How to back up Podio (and restore deleted data)

In short: Podio has no recycle bin. Delete an item, app or workspace and Podio's own documentation states the action is not reversible and Podio Support cannot recover it. To protect Podio data, connect ProBackup for Podio via OAuth: it takes a snapshot every 24 hours and restores deleted apps and items back into your Podio account as duplicates.

Why Podio's native protection is not a backup

Podio protects its own servers. It does not protect your work from the people and automations that edit it every day.

Three facts from the Podio documentation (Progress, checked 2026-09-16) set the stakes:

• Items: "if you delete items from an app, the action is not reversible."
• Apps: when you delete an app, "all of its contents will be deleted", "this is not reversible" and "Podio Support cannot recover this information for you."
• Workspaces: "deleting a workspace is not reversible." Only archiving a workspace is reversible.

Podio does keep a revision history per item, and the API lets you revert an existing item to an earlier revision. That helps when a field was overwritten. It does nothing once the item itself is deleted, because the revisions go with it.

A Podio Workflow Automation (PWA) that runs a "delete item" action, a bulk delete in Table Layout, or a departing admin removing an app can therefore wipe years of CRM or project data in seconds, with no native way back.

How to back up Podio with ProBackup

ProBackup is a SaaS backup service that takes automated daily snapshots of your cloud app data and lets you restore individual records, files or whole projects back to the original account.

Setting it up for Podio takes a few minutes:

1. Start a trial. Go to app.probackup.io/onboarding, choose Podio and create your account. The 7-day trial needs no credit card.
2. Connect Podio via OAuth. Click Connect Podio and log in with a Podio user that can see the workspaces you want protected. ProBackup never stores your Podio password; it holds an OAuth token you can revoke at any time.
3. Choose the scope. Select the organisation and workspaces to include. Everything the connected user can see in those workspaces is in scope.
4. Optional: enable Workflow Automation backups. To back up PWA flows, install the ProBackup Chrome extension and stay signed in to Podio Workflow Automations. The extension must remain installed for the daily PWA backup to continue.
5. Wait for the first snapshot. The first snapshot is taken within 24 hours; large organisations take longer to pull. You receive an email when it completes. From then on ProBackup takes a new snapshot every 24 hours, with no scheduling required.

Each snapshot is stored as JSON and files on AWS S3, encrypted with AES-256 at rest and TLS in transit, in one of nine AWS regions you select at signup. ProBackup is SOC 2 Type II certified (May 2025) and GDPR compliant.

What is and is not backed up

Being honest about scope matters more than a long feature list. ProBackup backs up all data that Podio exposes through its API:

• Workspaces
• Apps and app templates
• Items, including field values and relationships
• Comments
• Files attached to items
• Tasks, including task comments
• Workflow automations (PWA), via the Chrome extension

Not backed up, because the Podio API does not expose them:

• Images uploaded to an image field
• Dashboards
• Reports
• Legacy (non-PWA) workflows

ProBackup captures the first 2,000 characters of a text field. Snapshots are retained for 6 months on Plus, 2 years on Pro and without limit on Premium.

How to restore deleted Podio items and apps

ProBackup supports two restore modes across its platforms: create new duplicate records (the originals, if any, are left untouched) or overwrite existing records field by field. For Podio, the help centre documents the duplicate mode:

• Restore an item. Open the backup, pick the snapshot date, open the app and select the item. ProBackup creates a duplicate in the related app, with its comments, tasks and files.
• Restore an app. Select the app in a snapshot. ProBackup creates a new app in the original workspace and fills it with the items, comments, tasks and files from that snapshot.
• Restore after a mass deletion. Smart Alerts (Pro and Premium plans) flag unusual deletions in the daily report so you can restore the affected app before anyone notices the gap.

Restores go back to the original Podio organisation only. ProBackup is a backup tool, not a migration tool.

Global Search (unlimited on Pro and Premium; 3 free uses per month on Plus) finds a deleted item across every snapshot when you only remember a title or a client name.

Frequently asked questions

How often is Podio backed up?

Every 24 hours, automatically. There is nothing to schedule. Each snapshot is a full copy of the API-available data, so you can browse any day in your version history and restore from it.

Where is my Podio backup stored?

On AWS S3, in the AWS region you select at signup (nine regions are available). Changing region after the first backup requires support assistance. Data is encrypted with AES-256 at rest and TLS in transit. On Pro and Premium plans you can also sync a copy to your own Google Drive.

Can I restore a deleted Podio app that Podio Support cannot recover?

Yes, provided ProBackup had taken a snapshot before the deletion. Select the app in the last good snapshot and restore it. A new app is created in the original workspace with its items, comments, tasks and files.

Protect your Podio data today

ProBackup has protected Podio data since 2017 (originally as Momentum Tools) and is trusted by 4,000+ teams. Plans start at $25 per month, billed yearly.

Start your free 7-day trial - no credit card required.