Computer backup at home: three methods and which one fits you

This guide is for anyone whose computer holds photos, documents or work that have no second copy. By the end you will know which backup method fits you, how to turn it on in Windows 11 or on a Mac, and how to check that it really works.

What is a backup, and why is cloud sync not a backup?

A backup is a separate copy of your files that does not change when something happens to the original. Sync does something else: OneDrive, Google Drive and iCloud make sure the same file looks identical on all of your devices.

That is convenient, but it has a flip side. Deleted a folder on the computer? It is deleted in the cloud too. Ransomware encrypted your files? The encrypted versions sync to the cloud and overwrite the good ones.

Cloud services have a recycle bin that saves you for a limited time. In a personal OneDrive account, deleted files stay in the recycle bin for 30 days, and in a work or school account 93 days. Google Drive also empties its trash automatically after 30 days. After that the file is gone. In other words, sync is a short safety net, not a backup.

What is the 3-2-1 rule, and what does it look like at home?

The 3-2-1 rule says: three copies of every important file, on two different kinds of storage, with one of them outside the house. It is the accepted rule in the field, and it is simpler than it sounds.

In a typical home it looks like this:

1. Copy 1: the files on the computer itself.
2. Copy 2: an external drive that backs up the computer.
3. Copy 3: the cloud, or a second drive kept at your parents’ place or at the office.

Why outside the house? Because a fire, a flood, a break-in or a power surge hits everything in the same room. A backup drive sitting in the mamad (the reinforced safe room) is still in the same apartment. It is better protected, but it is not “outside the house”.

Method 1: how do you back up to an external drive with File History?

File History is a tool built into Windows 11 that copies your personal folders to an external drive and keeps previous versions of every file. It costs nothing beyond the drive itself.

1. Connect the external drive to the computer.
2. Click Start, type “Control Panel” and open it.
3. Go to “System and Security” and then to “File History”.
4. Windows should detect the drive. Click “Turn on”.
5. From now on, as long as the drive is connected, File History copies changes on a regular basis.

Pay attention to what it backs up: the Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos and Desktop folders, and OneDrive files stored on the computer. A folder you created directly on drive D, for example, is not included until you move it into one of those folders. According to Microsoft’s guide to File History, you restore by right-clicking a folder, choosing “Restore previous versions”, and picking the version you want.

Method 2: how do you back up to the cloud with the Windows Backup app?

Windows 11 has an app called “Windows Backup” that uploads your personal folders to OneDrive and also saves settings, your list of apps and Wi-Fi passwords. It is designed mainly to make moving to a new computer easier.

1. Make sure you are signed in with a Microsoft account. It will not work with a local account.
2. Open “Windows Backup” from the Start menu search, or through Settings > Accounts > Windows backup.
3. Under “Folders”, turn on the folders you want to back up.
4. Click “Back up”.

According to Microsoft’s page on Windows Backup, a Microsoft account includes 5GB of storage at no charge, and beyond that you need a subscription. Keep in mind that this is still sync: whatever is deleted on the computer is deleted in OneDrive too, and stays in the recycle bin for only 30 days.

If you live in Google’s world, Google Drive and Google Photos play a similar role. The free 15GB of a Google account is shared between Drive, Gmail and Photos.

Method 3: how do you back up a Mac with Time Machine?

Time Machine is the backup tool built into macOS, and it backs up the Mac to an external drive automatically. According to Apple’s guide to Time Machine, it keeps hourly backups for the past 24 hours, daily backups for the past month, and weekly backups for the months before that. When the drive fills up, the oldest backups are deleted.

1. Connect an external drive. Apple recommends at least twice the storage capacity of the Mac.
2. Open System Settings > General > Time Machine. That is the path in macOS Ventura and later.
3. Add the drive as a backup disk. You can turn on encryption, and then you must remember the password. Without it you cannot restore.

Which backup method fits you?

For most homes the answer is a combination: an external drive for a full backup with versions, and the cloud for a copy that lives outside the house.

What about the photos on your phone and in WhatsApp?

The phone needs a backup of its own, because in many families most of the photos live there and not on the computer.

• iPhone: “iCloud Photos” is sync. A deleted photo moves to the “Recently Deleted” album and stays there for 30 days.
• Android: in Google Photos, backed-up photos that were deleted stay in the trash for 60 days, and photos that were not backed up are deleted after 30 days.
• WhatsApp: the chat backup is separate from the photo backup. On Android it is saved to your Google account, and since 2024 it counts against that account’s storage. On iPhone it is saved to iCloud. To check when the last backup ran: in WhatsApp, Settings > Chats > Chat backup.

A simple tip: once a month, copy the photos from the phone to the computer. That way they also go into the external drive backup, and they have a copy that does not depend on a single account.

How do you check that the backup really works?

You restore one file. A backup that has never been restored from is an assumption, not a backup.

1. Once a month, pick a random file that changed recently.
2. Restore it to a different location, not on top of the original. In File History this is “Restore to”.
3. Open the restored file and check that it is intact and up to date.
4. Check the date of the last backup. If it was weeks ago, something stopped: the drive was disconnected, the cloud filled up, or the account signed out.

A backup can stop quietly, without a prominent warning on the screen. That is why the monthly check matters more than the initial setup.

What not to do?

• Do not move files to an external drive to free up space. That is a move, not a backup. Now the files have one copy, on a drive that gets dropped and unplugged.
• Do not rely only on the cloud’s recycle bin. 30 days pass quickly, especially when you did not notice that something was deleted.
• Do not leave the drive connected all the time. Ransomware encrypts connected drives too.
• Do not move a mechanical hard drive while it is working. A knock during operation can damage it. If it is already clicking, read the guide what to do when the hard drive clicks or is not detected.

When to bring the computer to the lab

It is worth stopping the do-it-yourself attempts in three situations:

• The drive holding the only copy is already clicking, very slow or not detected. Do not try to copy “just a bit more” from it. Every additional attempt can make the damage worse. This is now hard drive data recovery, and there is no promise that everything, or even part of it, will be recovered. We will do our best.
• You deleted something and there is no backup. The guide I deleted files by mistake: what can be recovered explains what to check first.
• You are moving to a new computer and want to make sure everything came across, including photos and email. That is exactly data transfer to a new computer, and there is also a guide to moving files to a new computer.

Did it not work out?

The goal of this guide is for you to set up a backup on your own, today, before something happens. If you got stuck, or the files are already lost, ChipLab in Haifa can help with data recovery or with data transfer to a new computer. It starts with a diagnosis, and you get a price before any work begins.