There are two ways to change a template, and they do very different things: switching inside the editor only changes the layout, while entering from the template gallery starts a new resume. Content "turning back into the sample" almost always comes from the second one.

To change the layout: switch inside the editor

Open your resume → the Current template button below the editor → pick a new one (on desktop, Ctrl + K / ⌘ + K opens it directly).

New editor: on desktop click Current template … ▾ in the top bar (Pick a template if none is applied); clicking a template applies it, and you can undo. On a phone tap the template button at the top, or Template at the bottom of the Preview screen: tapping a template tries it on, Use this one applies it, and Cancel goes back to the original.

This only changes layout, fonts and colors. Nothing you typed is touched, and you can switch back any time.

"Use this template" in the gallery starts a new resume

The gallery (/templates) fills a fresh resume with sample content so you can see what the template looks like, then you replace the sample with your own experience.

It never touches your existing resume — unless you pick "Replace this resume" in the next step.

Exception: if you're signed in, your slots are full and you have just one resume, nothing new is created and no dialog appears. The template is applied straight to that resume and your content stays exactly as it is. A message confirms it; click Undo in that message to switch back to your previous template.

What the "Resume slots are full" dialog options do

If your slots are full and you have more than one resume (or you've already edited the new one), starting another from the gallery shows this dialog:

Option	What happens
Apply template, keep content	Puts the new template on your existing resume. Your content stays exactly as it is — pick this to change the layout
Replace this resume	Overwrites the existing resume with this new one. What you wrote before is gone. Hidden while the new one is still untouched template sample content
Keep editing for now	Stay in this temporary resume, but it isn't saved to the cloud — closing the page loses it
Upgrade	Unlock more resume slots and keep both

"Replace this resume" asks for confirmation first and can't be undone. The server keeps a version of the old content just before replacing, so if it was a mistake you can restore it from that resume's Version history.

Is my work saved automatically?

Yes. While you're signed in, the editor syncs changes to the cloud once you pause typing, and the status shows at the top:

Saving (amber): syncing right now;
Saved X ago (green): stored — you'll see it after signing in on another device;
Save failed (red): click to retry, usually a dropped connection;
Conflict: this resume was also changed in another tab or on another device, and that copy was saved first. See the next section.

While signed out, your draft lives in this browser, and we also keep a backup copy on our server for 14 days. When you later sign in on this device, the backup is saved to your account automatically. A different device can't reach that backup, so it's still best to sign in before you start writing.

My resume slots are full — where does my work go?

If you're signed in, your slots are full and you start a new resume from the template gallery, the editor shows "Your resume slots are full". As soon as you start editing, your work is saved as a draft automatically. The draft lives in your account, auto-saves like any resume, shows up on your other devices, and doesn't use a slot. On your dashboard its card is marked "Draft".

A few rules for drafts:

Each account has one active draft. When a new draft is saved, the old one moves to Trash, where you can restore it for 30 days. It never gets overwritten;
Drafts can't be exported, shared or tailored to a job. To do that, use the draft bar at the top of the editor:
- Save as regular resume: works right away if you have a free slot; otherwise you'll be offered an upgrade. After upgrading, the draft becomes a regular resume the next time you open it;
- Replace an existing resume: overwrites the resume you pick with the draft. Its current content is saved to that resume's Version history first, so you can restore it.

A template sample you haven't edited yet isn't saved as a draft, so closing the page discards it.

While signed out, your work is backed up in two places:

In your browser: the last 3 drafts, under Version history → Drafts on this computer in the editor. Clearing site data removes them;
On our server: the latest one, kept for 14 days (deleted automatically if you don't edit it again in that time). When you later sign in on the same device and browser, it's saved to your account the next time you open your dashboard: as a regular resume if you have a free slot, or as a draft if your slots are full. If your account already has an identical resume, no copy is added.

On another device or browser the server backup can't be matched to you, so it can't be recovered there. A draft over 200 KB (usually because of a large photo) is only kept in your browser.

"This resume was changed in another window" — what do I do?

When the same resume is open in two tabs (or on your computer and your phone) and you edit both, the window that saves second shows this message and pauses auto-save, so neither copy gets silently overwritten. You can choose:

Load latest: switch to the latest saved version (the one from the other window). Unsaved changes in this window are discarded.
Keep my version: save this window's content to the cloud, replacing the changes made in the other window.
Decide later: close the message and check the other window first. Auto-save stays paused; click Conflict at the top of the editor to bring the choice back.

If you're not sure which copy is more complete, look at the other window before choosing. It's best to edit a resume in one window at a time.

My content was already replaced — can I get it back?

For resumes saved to your account, the server keeps earlier versions automatically as you save (the latest 20 per resume, including one taken just before any replace). Open the resume in the editor, go to More (···) → Version history on desktop or the AI menu on a phone (in the new editor: ⋯ in the top bar → Version history), find a time from before it was replaced and click Restore. Your current content is saved as a version first, so you can switch back.

If the version you need isn't there, check:

Your downloads folder: any PDF or Word file you exported holds the content as of that export;
Export history: editor "···" → Export history (⋯ in the top bar in the new version) — PDF and Word files from the last 7 days can be downloaded again.

Still nothing? Open Support → Talk to a human and tell us which resume it was and roughly when it was replaced.

Avoiding it next time

To change the layout, always use Current template inside the editor (the template button in the top bar in the new version) rather than re-entering from the gallery;
When the "Resume slots are full" dialog appears, check whether you're picking "Apply template" or "Replace";
Export a PDF or Word copy before any major rewrite.

How do I switch templates without losing my content?