Depending on the files you want to back up, this method can either be simpler or more complicated than a straight-up backup program. Pros: This method is easy, fast, and in many cases, free, and since it's online, it protects you against all types of data loss.Ĭons: Most cloud services only offer a few gigabytes of space for free, so this only works if you have a small number of files you want to back up, or if you're willing to pay for extra storage. If your hard drive dies, you'll still have the copies of the files stored online and on your other computers. The service you choose will then automatically sync to your online account and to your other PCs. Rather than just storing your files on your computer's hard drive, you can store them on a tool like Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or a similar cloud storage service. Use a Cloud Storage Serviceīackup purists will say this isn't technically a backup method, but for most people, it serves a similar enough purpose. For backing up a single computer, an external hard drive will be faster and cheaper. It will be faster than backing up online.Ĭons: Like with backing up to an external drive, you will lose your backups along with your computers if you experience a robbery, fire, or similar event where you lose your electronics. Pros: A NAS lets you back up multiple devices to one central location on your network. NAS devices may also have other features, like the ability to run a Plex media server for networked media streaming or integrate with Apple Time Machine for seamless backups from Macs, too. All the computers on your home network can back up and restore from the NAS. You can get a NAS (network-attached storage) device instead. To create backups and store them locally, you don't have to plug an external hard drive into all the computers you use. Restoring a backup can take a while, too. Pros: Online backup protects you against any type of data loss-hard drive failure, theft, natural disasters, and everything in between.Ĭons: These services usually cost money, and the initial backup can take much longer than it would on an external drive-especially if you have a lot of files. If you ever lose those files and need them again, you can restore them. There are also other solid options, like IDrive and Carbonite Safe.įor a low monthly fee (about $5 to $7 a month), these programs run in the background on your PC or Mac, automatically backing up your files to the service's web storage. Backblaze is our favorite online backup service, and we have recommended it ever since CrashPlan decided to no longer serve home users. If you want to ensure your files stay safe, you can back them up to the internet with an online backup service like Backblaze. If you've spent hours painstakingly ripping audio CDs or video DVDs, you may want to back those files up, too, so you don't have to do all that work over again.Ĭons: If your house gets robbed or catches on fire, your backup can be lost along with your computer, which is very bad. (On Windows 10 and Windows 11, you can "Reset" your operating system to quickly get a fresh system.)Īny personal documents, photos, home videos, and any other data on your computer should be backed up regularly. You can always reinstall your operating system and redownload your programs if your hard drive fails, but your own personal data is irreplaceable. You need to back up your personal data-the files that are irreplaceable that are stored on your PC or Mac. If you're not regularly backing up your computer, you could lose those files forever.īackups don't have to be hard or confusing, though. You've probably heard about countless different backup methods, but which one is right for you? And what files do you really need to back up? Which Files Should You Back Up? Your computer's hard drive could fail tomorrow, ransomware could hold your files hostage, or a software bug could delete your important files. Everyone loses data at some point in their lives.
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