sobrescribiendo

Sobrescribir is a Spanish verb that means to write over something that was previously written, in the sense of replacing content by writing again in the same place. The prefix sobre- conveys the notion of “over” or “on top,” and escribir means “to write.” The gerund sobrescribiendo appears in continuous or progressive constructions. The noun form sobrescritura (and less commonly sobrescribiento) denotes the act of overwriting.

In computing and data handling, sobrescribir commonly refers to writing new data to a storage location that already contains information, thereby erasing the previous content. This can lead to irreversible data loss if no backup exists. The noun sobrescritura is widely used to describe this action, and in some contexts the term sobrescribir un archivo is used to indicate saving a new version that replaces the old one. To prevent unintended overwriting, practices such as backups, versioning, and write protection are employed.

Sobrescribir also appears in non-digital contexts, describing the physical act of writing over existing text on a page or medium, a practice historically common with typewriters or when making corrections by overtyping.

Related terms include reemplazar (to replace), reescribir (to rewrite), and sobrescritura (the act of overwriting) as well as versionado de archivos (file versioning). The term is neutral and widely understood in both technical and general Spanish.