current/ folder with the actual file name (not a hash). Generate time-limited shareable links directly from your cloud provider—no need to re-upload files. Perfect for sending designs to clients or collaborators.
How: Log into your S3 provider (Backblaze, AWS, etc.), navigate to current/<filepath>, and generate a shareable link with your desired expiration time.
Select an entire folder in the folder tree and click Check In Selected to check in all modified files at once, including nested folders.
Right-click a file or folder and select Rename. Enter the new path (relative to your vault). S3 PDM Vault handles:
In all cases, full history is preserved and linked to the new location.
Right-click a file or folder and select Untrack. Optionally delete local copies.
The file is removed from tracking but its history is archived safely in the cloud—nothing is ever truly lost.
Click More ▾ for additional options:
The Files tab shows a collapsible folder tree with useful information:
Check in regularly. After each design iteration or major change, check in your files. This builds a detailed history you can restore from.
Use meaningful folder structures. Organize your projects by client, product, or phase. The folder tree makes bulk operations easy.
Rename in SOLIDWORKS first. If you rename or use Pack & Go in SOLIDWORKS, then use the Rename feature to link the history. This keeps assembly references intact.
Enable Object Lock (optional). On Backblaze, enable Object Lock to make check-ins immutable. This provides extra protection against accidental deletes.
One machine at a time. S3 PDM Vault is designed for solo users working from one machine. Concurrent edits from multiple machines aren't protected.
If you rename a file in SOLIDWORKS (using Rename or Pack & Go), those rename operations don't update references in assemblies and drawings. Rename with SOLIDWORKS first, then use S3 PDM Vault's Rename/Move to link the history. This keeps all references intact.
S3 PDM Vault is designed for one person working at one machine. No locking is implemented—if two people check in the same file at the exact same moment, version entries could be overwritten. For coordinated teams, establish a simple workflow (e.g., "take turns checking in").
S3 PDM Vault automatically ignores:
~$ prefix)Thumbs.dbdesktop.ini.DS_Store (macOS)Settings are stored in plain text in your user folder:
%APPDATA%\S3Vault~/Library/Application Support/S3VaultYour cloud storage API key is stored here in plain text. Keep this folder secure. Use S3 provider features like Object Lock (Backblaze) or bucket policies (AWS) for additional protection.
If something goes wrong, check error.log in your settings folder for detailed error messages.
S3 PDM Vault never deletes file contents from the cloud. Untracked files are archived in the bucket's archive/ folder, so you can recover anything.
The current/ copy uses a single S3 request, which supports files up to 5 GB. SOLIDWORKS assemblies are rarely this large—most are under 25 MB.
The first refresh downloads history to build a local cache. Subsequent refreshes only fetch changes and are much faster. If you need to rebuild, use More → Reload History from Bucket.
S3 PDM Vault uses multipart uploads for files larger than 5 GB. SOLIDWORKS files are well under this limit, but this software will work with other files types too. If you hit the limit, check the error log for details.
When restoring a file, S3 PDM Vault downloads it to a temporary location next to the destination. You'll need free disk space equal to the file size.
Check the error.log file in the application folder, or open an issue on GitHub Issues.