While backing up your digital assets may not be the most exciting task in the world, it’s an important one. With the prevalence of cloud storage and affordable hardware, there’s no excuse to put off protecting your files.
This guide will walk you through various methods to back up your data for free.
Why should you back up your files?
Imagine losing all your photos, documents, and files in a single instant due to a hard drive failure, ransomware attack, or theft. The anxiety and loss can be overwhelming, but this is preventable.
By setting up a backup system, you can ensure that your data is safe, no matter what happens to your device.
What is a backup?
A backup is a copy of your data stored separately from your original files. This can be on another device, like an external hard drive, or in the cloud.
It’s crucial, however, to understand that simply storing files in a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox isn’t always a backup. If you delete a file from your synced folder, it may also be deleted from the cloud.
For true backup protection, ensure your files are stored in a way that doesn’t mirror deletions.
How to back up your data for free
Free cloud storage options
There are several free cloud storage services you can use for backing up important files:
- Google Drive: Offers 15GB of free storage, shared with Gmail and Google Photos.
- Dropbox: Provides 2GB of free space, which can be increased through referrals and other methods.
- Microsoft OneDrive: Offers 5GB of free storage, which can be expanded through subscriptions.
Cloud services allow you to automatically sync files from your devices. If you would like more options, we reviewed and ranked the best free cloud storage and the best cloud storage services.
If you’ve chosen a cloud service that meets your storage needs, follow the steps below to set up your backup:
- Download and install the app on your devices.
- Choose important folders (e.g., Documents, Photos) to back up. On phones, this often includes the camera roll.
- Ensure that deletions from your device don’t remove files from the cloud, if the service allows this setting.
If you aren’t sure about this solution, follow out guide on how safe is cloud storage, where we explain how it works and the measures put in place to ensure your files are kept safe and secure.
Free local storage options
For those with limited cloud storage, local backups are a good alternative. Here are some recommended options:
- External USB drive: Use a USB drive to manually copy files. This method requires you to remember to back up regularly, but it’s effective and protects against ransomware attacks since the drive is not always connected.
- Built-in tools: Use built-in tools like ‘File History’ in Windows or ‘Time Machine’ on Mac to automate backups to an external drive.
- Network attached storage (NAS): A NAS device connects to your router, making it accessible to all devices in your home for automatic backups.
If you’re interested, we’ve put together roundups of the best NAS drives and the best portable hard drive & SSD for backing up your videos, photos, music and files.
Alternatively, install some dedicated backup software which will automate the process (but you’ll still have to plug in your USB drive).
How to back up your entire PC or laptop
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).
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. This needn’t be expensive though, as there are free and paid versions available.
Again, you’ll find options in our separate roundup of the best backup software, because most of these apps offer both file/folder and full PC backup options.
How to back up your phone
If you own an Android phone, Google offers 15GB of free storage shared with Gmail and Drive. Most Android phones automatically back up photos, contacts, and app data if you enable this in settings.
If you use an iPhone, Apple provides 5GB of free iCloud storage. To back up more data, you may need to purchase additional storage. For free backups, you can manually save photos and files to your computer or another cloud service.
You can also read our guides on how to backup Android and how to backup an iPhone for more details.
Which backup method is best?
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but combining methods is key. For example, use a cloud service for easy access and an external drive for full system backups.
When backing up, consider file versioning, which allows you to revert to older versions of a document if needed. Also, understand the difference between incremental and full backups: incremental backups only save new and changed files, saving time and space.
Check how easily files can be restored from backups, as some methods are more flexible than others. Taking the time to set up proper backups is worthwhile, as it can prevent significant data loss in case of device failure or theft.
