Backing up properly, for people who never have
Most people back up nothing until the day a drive dies or a phone is lost — and then it’s too late. The good news: you don’t need special software or skills. Your devices already have this built in; you just have to switch it on.
The idea, in one line
Keep your important stuff in more than one place, so losing any single device or service doesn’t lose your data. The classic version is 3-2-1: three copies, on two types of storage, one of them off-site (the cloud counts). You don’t have to be rigid about it — going from “one copy” to “two” is the big leap.
Turn on the backup you already have
- iPhone/iPad: Settings > your name > iCloud > iCloud Backup → On. Backs up nightly on Wi-Fi while charging.
- Android: Settings > Google > Backup → On. Photos back up via Google Photos.
- Windows: sign into OneDrive and turn on folder backup for Desktop, Documents and Pictures.
- Mac: plug in an external drive and turn on Time Machine — it does the rest automatically.
The free cloud tiers are small; photos usually fill them first. Either pay a few pounds/dollars a month for more space, or make sure the external-drive copy below captures the big stuff.
Add a second copy for real safety
Cloud alone has two gaps: a single account (locked out = locked out of your backup) and cost at scale. Add a local copy:
- An external hard drive or SSD — copy your photos and documents to it periodically (Time Machine on Mac, File History or a manual copy on Windows).
- Store it somewhere separate from the computer where practical.
Why this is the real ransomware defence
No antivirus reliably beats ransomware, but a backup does — if your files are encrypted or a drive dies, you restore and move on. This is the single most valuable security habit on this whole site, and it costs almost nothing to set up.
Test it once
A backup you’ve never restored is a guess. Once it’s running, try restoring a single file from it, so you know it works before you ever need it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the cloud safe / private?
Reputable providers encrypt your data; protect the account with a strong password and two-factor authentication. For extra privacy, an encrypted backup on your own external drive keeps a copy only you can read.
How often should backups run?
Automatic and continuous is ideal — that’s what the built-in tools do. The best backup is the one you don’t have to remember.
Do I need paid backup software?
No. The built-in tools above cover most people. Paid tools add features (versioning, cloning) but aren’t required to be safe.