A backup that actually works, not one you just assume exists.
Most people think they have a backup and don't. Photos syncing to a cloud account that ran out of space eight months ago isn't one, and neither is a setting you turned on once and never checked again. Set up properly, on your computer and your phone.
Why "syncing" isn't the same as backing up
This is the mix-up that catches people out. If a file syncs across your devices and then gets deleted, corrupted, or hit by ransomware, that change syncs too, and every copy is gone or damaged together. A real backup is a separate copy, from an earlier point in time, sitting somewhere the problem can't reach. That's the whole point: it exists precisely for the day something goes wrong.
What a proper backup setup looks like
- Diagnosis first: what you actually have running now, if anything, and what it's missing.
- Cloud, local, or both: cloud backup covers theft, fire or a dropped laptop; a local external drive covers a bad month of internet or a cloud hiccup. Set up based on what you actually need, not oversold.
- Runs by itself: automatic, not something you have to remember to do. A backup you have to manually trigger is a backup that eventually stops happening.
- Tested restore: an actual file gets restored during setup to prove it works, not just a checkmark that says it should.
- Plain-English explanation: where it's going, what's covered, and what to do the day you actually need it.
The ransomware angle, honestly
A good backup is the single best protection against ransomware there is, better than any antivirus, because it means the worst case is "restore from yesterday" instead of "pay a stranger and hope." If you've read about virus removal on this site and it made you nervous, a backup is the thing that makes that nervousness mostly irrelevant.
Not sure what you've actually got running?
Tell me what you think is backed up and I'll tell you honestly whether that's true. First read is free.
What backup setup costs
Frequently asked
What's the difference between a backup and things syncing to the cloud?
Syncing means one copy that mirrors across devices, so if a file gets deleted, corrupted, or hit by ransomware, the synced copy usually gets deleted or corrupted too. A real backup is a separate copy from a separate point in time, so an older, unaffected version still exists.
Cloud backup or an external drive, which is better?
Ideally both. Cloud protects against theft, fire or a dropped laptop; a local drive protects against a bad month of internet or a cloud account issue. One or the other is fine, having both is better, and either beats what most people actually have, which is nothing reliable.
How do I know my backup is actually working?
By testing a restore, not by trusting a green checkmark. Setup includes actually restoring a file to prove it works, rather than assuming a backup that's never been tested will be there when you need it.
I already pay for a cloud backup service, can you just check it?
Yes, that's a quick, cheap check: confirming it's actually running, actually covering the folders that matter, and actually restorable, rather than a subscription quietly doing nothing for the last year.