# The pink Beta bar: what to expect from a Beta build

In the Beta build, a pink bar across the top of the window reads "BETA BUILD" with your build code and version, then the warning "Expect bugs. Keep a backup of your vault."

*https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/support/beta-build-bar-what-to-expect — last checked 2026-10-14*

## Steps

1. Look at the very top of the window. A solid pink bar reads "BETA BUILD". It sits above everything, including the "Starting..." screen and the sign-in screen.
2. Read the detail after the label. It gives the build code and the version, written like "Build code ... · Version ...". Until the engine has answered, the bar may show the version alone. The code joins it a moment later.
3. Read the warning at the end: "Expect bugs. Keep a backup of your vault."
4. Take it as written. Beta is public early access. Some things will break, and some features are not finished.
5. Make a backup now. Your notes are plain files in your vault folder, so a backup is a copy of that folder. Open Settings, then Workspace, then Vault. NeuralVault keeps automatic copies while it is open, and "Second copy" keeps another in a folder you choose, such as one on another drive.
6. If something breaks, report it. Press the bug icon in the top bar, or press Ctrl+Shift+B. Quote the build code from the bar.

## How to tell it worked

The bar is pink and reads "BETA BUILD", and the build code and version match what Settings, then Account, then About shows.

## If it does not work

**There is no bar at all.**

The finished (Stable) build shows no bar. A Test build shows "TEST BUILD" on orange and a Dev build shows "DEV BUILD" on yellow. If you expected the Beta, open Settings, then Account, then About and read the version.

**The bar shows "Version" but no build code.**

The code needs your edition, which only the engine knows. Wait a moment. If the engine banner is showing, see the guide on the engine not running.

**You want to close or hide the bar.**

You cannot. Nothing on it is a button. It is there so you always know which build you are on.

**You cannot tell pink from the other colours.**

The words are always there, so you do not need the colour. "BETA BUILD" is Beta, "TEST BUILD" is Test and "DEV BUILD" is Dev.

## Related guides

- [Update channels: Stable, Beta, Test and Dev](https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/support/update-channels-explained)
- [Backups: what runs on its own, and what does not](https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/support/vault-backups)

## Still stuck

Bug reports belong in the app, in Settings, About. Those carry no contact details, so they
get fixed rather than answered. To get a reply, email us instead: that route targets two
business days. https://perpetualtechnologies.co.uk/contact