Computer backup lets you back up certain key folders on your computer, such as 'Desktop', 'Documents', and 'Downloads', to Dropbox.
After backup, those folders, and the files within them, are still accessible from the same place on your computer, while also backed up to Dropbox. Any changes or deletions you make to those folders from your computer, or in Dropbox, will be reflected in both places. You can access those folders, which are backed up under 'My Mac [Your device name]' or 'My PC [Your device name]', from anywhere you use Dropbox, such as dropbox.com, the Dropbox mobile app, and the Dropbox desktop app on other computers. For Dropbox Business team members using the team folder structure with the purple member folder, their folders will be backed up in that purple folder.
- Dropbox Automatic Backup Using the dedicated Dropbox plug-in from Handy Backup, you can copy your files such as photo, documents, computer drive images, website content or just generic files, to a Dropbox account as a backup vault, or from this account to another place such as backup to Google Drive.
- Manage Mac and PC backup—automatically When you turn on computer backup, files on your PC or Mac are continuously backed up to the cloud. Any changes made in synced folders are automatically updated in your Dropbox account and on your hard drive. Access your files—whenever, wherever.
Jun 19, 2020 – To automatic backup Windows to Dropbox, you can set up a scheduled backup to the local DropBox folder with AOMEI Backupper and then the 7. Dropbox can now automatically backup system folders.
Like any files stored in Dropbox, you can view version history on these files and restore previous versions.
How to set up computer backup
Before setting up computer backup, do the following:
- Close all open files and applications on your computer.
- Install the Dropbox desktop application, if you haven't already.
- If you've paused syncing, resume it.
- Connect to internet.
- If any of the folders are already backed up to another cloud storage provider (like iCloud, OneDrive, or Google Backup and Sync), disable those backups and ensure your files are back in their original folders on your computer. (If you're not sure how, consult that company's help center).
To set up computer backup:
- Open your Dropbox desktop app preferences.
- Click the Backups tab.
- Click Set up.
- Note: If you're on a Dropbox Business team and you don't see this option, your admin may have chosen not to allow you to enable it.
- Check the folders you'd like to back up.
- If your work and personal accounts are connected, choose which Dropbox account you'd like to back up your folders to.
- Click Set up and follow the steps.
- Mac users: Click OK when prompted to give Dropbox permission to access your folders.
If any files fail to back up, a shortcut will be created in Dropbox called 'Files on my computer' that will take you to their location on your computer.
Troubleshoot computer backup
If you experience errors during setup
If you get an error while setting up computer backup, try the following troubleshooting steps before attempting setup again:
- Close any files or applications that use data in the folders you'd like to back up.
- Disable any other cloud-storage-provider folders (like iCloud, OneDrive, or Google Backup and Sync) from the folders you'd like to back up and ensure your files are back in their original folders on your computer.
- Allow edit permissions on all files and folders you'd like to back up.
- Learn how to allow permission on Windows.
- Learn how to allow permissions on Mac.
- If you're using a Mac, make sure you allow access to files and folders in your security and privacy settings.
- Note: You must have admin permissions on your computer to change permissions.
- If the folders you'd like to back up aren't in their original, default locations, move them back.
- If the Dropbox folder and the folders you'd like to back up aren't on the same hard drive, move them to the same hard drive. For example, if your folders are on an external hard drive, and the Dropbox folder is on your computer's hard drive, move them to the same hard drive.
If you don't see your files after turning on computer backup
Any files that failed to backup to Dropbox will be in a folder called 'Files on my computer' instead.
Mac users: If you don't see your files in Finder after backup, force quit Finder and relaunch it. Html grid table generator.
If you have issues with an application after turning on computer backup
Restart the application. In particular, we recommend restarting:
- Firefox
- Google Chrome
- Microsoft Money
- Microsoft Outlook
- Safari
- If you're on Windows and using Microsoft Edge, your Microsoft Edge downloads won't sync to your 'Downloads' folder in Dropbox with this feature. To sync your Microsoft Edge downloads to Dropbox anyway, manually change where your Microsoft Edge files download to Dropbox.
