Getting TuneVault running takes about a minute. All you need to do is tell it where to store the backup.
Click the Backup tab. You'll see a destination card with a Browse... button. Click it to select a folder. This is where TuneVault will keep a complete copy of your Station folder.
Avoid backing up to the same drive as your Station folder. This protects against accidental deletion but not against drive failure — the one scenario where you need your backup the most.
Each card has an editable name at the top — look for the dotted underline. Click it and type a friendly name like "External Drive" or "Dropbox Backup." This name appears in the Restore tab dropdown and in your backup history, so a clear name makes life easier later.
Check "Sync automatically to this location (recommended)" to enable continuous protection. When enabled, TuneVault watches your Station folder and backs up any changes within about 60 seconds. This is the primary protection mode and is recommended for at least one destination.
You can mix and match: have one destination on auto-sync (always current) and another that you back up manually when you choose.
After choosing a destination, click Back Up Now to run the first full backup. The progress bar fills as files are copied. Depending on the size of your audio library, this may take a few minutes the first time. Subsequent backups are much faster because TuneVault only copies files that have changed.
If you need to stop a backup in progress, click Stop Backing Up. Files already copied are safe — TuneVault will pick up where it left off next time.
TuneVault never deletes files from the backup destination. If you delete a file from your live station, the backup copy remains. This is a deliberate safety measure — a deleted file is more likely an accident than an intentional cleanup.
If a backup is interrupted — by quitting the app, disconnecting a drive, or clicking Stop — TuneVault handles it gracefully. The next time you run a backup, it compares every file's modification date and size against the backup copy. Files that were fully copied are skipped. Files that were partially copied (wrong size) are re-copied. Nothing is lost, nothing is duplicated.