- Backing Up and Restoring Your Files – For PC (Using an External Storage Device)
- Backing Up and Restoring Your Files – For Mac (Using an External Storage Device)
- Backing Up and Restoring Your Files – For Mac (To the Cloud)
- Backing Up and Restoring Your Files – For iPhone (To the Cloud)
- Backing Up and Restoring Your Files – For PC (To the Cloud)
Regularly backup the data on your personal computer, phone or tablet to the cloud or to external hard drives. This will protect you from data loss from hardware failures, breakage, theft, or malware infection like ransomware.
Backing up and restoring your files offers peace of mind and makes it faster and easier to get up and running again.
Setting up automatic updates and restoring your files
- Choose a backup system that’s right for your business
- Test you’re able to restore your backup regularly
- Store a physical backup somewhere safe offsite
NOTE: Certain industries have obligations to keep records for specific periods of time. Make sure you are aware of your business’ data retention requirements.
Regularly backup the data on your personal computer, phone or tablet to the cloud or to external hard drives. This will protect you from data loss from hardware failures, breakage, theft, or malware infection like ransomware.
How to back up and restore your files on your PC using an external storage device.
Backing up your files using an external storage device #
1. Ensure your external storage device is plugged in. Click Start, then on the Settings cog icon
2. Select Update & Security
3. Click Backup in the left column
4. Click +Add a drive in the new window
5. Select your external storage device
6. Select Automatically back up my files, then select More options
7. Define when and which folders to back up, then select Back up now
Tip: It is essential that you make sure you safely remove your external storage device after backing up your files – do not leave your external storage device connected to your system if you are not performing a backup.
Restore your files from your external storage device #
1. Click Start, then on the Settings cog icon
2. Select Update & Security
3. Click Backup in the left column. Ensure your external storage device is plugged in
4. Scroll to bottom of window and select Restore files from a current back up
5. Select the folders you want to restore
Regularly backup the data on your personal computer, phone or tablet to the cloud or to external hard drives. This will protect you from data loss from hardware failures, breakage, theft, or malware infection like ransomware.
How to back up and restore files on your Mac using an external hard drive.
Backing up your files using an external storage device #
1. Click Apple icon in the menu > System Preferences. Ensure your external storage device is plugged in
2. Select Time Machine
3. Click Select Backup Disk (or Select Disk, or Add or Remove Backup Disk)
4. Select your external storage device from the list of available devices
5. Then select Encrypt Backups (recommended) and click Use as Back up Disk
You may be prompted to erase the device first (for formatting purposes). Click Erase to proceed. This erases all information on the external storage device.
After you create a backup disk, Time Machine immediately begins making periodic backups automatically and without further action by you.
To start a backup manually, choose Back Up Now from the Time Machine menu on the menu bar.
Restoring your files using an external storage device #
1. Make sure your Time Machine (external hard drive) is connected and turned on, then turn on your Mac.
If your Mac starts up to setup assistance that asks for details like your country, keyboard, and network, continue to Step 2.
If your Mac starts up to Finder, open Migration assistant by using the search function on the top right hand side of the screen. Migration Assistant is in the Utilities folder of your Applications folder. Click continue in the first Migration Assistant window, then continue to Step 2.
2. When you are asked how you want to transfer your information, select the option to transfer “from a Mac, Time Machine, or start up disk”
3. Select your external storage device from the list of available disks, then click Use Disk
4. Select the files and folders you want to restore
5. Select the information transfer, then click Continue to start the transfer
6. The transfer may take some time. When complete, restart your Mac and log in to the migrated account to see the files
Regularly backup the data on your personal computer, phone or tablet to the cloud or to external hard drives. This will protect you from data loss from hardware failures, breakage, theft, or malware infection like ransomware.
How to back up and restore files on your Mac using the cloud.
Backing up your files to the cloud #
Before you begin:
- Update your mobile device(s) to the latest iOS, and your Mac to the latest macOS
- Set up iCloud on all devices
- Make sure you’re signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID on all devices
- If your devices can’t update to the latest iOS or macOS, see the minimum system requirements to use iCloud Drive.
1. Go to Apple menu > System Preferences
2. Select Apple ID
3. Select Options next to iCloud Drive
4. Click Desktop and Documents to back up your Mac to the cloud. Select your Mac cloud storage plan and click Next. Then click Done
If this option is not available, and you want to add the files from your Mac Desktop and Documents folder to iCloud Drive, update your Mac to the latest macOS
Restore your files from the cloud #
Restoring your Mac using iCloud is easy. You can access your backed up files anytime. Simply:
- Go to Finder
- Click on iCloud
- Select the files you want to restore.
Regularly backup the data on your personal computer, phone or tablet to the cloud or to external hard drives. This will protect you from data loss from hardware failures, breakage, theft, or malware infection like ransomware.
How to backup and restore data on your iPhone.
Backing up your files to the cloud on your iPhone #
Before you begin:
- Update your mobile device(s) to the latest iOS
- Set up iCloud on all devices
- Make sure you’re signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID on all devices
- If your devices can’t update to the latest iOS, see the minimum system requirements to use iCloud Drive.
1. Go to Settings > [your name]
2. Tap iCloud
Note: If you are choosing to back up using external storage device, refer to Step 1.
Data stored in iCloud Drive stays up to date across all of your devices and is accessible from www.iCloud.com
3. Click the iCloud Drive toggle to turn on iCloud Drive
4. Access your iCloud Drive files in the Files app
Regularly backup the data on your personal computer, phone or tablet to the cloud or to external hard drives. This will protect you from data loss from hardware failures, breakage, theft, or malware infection like ransomware.
How to back up your files on your PC using the cloud.
Backing up your files to the cloud #
Note: If you are choosing to back up using an external storage device, refer to Step 1.
Before you begin:
- Update your mobile device(s) or PC to the latest operating system
- Set up cloud on all devices
- If your devices cannot update to the latest Operating System, see the minimum system requirements to use the cloud-based software solution of your choice.
There are many cloud-based data backup tools that can make backing up and restoring as easy as clicking a button.
Some of the most popular cloud-based data backup software solutions are:
- Google Drive
- Dropbox
- Microsoft OneDrive.
Backing up using Google Drive #
1. Google Drive can be accessed via www.google.com by clicking the squares in the top right corner. If you are choosing to use Google Drive, you will need an account and to be logged in
2. Click on the Settings cog in the top left hand corner of the Google Drive screen and then Get Backup and Sync Windows
3. Follow the prompts to install Backup and Sync. You may need to log in for security reasons and click on the installbackupandsync.exe in your downloads folder to open the application
4. Once installed click Get Started and follow Backup and Sync steps including which folders you want to keep synced on your computer and to Google Drive.
5. To access synced folders on your desktop click on the Google Drive icon.
Restoring your files using Google Drive #
- Open Google Drive
- Select the Backup and Sync utility
- Access and restore your files at any time.