Severe Data Loss: Lack of robust autosave/recovery when process is killed or crashes

Operating System/Distribution

Windows 11 24H2

(Linux only) Desktop Environment

No response

(Linux Only) Display Server

No response

Installation Method

Official Windows Installer downloaded directly from the Xournal++ website.

Xournal++ Version

xournalpp 1.3.7 (104f8982 from /)

libgtk Version

3.24.52

Steps to Reproduce

1. Open Xournal++.
2. Write or draw without saving.
3. Force kill the process via Windows Task Manager (or wait for the app to crash).
4. Reopen Xournal++.
5. Observe that the unsaved work is lost and no recovery prompt is shown.

Crash log

Executing "C:\Program Files\Xournal++\bin\\xournalpp" Xournal++ started with PID: 17020 Exited with error status: 1 Date: Tue Sep 15 20:21:22 2026

xournalpp 1.3.7 (104f8982 from /) ├──libgtk: 3.24.52 ├──glib: 2.88.3 ├──cairo: 1.18.4 └──OS info: Windows 11 24H2 (The GDK backend is probably printed out below)

*** Output: ***

(com.github.xournalpp.xournalpp:17020): xopp-DEBUG: 20:20:33.345: TEXTDOMAINDIR = (NULL), Platform-specific locale dir = C:\Program Files\Xournal++\share\locale, chosen directory = C:\Program Files\Xournal++\share\locale xopp-INFO: 20:20:34.161: Loading plugins from: C:\Program Files\Xournal++\share\\xournalpp\plugins xopp-INFO: 20:20:34.242: Loading plugins from: C:\Users[Username]\AppData\Local\\xournalpp\plugins (com.github.xournalpp.xournalpp:17020): xopp-DEBUG: 20:20:42.448: Extracted theme info: Name = Adwaita, rootname = Adwaita, dark = false (com.github.xournalpp.xournalpp:17020): xopp-DEBUG: 20:20:42.497: Theme name: Adwaita (com.github.xournalpp.xournalpp:17020): xopp-DEBUG: 20:20:42.497: Modified in GtkSettings: false (com.github.xournalpp.xournalpp:17020): xopp-DEBUG: 20:20:42.497: Theme variant: dark (com.github.xournalpp.xournalpp:17020): xopp-DEBUG: 20:20:42.497: Icon theme: iconsColor (com.github.xournalpp.xournalpp:17020): xopp-DEBUG: 20:20:44.786: Window moved to monitor "Integrated Monitor" (com.github.xournalpp.xournalpp:17020): xopp-DEBUG: 20:20:44.786: Automatic DPI conf: monitor height 173 mm - DPI = 158.566474

*** Cerr: ***

Fontconfig error: Cannot load default config file: File not found xopp-Message: 20:21:22.277: Quitting

Additional Context

Hello. I am reporting a severe data loss issue. When the application is terminated abruptly (e.g., killed via Windows Task Manager, or due to an unexpected crash), all unsaved work is lost forever.

Modern applications (like MS Office) have robust autosave and crash recovery mechanisms. If the laptop shuts down unexpectedly or the app is forced to close, they restore the last known state from a temporary or cloud save. Xournal++ currently does not offer this safety net reliably. Users can lose hours of notes if the app crashes or hangs and has to be killed.

Note: The crash log above shows a "Fontconfig error: Cannot load default config file: File not found" which caused the initial crash, but the main issue is the lack of a recovery/autosave feature when these crashes occur.