--- title: Space and where files live | Relic Help description: The storage bar, the count of saved items, the image cache, where Save puts things, and the folder Relic keeps your vault in on each computer. canonical: https://relic.space/help/storage source: https://relic.space/llms.txt --- Backups and data # Space and where files live The storage bar, the count of saved items, the image cache, where Save puts things, and the folder Relic keeps your vault in on each computer. Updated 10 September 2026 · Windows, Mac, Linux Everything on this page is in one place in the app: [Settings › Vault and storage](https://relic.space/help/settings-vault-and-storage). The rows at the top tell you how much room you are using. The rows lower down say where the bytes actually sit on this computer. ## [Storage used](#storage-used) Storage used How much of your plan's space this vault takes, or the size of your text when text is unmetered. Settings › Vault and storage › Storage used: text, for example 12.3 MB / 250 MB. The row shows what your vault takes against the space your plan gives you, with a bar under it. When the bar passes 90 percent it turns from gold to a warning colour, which is the moment to keep less or clear some history. Every byte Relic stores for you counts: the text, the images, the files, on whichever device they came from. Deleting an item gives its space back. The rows and buttons further down this page free space on _this computer_ without changing what is stored for your account. These two rows only appear when this computer is signed in. A computer with no account has no plan and no cap to show. ## [Saved items](#saved-items) Saved items (Vault) Promoted relics never expire on any tier. Settings › Vault and storage › Saved items (Vault): text, for example 12 / 100. This is the count of items in your Vault, against the number your plan allows. On a plan with no cap it is just a count. History items do not appear here at all. How many of those Relic keeps is a separate thing, covered in [How much history Relic keeps](https://relic.space/help/history-limit). When there is no room for another one, a banner appears at the top of the pane: Vault is full. Free up space or upgrade to keep saving items.Dismiss Dismiss puts it away. To make room, delete kept items you no longer need, or move some out with [Export your vault](https://relic.space/help/export) first. [Plans and limits](https://relic.space/help/plans-and-limits) has the caps for each plan. ## [Images on this device](#images-on-this-device) Pictures and files are downloaded to this computer as you look at them, and they stay so the next look is instant. Two rows manage that copy. They only appear when this computer is signed in to sync, because they are only safe when the bytes exist somewhere else too. Local image cache Downloaded thumbnails and blobs on this device. Clearing only removes items already synced. They re-download on demand. Settings › Vault and storage › Local image cache: button: Clear. Re-download images Pull any missing image blobs from your vault back to this device. Settings › Vault and storage › Re-download images: button: Re-download. * **Local image cache** shows how much room the downloaded copies take. **Clear** removes the ones that are already in your vault in the cloud and leaves anything local-only alone. Relic reports what it got back, for example _Freed 240 MB._ The items themselves are untouched and their pictures come back the next time you open them. * **Re-download images** does the opposite: it pulls back any pictures your vault has that this computer does not. Use it on a new computer, or after a Clear, so everything is there when you are offline. It answers _Re-downloaded 12 image(s)._ or _Nothing to download. All images are local._ ## [Where Save puts files](#where-files-go) Save location Where “Save” writes images and files from the viewer. Settings › Vault and storage › Save location: text, for example Downloads. When you open an image or a file in Relic and press **Save**, this is the folder it lands in. It starts as your Downloads folder. **Change** opens a picker titled _Choose where Relic saves files_, and once you have picked one a **Reset** button appears to put it back to Downloads. Dragging an item out of the window ignores this setting and drops the file wherever you dragged it. ## [The data folder](#data-folder) Data folder Where this computer keeps your vault and its search index. Settings › Vault and storage › Data folder: button: Open. This is where Relic keeps your vault on this computer: the database, the search index, the downloaded pictures, and the log files. **Open** shows it in your file manager. The size beside the row is the database, which is the part that grows with the number of items rather than with their pictures. Windows %APPDATA%\\relic Mac \~/Library/Application Support/relic Linux $XDG\_DATA\_HOME/relic On Linux, a machine with no XDG\_DATA\_HOME set uses \~/.local/share/relic instead. Copying the folder is not a backup The files in it are Relic's working copy, and taking them while the app is running can give you a half-written database. Use [automatic backups](https://relic.space/help/automatic-backups) for a copy you can rely on, or [Export your vault](https://relic.space/help/export) for one you can read. The folder belongs to your account on this computer, so it goes where your user profile goes. Moving Relic to a new machine is a matter of signing in there, or of restoring a backup. The row itself is listed with the rest of the pane on [Settings › Vault and storage](https://relic.space/help/settings-vault-and-storage#data-folder). Related [How much history Relic keepsBackups and data](https://relic.space/help/history-limit)[AttachmentsKeep and organise](https://relic.space/help/attachments)[The VaultKeep and organise](https://relic.space/help/the-vault)[Settings: Vault and storageSettings reference](https://relic.space/help/settings-vault-and-storage)