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 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 for what you need, without the upsell.
- 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 need it.
Backups and ransomware
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 got running?
Tell me what you think is backed up and I'll tell you 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 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 restoring a real file to prove it works, so you're not relying on a backup that's never been tested.
I already pay for a cloud backup service, can you just check it?
Yes, that's a quick, cheap check: confirming it runs, covers the folders that matter and can restore them, and isn't a subscription that's quietly done nothing for the last year.
How to get it sorted
- Think about what you can't afford to lose: photos, work files, tax documents, chats. That decides what gets backed up.
- Tell me which devices and cloud accounts you already have. Part of the answer is often already paid for and just not set up properly.
- Setup and a test restore happen in one session, on-site, drop-off or remote.
Want me to take a look?
Send a photo of the screen or a sentence about what’s happening. You’ll hear back with what it takes and roughly what it costs, and that first read is free.
Mon–Fri, 9:00–19:00 · usually a reply within a few hours