Laptops get stolen from cars and hostels, drinks get spilled, hard disks die without warning, and ransomware locks files. A backup is what turns each of those from a disaster into an annoyance.
The rule people use is simple: keep important files in at least two places, and one of them not in the same building.
Option 1: cloud storage
Your files sync to an online account as you work, so they survive anything that happens to the laptop.
- OneDrive is built into Windows. Sign in with a Microsoft account, then open OneDrive settings, Sync and back up, Manage back up, and turn on Desktop, Documents and Pictures. Free space is 5GB; Microsoft 365 subscriptions include 1TB.
- Google Drive for desktop does the same with your Google account's 15GB.
- iCloud Drive on a Mac, under System Settings, your name, iCloud.
On a data bundle, the first sync can be large. Do it on Wi-Fi, and set your hotspot as a metered connection so syncing pauses on mobile data.
Option 2: an external drive
A portable hard drive or SSD holds far more than free cloud storage, needs no data, and costs a one-off amount.
Windows: plug in the drive, open Control Panel, File History (search for it from Start), choose the drive and turn it on. It copies your files every hour while the drive is connected and keeps older versions.
Mac: plug in the drive and accept the offer to use it with Time Machine.
Or simply copy your Documents, Desktop and Pictures folders onto the drive once a week. Simple beats perfect, as long as you actually do it.
Keep the drive unplugged when you are not backing up. Ransomware encrypts every connected drive, including your backup.
The sensible setup
- Work documents, school projects and anything you cannot recreate: in OneDrive or Google Drive, so they are backed up continuously.
- Photos, videos and large files: on an external drive, updated weekly, kept somewhere other than your laptop bag.
Check your backup actually works
Once in a while, open a file from the backup on another computer, or restore one file. A backup you have never tested is a hope, not a backup.
Before you hand the laptop to a technician
Back up first, every time. Repairs, Windows reinstalls and "format and reload" jobs are the most common way people lose everything.
Tools that help with this
Free, and they work inside your browser without uploading anything.