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# Snapshots Timeline

The Snapshots Timeline window provides a chronological, visual history of all snapshots for a virtual machine — displayed as a scrollable timeline with alternating left/right cards around a central spine.

> 📸 Screenshot:

Each snapshot appears as a card showing its thumbnail, name, date, notes, and disk usage. Time gaps between snapshots are labelled directly on the spine so you can see at a glance how much time passed between each saved state.

## Access

You can open the Snapshot Timeline from three places:

- Snapshots toolbar — click the 🕐 clock icon in the top toolbar of the Snapshots window.
- Right-click context menu — right-click any snapshot in the Snapshots window and choose Show Timeline.
- Menu Bar — open the Snapshots menu and choose Show Timeline.

## 🔝 Top Toolbar

> 📸 Screenshot:

The toolbar adapts based on whether a snapshot card is selected.

When a snapshot is selected (left to right):

1. ℹ️ Quick Info
   View CPU, RAM, disk, and network configuration details for the selected snapshot in a pop-up.

2. ✏️ Edit
   Edit the name and notes of the selected snapshot.

3. 🗑 Delete
   Permanently delete the selected snapshot.

4. ↺ Restore
   Revert the virtual machine to the state captured in the selected snapshot. You will be asked to confirm and optionally create a safety snapshot before restoring.

5. ⚙️ Configuration
   Open the configuration of the selected snapshot (read-only).

Always visible:

1. ➕ Take Snapshot
   Create a new snapshot of the current state of the virtual machine.

2. ❓ Help
   Open this help page.

## 🖱️ Right-Click Context Menu

Right-clicking any snapshot card opens a context menu with the following actions:

- Edit: Rename the snapshot or update its notes.
- Delete: Permanently remove the snapshot.
- Restore: Revert the virtual machine to this snapshot's state.
- Create Template: Save this snapshot as a reusable VM template.
- Create Virtual Machine: Create a new standalone virtual machine from this snapshot.
- Show in Finder: Reveal the snapshot bundle in Finder.
- Configuration: View the configuration of the snapshot.

## Timeline Layout

Snapshots are displayed oldest at the top → newest at the bottom, matching the order in the Snapshots window.

Each row uses a three-column layout:

- Disk column (inner edge) — a proportional bar showing disk usage relative to the largest snapshot, the usage label (e.g. `0.3 / 20 GB`), and the VM icon below.
- Spine (centre) — a vertical line connecting all nodes. A short horizontal arm extends toward the card. Time gap labels appear on the spine between each pair of snapshots.
- Card (outer half) — the snapshot card with thumbnail, name, date, notes, and a Restore button. Cards alternate left and right so consecutive snapshots sit on opposite sides.

Clicking a card selects it and enables the selection-dependent toolbar buttons.

## Manual vs Auto Snapshots

The timeline visually distinguishes between manually created snapshots and automatically scheduled ones.

Element | Manual | Auto
--- | --- | ---
Node | Filled circle (accent colour) | Hollow ring with 🕐 clock icon
Card border | Accent colour, slightly prominent | Subtle grey
Card background | Full opacity | Slightly dimmed
Name weight | Semibold | Regular
Disk bar colour | Blue (accent) | Orange
Auto badge | Not shown | `🕐 Auto` pill on the card

## Time Gap Labels

Between every pair of adjacent snapshots, the spine displays a label showing the elapsed time:

Display | Meaning
--- | ---
`moments` | Less than 2 minutes
`Xm` | Minutes
`1h` / `Xh` | Hours
`1d` / `Xd` | Days
`1w` / `Xw` | Weeks

## Restoring a Snapshot

You can restore from the timeline in two ways:

- Inline Restore button on any card — restores immediately after confirmation.
- Toolbar Restore button — available when a card is selected.

Both methods show a confirmation dialog with an option to Create a Safety Snapshot Before Restore. Enabling this takes a new snapshot of the current state before overwriting it, so you can return if needed.

> ⚠️ The virtual machine must be stopped before restoring a snapshot.

> 💡 The Snapshot Timeline is a read-focused companion to the Snapshots window. Use it to understand the history and progression of your virtual machine at a glance.