As your Procreate gallery fills up with artwork, keeping your files safe and organized becomes essential. Whether you're switching devices, saving work for print, or just want peace of mind, Procreate offers several ways to manage and back up your files securely.
Using the Gallery to Stay Organized
The Gallery view is your main workspace for managing files. You can organize your artwork into Stacks (folders) to keep things grouped by project, client, or style.
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Tap and drag one canvas onto another to create a stack.
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Use Select to group multiple files and create or move them into a stack.
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Rename files or stacks by tapping the title.
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Rearranging is as simple as dragging them around.
Having a consistent naming system (like date + project name) helps you find files quickly later on.
Backing Up .procreate Files
The safest way to preserve your artwork with all its layers, settings, and undo history is by exporting it as a .procreate file.
To do this:
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Open your canvas and tap Actions (wrench icon) > Share > Procreate.
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Choose a location like iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive, or an external SSD.
Saving .procreate files ensures you can reopen them in Procreate later with everything intact.
Using iCloud for Automatic Sync
If you use iCloud and have Procreate installed on multiple devices, your files can sync automatically:
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Go to Settings on your iPad > tap your Apple ID > iCloud > enable Procreate.
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This will back up your artwork to iCloud and allow syncing across devices.
Note: this doesn’t create versioned backups, so exporting key projects manually is still recommended.
Exporting for Other Uses
If you just need flat versions of your work for social media, print, or client review, use PNG or JPEG exports. For layered files, PSD is ideal if you’ll be editing in Photoshop or sending files to someone who uses it.
You can export multiple files at once by tapping Select in the Gallery, choosing your canvases, and tapping Share to save or send them together.
Using External Drives
For large files or long-term backup, connecting an external SSD or USB drive is a smart move. From the Files app, you can drag Procreate files onto a connected drive and store them safely offline.
Quick Tips for File Safety
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Set a recurring reminder to back up key projects weekly or monthly.
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Export layered and flattened versions (e.g., .procreate + PNG).
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Keep separate folders for personal, client, and experimental work.
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If you delete a file, check the “Recently Deleted” folder in the Files app — you might be able to restore it.
Managing and backing up your Procreate files gives you peace of mind and saves time in the long run. With cloud storage, external drives, and good file naming habits, your creative work stays protected and easy to access. In the next post, we’ll round things out with a quick-start checklist and tips for building good habits in your Procreate workflow.
