How to back up your computer properly (OneDrive is not a backup)

The saddest jobs we do are the ones where the drive has died, the photos were irreplaceable, and the customer says "but I had OneDrive". Sync and backup sound like the same thing. They are not, and the difference only shows up on the worst day.

Sync is not backup

OneDrive, iCloud Drive, Google Drive and Dropbox keep the same files identical across your devices. That is useful — if your laptop is stolen, your documents are still in the cloud. But "identical everywhere" cuts both ways:

• Delete a folder by mistake, and it is deleted everywhere.
• Ransomware scrambles your files, and the scrambled versions sync up to the cloud.
• A file gets corrupted, and the corrupted copy replaces the good one.

These services do have recycle bins and some version history, which can save you if you notice within about a month. That is a safety net, not a plan.

A real backup is a separate copy, taken regularly, that your everyday mistakes cannot reach.

The setup we recommend: 3-2-1

The rule professionals use is easy to remember:

• 3 copies of anything that matters — the original plus two backups.
• 2 different kinds of storage — say, your computer and an external drive.
• 1 copy somewhere else — in the cloud, or a drive kept at a relative's house.

For most homes, that works out as:

1. Your computer — the original.
2. An external drive with automatic backup. On Windows, File History or the Windows Backup app; on a Mac, Time Machine. Plug in the drive, turn it on once, and it keeps copies of every version of your files.
3. An off-site copy — a cloud backup service, or your cloud sync account used alongside the external drive rather than instead of it.

That combination survives a dead drive, a stolen laptop, a house fire and a ransomware attack. Any one copy on its own does not.

Three mistakes that make backups useless

• Leaving the backup drive plugged in all the time. Ransomware encrypts every drive it can see. If you can, plug it in weekly, let it catch up, and unplug it.
• Never testing a restore. A backup you have never opened is a hope, not a backup. Every few months, pick a random photo and try to restore it.
• Backing up the wrong folders. Default settings often cover Documents and Pictures but miss the desktop, the downloads folder, or the place an old program saves its data — accounting files, especially.

What actually needs backing up

You do not need to back up Windows or your programs; those can be reinstalled. What cannot be replaced is:

• Photos and videos
• Documents, spreadsheets, tax and business records
• Email, if it is stored only on the computer (older Outlook setups often are — see our email help page)
• Anything saved by small-business software such as MYOB or QuickBooks desktop

How to tell if yours is working

Answer these honestly:

1. When was the last backup? (Not "when did I set it up".)
2. If your computer vanished today, where would your photos come from?
3. Would a deleted folder on your computer also disappear from your backup?

If any of those made you hesitate, it is worth fixing this week, not after the drive fails.

We can set it up for you

This is one of the most useful hours you can spend with a technician. On a backup and data transfer visit we work out what actually matters on your computer, set up automatic backups to an external drive and the cloud, check that a restore works, and show you how to tell at a glance that it is still running. Most setups are done within the hour, at our flat $135 rate with no callout fee across Brisbane.

Related guides

• Deleted photos by accident? Where to look before you panic
• Your hard drive is clicking. Turn it off now. — what a failing drive sounds like.
• Still on Windows 10? — back up before any upgrade.