FAQ
Short answers to common questions about how Arkeep checks files, fingerprinting, licenses, the iPhone app, refunds, privacy and Windows.
Quick answers to the questions people ask most. Each one links to the full guide page on that topic.
About Arkeep
Who is Arkeep for?
Anyone with a big archive spread across drives: photographers and filmmakers, families with years of photos, musicians, researchers and anyone else with a shelf of drives and no clear idea what's on which. See Getting started.
Does Arkeep back up my files?
Not by itself. Arkeep checks your cards against your archive drives and copies what's missing to the drives you choose, then verifies every copy. It never keeps its own copy of your files. It keeps a list of what's on each drive, so it can tell you what's backed up and where. See Checking a card.
How do I set up my archive drives?
Plug in the drives where your finished backups live and tick them during setup. Arkeep indexes them one at a time, and you can check cards against each drive as soon as it's done. To add more later, open Settings, go to Archive Drives and click Plugged In, or type a drive's name to add it before you plug it in. See Getting started.
Do my archive drives need to be plugged in?
No. Arkeep keeps the list of every file on your archive drives on your Mac, so it can check a card with every archive drive on the shelf. See Backup history and search.
Checking and copying
How does Arkeep know a file is already backed up?
A file counts as backed up only when an archive drive has a file with the same name (ignoring upper and lower case), the exact same size, the same capture date, and the same fingerprint. A reused file name or a matching size alone doesn't fool it. See Checking a card.
What is fingerprinting?
A fingerprint is a short code Arkeep works out from the first and last 1 MB of a file. Two different files can share a name and size, especially when a camera restarts its file numbering. The fingerprint tells them apart without reading the whole file. Arkeep fingerprints your archive in the background after the first index, and it only reads your files, never changes them.
What does "matched without fingerprint" mean?
The card file matched an archive file on name, size and date, but that archive file hasn't been fingerprinted yet. It counts as backed up, and the report lists it separately so you know. The note goes away once the fingerprint pass reaches that file. See Checking a card.
Why does Arkeep say a file isn't backed up when I know it is?
Usually because the copy on your drive isn't the same file anymore: it was renamed, trimmed, re-exported or converted. Arkeep would rather flag a file that's safe than call a file backed up when it can't find a match. The note beside each file says why it was flagged. See Checking a card.
Does Arkeep ever delete or format my cards?
No. Arkeep only reads cards. It never deletes, moves or formats anything on them. Clearing a card is always up to you.
Is it safe to format a card once it's green?
Green means every file on the card matched a file on your archive drives under Arkeep's matching rule. Formatting is still your call. Many shooters wait until a card's files are on at least two drives, and Copy What's Missing tells you how many drives the files will be on before you copy. See Copying what's missing.
How does Arkeep check its copies?
Every copy is read back from the drive and compared, by checksum, with the file on the card. A file only counts as done when every drive's copy matches. Arkeep also writes an industry-standard MHL checksum list and a PDF summary into the shoot folder on each drive. See Copying what's missing.
Why are my copies slow?
A copy goes as fast as its slowest part: the card, the reader, the cable or the drive. The copy screen shows live speeds and tells you which part is slower. See Troubleshooting.
Can Arkeep get back files from a dead drive?
No. Arkeep doesn't recover files. Its Loss Report tells you what was on the drive, what's safe on other drives and what had no other copy. You can export the list for a data recovery service. See Drives and Drive Memory.
Licenses and devices
Can I try it before I buy?
Buy it and use it on your real drives and cards. If it isn't right for you, you can get a full refund within 14 days of buying it, no questions asked. See the Refund Policy.
Is this a subscription?
No. You buy Arkeep once and get a year of updates. After that, more updates are $29 a year for Personal, or $79 a year for Studio plus $10 for each extra seat, if you want them. If you don't renew, Arkeep keeps working on the last version you received. See Licenses and devices.
How much does it cost?
Personal is $99 one-time, or $79 for the first 100 founders. Studio is $249 one-time for 5 people, and extra seats are $29 each. Current prices are always at arkeep.app/pricing.
Can I use it on my laptop and my desktop?
Yes. A Personal license covers 1 person, 2 computers and their phone. See Licenses and devices.
How do I move my license to a new Mac?
Coming at launch On the old Mac, you'll use Deactivate This Device in Settings, then activate the new Mac with the same key. If you can't open the old Mac, you'll remove it at arkeep.app/account. Your history moves with Save a Copy… and Restore From Backup…, which work today. See Licenses and devices.
How does phone pairing work?
Coming at launch The iPhone app isn't out yet. When it is, you'll open Settings, then Mobile, on your activated Mac and scan the QR code with the app. There's no account and nothing to type, and your phone won't use a computer slot. See Mobile companion.
What is the refund policy?
You can get a full refund within 14 days of buying Arkeep, no questions asked. Email support@arkeep.app. See the Refund Policy.
Privacy
Does Arkeep upload my files anywhere?
No. Your files stay on your cards and drives, and your index and history stay on your Mac. If you choose a cloud folder as your backup place, Arkeep saves encrypted backups of the index there, which only your recovery key can open. For your license, Arkeep sends only your license key, a random device ID and your Mac's name to the license server.
What data does Arkeep keep about me?
Your license key, the email you bought with, the names of the devices you activated and your order records. Payment details stay with Stripe, which runs checkout.
When the iPhone app arrives at launch, pairing a phone will put an encrypted copy of your history in a cloud folder you choose, and only your devices will hold the key. Its optional notifications won't include file, folder, client or drive names. See Mobile companion.
What if I lose my Mac?
Your index backups can be restored on a new Mac with your recovery key. Find it now in Settings, under Backups, with Show Recovery Key…, and keep it somewhere safe. See Updates and your backup key.
Platforms
Is there a Windows version?
Not yet. Arkeep launches on Mac with an iPhone companion app. Windows and Android are coming later, together. If you bought a Mac founders license, you get the Windows version free when it arrives.
Support
How do I contact support?
Email support@arkeep.app. Include your Arkeep version from Settings, what you were doing and what happened. See Troubleshooting.