Keep Local or Cloud Data in a Conflict?

Local and cloud data have different versions means that this device has changes that have not synced while cloud data also changed in another session or on another device. MaskPilot neither silently overwrites one copy nor automatically merges an entire browser-data directory. It asks you to choose which version should continue.

First identify the version you need

Open View backup status from the profile actions, stop the profile, and review:

• Local changes shows Waiting for backup when this device has changes that have not uploaded;
• Cloud updated at helps establish when the other copy changed but does not prove that its contents are correct;
• Latest backup event and Latest issue show whether the previous operation completed; and
• which device used each copy and which business actions were last completed there.

If you cannot tell which copy contains the sign-in or business data you need, do not choose yet. Preserve the state on this and other relevant devices, then record the profile name, devices, times, and visible status before contacting support.

When to choose Keep local version

Choose this only after checking the current device and confirming that its copy should continue. For example, the latest business work may exist only on this device while the cloud still has an earlier copy.

Keeping the local version requires this device to allow profile-data uploads. If Do not sync profile data is enabled, first understand the direction and impact of the per-device sync setting. Confirm that enabling uploads will not send the wrong copy to other devices.

When the choice runs, the current local copy becomes the continuing version before the next launch and updates the cloud backup. Changes that exist only in the cloud are not automatically merged into it.

When to choose Use cloud version

Choose the cloud version when it is a verified, current backup and the changes on this device can be discarded. For example, another device may have closed normally and completed its backup while this device made disposable changes from an older baseline.

After resolution, the cloud version replaces the profile data on this device. Local-only changes are not merged automatically. Do not choose by timestamp alone when uncertain, and do not launch repeatedly to guess which result will win.

When the choice takes effect

1. In View backup status, choose Keep local version or Use cloud version.
2. Read the confirmation and submit the choice. The page shows Queued: resolve data conflict before next launch; current data does not change immediately.
3. Launch the profile again. Before applying the choice, the client preserves independent copies of both the local and cloud data.
4. If either copy changes after queuing, the client stops and asks you to refresh and choose again instead of forcing an overwrite.
5. After launch, check the target-site session, cookies, extension runtime data, and critical business results before continuing on another device.

Conflict resolution selects one complete browser-data set. It does not merge individual bookmarks, cookies, or cache entries.

Cancel a mistaken choice

If the choice is still queued and has not run before the next launch, choose Cancel pending data choice on the backup-status page. Cancellation removes only the unfinished choice:

• it does not roll back already committed data;
• it does not delete preserved backups; and
• it does not require the cloud to be currently reachable, so a local pending choice can still be cancelled during a temporary outage.

Refresh backup status after cancellation and compare the versions again. This button cannot reverse a choice that has already completed. If a previous local backup is available, separately evaluate restoring the previous local profile backup rather than treating the two operations as equivalent.

Why the newest timestamp is not selected automatically

A timestamp indicates when data was written, not which copy contains the correct business outcome. Cross-device synchronization can also overwrite a browser’s local update with a server update; MDN’s browser extension sync-storage documentation describes this general risk. Conditional writes help prevent an older version from silently overwriting a newer one; see the RFC 9110 description of If-Match for the standard background.

For MaskPilot, follow the product boundary in this guide and the client prompt: when both copies changed, processing stops, copies are preserved, and the user chooses. Two browser-data sets are not automatically merged.