Gathered help & support

A little help with your book.

Start with one person, a recipe and a memory. You can return to the rest later.

Know when your work is saved

Edits save to your account automatically. Before closing the tab, wait for Saved to your account. If a save fails, keep the tab open, reconnect and use the retry button. Text still in a failed-save tab is not a backup.

Use one editing tab at a time. If another tab changed the book, copy your unsaved text somewhere safe before reloading. Gathered will not silently overwrite a newer version with an older one.

Keep an editable backup

Save a backup downloads a .gathered archive containing your saved text and original photos. Check that the file actually appears in your Downloads folder. Keep your original photos separately too.

To reopen a backup, choose Restore a .gathered backup on Your books. It always creates a new book and never changes an existing one. This preview restores backups up to 48 MB with up to 20 photos and 16 MiB of original photos. A PDF shows the pages but cannot replace an editable backup.

Review and download the pages

1. Choose Preview, then Preview book.
2. Wait for preparation to finish. It uses the saved version at that moment.
3. Read every page and check the cover. After editing, prepare again.
4. Download the interior and cover separately, and open the downloaded files.

Prepared files expire after 24 hours; prepare again when needed. Review PDFs have a watermark. The cover is a proof, not a printer-approved production cover.

Order your hardcover

Prepare your book to see its price and delivery details. Requesting a total does not charge you. You pay only when you confirm payment at secure checkout. Return to Gathered afterward to give final approval for printing.

If checkout is marked Test checkout, use test details and a test card. A test checkout cannot take payment or print a book.

If a photograph will not upload

Follow the photo-library size and count guidance in your book. A rejected photo has not been saved; skip it explicitly if you want to continue without it. If the result is uncertain, retry before closing the tab. Do not assume that a displayed thumbnail means the original reached your account.

Tell us what happened

Email support@polyforgelabs.com for help with your book or order. Include your device and browser, the step you tried, what you expected and the exact error. Mention whether the book still shows as saved. A screenshot of the controls is helpful; crop out family stories, photos, email addresses and other private details.

Never send passwords, sign-in links or an entire family-book backup to report a problem. For an account or data-removal request, email Gathered; self-service deletion is not available in this preview.