How to back up Logic Pro projects (Logic Pro 11 and 12)

Choose File › Project Management › Consolidate so every audio file and sample is inside the project, then copy the whole .logicx project (or project folder) to a second drive or a cloud. File › Save a Copy As makes a complete copy in one step. Logic also keeps its own last ten saves of each alternative under File › Revert to, but they live inside the project, so they are lost with it.

1. Bring every asset inside the project

Choose File › Project Management › Consolidate.
Tick audio files and the other asset types you use (Sampler and Alchemy audio, impulse responses, Apple Loops), then click OK.
To keep it that way, set File › Project Settings › Assets to copy each type into the project.

Consolidating copies the assets used by every alternative of the project, not only the open one.

2. Copy the project somewhere else

One copy, right now: File › Save a Copy As saves the project with copies of its recordings and assets, ready to archive or move.
Every day: a second drive with Time Machine, or a cloud folder. Copy the whole .logicx package or project folder, never a file from inside it.
Off site: at least one copy that is not in the same room as the Mac.

3. Know what Logic keeps for you

Backups: each File › Save keeps one, up to ten per alternative, under File › Revert to.
Alternatives: File › Project Alternatives › New Alternative saves a named snapshot, a different cut or mix, sharing the same audio.
Autosave: after a crash, Logic offers the autosaved version when you reopen the project.

All three are stored inside the project. They help you go back in time; they do not replace a copy on another drive.

4. Check a backup by opening it

Open the copy on another Mac, or after moving the original away. Play it through: missing audio shows up at once. A backup you have never opened is a guess.

Common questions

Does Logic Pro back up projects by itself?

Partly. Each File › Save keeps a backup of the current alternative, up to ten, listed under File › Revert to. They are stored inside the project, so they do not protect against a lost or broken drive.

What is the difference between a project package and a project folder?

A package is one .logicx file that holds the project and its assets. A folder keeps the project file beside subfolders for audio and samples. Both back up the same way: copy all of it.

Why does a backed-up project open with missing audio?

The audio was referenced from somewhere else on the Mac, not copied into the project. Run File › Project Management › Consolidate before you back up.

Which folders inside a project can I leave out?

Undo Data and Freeze Files can be left out: Logic rebuilds them. Everything else, including the Alternatives folder, should go with the backup.

Or let Songcase do it

Songcase backs up Logic, Live and Pro Tools projects as you work, like Time Machine for your sessions: only files that changed take new space, Undo Data and Freeze Files are left out, and any backup downloads as one zip that opens in Logic. It comes with Lucid Lab Pro. See Songcase.