---
title: Stop, resume and back up
description: Save money between sessions without losing your work, and download copies of everything you make.
sidebar:
  icon: hard-drive-download
---

Everything in your studio (models, projects, characters, locations and every image and video) lives on your pod's volume. What happens to it depends on whether you **stop** or **terminate** the pod.

## Stop vs terminate

| | Stop | Terminate |
|---|---|---|
| **GPU billing** | Ends | Ends |
| **Storage billing** | Continues at Runpod's storage rate | Ends |
| **Your work** | Kept | **Deleted permanently** |
| **Models** | Kept, no re-download | Deleted. A new pod downloads them again |

:::danger[Terminating deletes everything]
Terminating a pod deletes its volume, including all your projects and media. It cannot be undone. [Back up](#back-up-your-work) anything you want to keep first.
:::

## Stop the pod

When you're done for the day, open the [Runpod console](https://www.runpod.io/console/pods), find your pod and click **Stop**. You stop paying for the GPU, and your work stays on the volume.

## Resume

In the Runpod console, click **Start** on your pod. The studio is back in a couple of minutes, with no model downloads. Open it the same way as before, with **Connect → HTTP Service**, and sign in with your password.

:::note
When you resume, Runpod may need to find a free GPU on the same machine as your volume. If none is free, you may have to wait or try again later.
:::

## Back up your work

You can download your work at any time. Downloads come as ZIP files and start right away in your browser, even when they're several gigabytes.

- **A film**: open the project and click **Back up**. The ZIP has the final cut, every shot and keyframe, the cast and location images, and a `project.json` with the storyboard.
- **A finished film only**: open the project and click **Download film**, or **Download export** on the **Timeline** tab.
- **Gallery items**: on the **Create** page, select items and click **Download** in the selection bar.
- **Your whole gallery**: on the **Create** page, open the download menu at the top right of the gallery and choose **Download all (ZIP)**.

## Free up space

If your storage fills up, the studio stops accepting new jobs. To free space, back up what you want to keep, then delete old items from the gallery. See [Storage is almost full](/manage/troubleshooting#storage-is-almost-full).