Backup of computer files

So which should you use? Because you want both offsite and onsite backups. Offsite backups are stored at a different location.

Onsite backups are faster and easier, and should be your first line of defense against data loss. If you lose files, you can quickly restore them from an external drive. Similarly, you could also store your files in Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive and performing regular backups to an external drive.

Or you could use Backblaze to back up online and Windows File History to create a local backup. Just make sure you have a solid backup strategy, with onsite and offsite backups, so you have a wide safety net against ever losing your files. You can just set it up once and forget it. Keeping everything automatic is well worth the price. Ultimately, you just need to think about where your files are and ensure you have multiple copies at all times. Ideally, those copies should be in more than one physical location.

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Best Smart Displays. Best Home Security Systems. To restore files from a file backup that was created after the system image backup was created, follow these steps. Choose Select another backup to restore files from.

In Backup Period , select the date range of the backup that contains the files that you want to restore, and then follow the steps in the wizard. Windows 8. Need more help? Join the discussion. Was this information helpful? Yes No. Thank you! Any more feedback? The more you tell us the more we can help.

Can you help us improve? Resolved my issue. Clear instructions. Easy to follow. When you need to store large files or a large number of files. In these situations, the files generally take longer to upload, and it might cost more to store files. Learn how to use File History to back up your files. We recommend you consider modern backup options like the ones listed above, as they're easier to manage and non-destructive. If you've used Backup and Restore in Windows 7, consider moving your content to a cloud-based backup.

To learn more about recovery, see Recovery options in Windows Windows 10 More Need more help? Join the discussion. You can move files back onto your computer whenever you want. Though cloud storage is a great backup option, there are a few risks.

Cloud storage services can be and have been hacked, most recently in when a security breach of Apple's iCloud service exposed several celebrity photos. Another risk is if the cloud storage company goes out of business and shuts down operations, which happened with smaller cloud storage service Firedrive. If this happens, you won't be able to access any of the files you've stored in your account. Other drawbacks include files taking a long time to upload to your cloud folder, which can eat up your Internet bandwidth and slow down your connection temporarily.

Additionally, without an Internet connection, you might not be able to access any files stored in your account. Cloud storage is inexpensive, with many companies giving you small amounts of free storage. Cloud storage is a great choice for anyone who wants to back up photos, since many companies have mobile apps that automatically upload photos and video you take with a phone or tablet, right after you record them.

For help picking a cloud storage service, check out CNET's comprehensive guide to the most popular choices. The different storage methods mentioned above are great for anyone, since they are easy to use and usually inexpensive. But if you need a more advanced option, there's the complete backup and network attached storage NAS.

Programs such as CrashPlan and Carbonite continuously back up entire folders on your hard drive, instead of just a few files that you choose. Those applications can also back up your entire hard drive, if you want them to. Then there are tools that take a system image of your machine -- basically a snapshot of all of the files and settings at a particular time -- that you can use in case your computer crashes or you somehow lose a large swath of files. On Mac, the built-in Time Machine program does this, while Windows has its own system image backup tool.

For more robust local storage that's also available online, there's NAS. A NAS server is essentially one or more hard drives connected to your computer over an Internet connection.