

This needn’t be expensive though, as there are free and paid versions available.Īgain, you’ll find options in our separate roundup of theīest backup software, because most of these apps offer both file / folder and full PC backup options.
Cloud backup for pc software#
Making a backup of all the files on your hard drive is also known as a ‘disk image’ and you’ll need specialist software to do this. The first two methods we’ve outlined will back up certain files, but they’re not sufficient to get your PC or laptop up and running after a hard drive (or SSD) fails, or if Windows completely stops working (as it occasionally does). Far from being just a storage device, they’re like mini computers, and have a basic operating system with – among other things – backup tools. This is better because it is accessible to all computers in your home (including phones and tablets) so you can set all of them to back up to the NAS automatically. This is almost the same as a USB drive, but it attaches to your router instead of via USB. To avoid having to plug in a USB drive each time, you could buy a The free storage those services offer is unlikely to be enough, so you’ll have to pay for extra, but it’s worth it. With Google (Drive and Photos) and Apple (iCloud) you can back up everything required to start fresh with a new phone. Usually that means picking folders which contain important stuff, but on a phone you should also find options to back up your camera roll.
Cloud backup for pc install#
Once you’ve chosen a cloud storage service, install the app on your devices (they usually support Windows, Mac, iOS and Android) and then choose what you want to back up. Typically, everything is encrypted so no-one else can see or access your files, but some services are more focused on security than others. Cloud storage has lots of other advantages too: you can access the files from practically any computer with an internet connection and you can keep files in sync across multiple devices. Many services have an undelete feature (like a Recycle bin) so you can undo your mistake, but this might be limited to 30 days, so check!Ī real benefit of cloud storage is that it creates a copy of your files in a physically separate location to your home. This means if you delete a file within that folder on your PC it will disappear from your online storage as well. Just bear in mind that most cloud storage services synchronise files in a certain folder on your computer. If it isn’t, you can pay a reasonable monthly or yearly fee to get a lot more storage. PCloud and many other cloud storage services make it supremely easy to make backups of your files, and the free storage on offer when you sign up may just be enough. For example, you could use a cloud storage service as well as a local USB drive to back up your most important things, which are likely to be wedding photos and videos, plus those taken at other special events, financial or other documents and basically anything you can’t afford to live without. It’s also wise to create multiple backups to protect against the possibility that your device and your backup are lost.