If your files aren't syncing as expected
Make sure the Dropbox desktop application is installed on your computer.
Learn how to check syncing status, prioritize which files sync first, or prevent some files from syncing.
If you can't move, delete, rename, or share your folders after backup
After backup, you can't move, delete, or rename the top-level folders you've backed up (like 'Desktop', 'Documents', and 'Downloads', or 'My Mac' and 'My PC'). However, you can move, delete, and rename the files within them. You won't be able to share those folders in Dropbox by inviting people to them via email, but you can still share those folders with a link and share any files or folders within them.
Turn off computer backup
Notes:
- You must have the Dropbox desktop application installed to turn off computer backup. If you already uninstalled the desktop application, reinstall the desktop application to turn off computer backup.
- Deleting the files or folders in 'My PC'or 'My Mac' will delete those files from both Dropbox and your computer.
- If you no longer have access to the device, you can turn off computer backup by unlinking the device from your Dropbox account.
To turn off computer backup:
- Open your Dropbox desktop app preferences.
- Click the Backups tab.
- Click Manage backup.
- Uncheck the folders you'd like to stop backing up to Dropbox or uncheck My Mac/My PC to turn off backup for all folders at once.
- Click Save.
- Choose Keep content in folders on this PC/Mac or Leave content in Dropbox.
- If you choose Keep content in folders on this PC/Mac, the files and folders you stopped backing up can be found in their original folders on your computer.
- If you choose Leave content in Dropbox, new files you add to those folders will save to their original folders on your computer, but the files and folders you previously backed up to Dropbox with computer backup will remain in your Dropbox account. On your computer, they'll be accessible by shortcuts, in their original folders, called 'My files in Dropbox'.
- Note: If you see Set Up instead, it means computer backup is already off.
- Click Stop backup.
- Click Close.
Admins: Choose if your team can use computer backup
Admins can choose whether or not team members can enable computer backup.
If an admin chooses not to allow team members to enable computer backup, team members won't see the option to enable it in their account. Computer backup won't be disabled for team members who are already using it and it isn't disabled for team members who already enabled it on their accounts before they joined the team. To check which team members have already enabled it, admins can search the admin insights dashboard for 'Enabled/disabled backup for computer'.
To choose if your team can use computer backup:
- Sign in to dropbox.com with your admin credentials.
- Click Admin Console.
- Click Settings.
- Click Backups.
- Under Allow your team to enable computer backup, toggle to On or Off.
- Note: It may take up to an hour for the change to take effect.
How does an incremental backup work?
An incremental backup is a backup type that only updates the changes made to your files since your last backup. So, if you change 10 words in a 10,000 word file, an incremental backup will only affect those 10 changed words. That means you won't need to reprocess files that haven't changed since the previous backup.
Differential backups, on the other hand, reprocess all of the files that have changed since your last backup. They are similar to incremental backups but, instead of only replacing the 10 changed words in a 10,000 word file, they would need to reupload the entire file.
What is the best type of backup approach?
The best type of backup strategy will depend on your needs, but most businesses will benefit from incremental file backups as they provide the most time-efficient solution. Gaps between backups create opportunities for data loss and can endanger attempts at disaster recovery. This heightens the importance of frequent backups and makes the speed of backups a significant factor. As differential backups have to process more data than their incremental counterparts, they are completed slower—making incremental backups the better option.
There is one downside to incremental backups which is that when things do need to be restored, data must be restored from every incremental backup made since your last full backup. This can be a very time-consuming backup process. You may struggle to pin-point the precise date you want to back up from as well.
Dropbox Automatic Backup Windows
Top tips for Backups
If your business is not implementing a backup system, you really are living dangerously. Get your files backed up and safely stored so even if the worst happens, you know you can rely on data recovery. Here are some tips for getting started:
Don't save your backup in the same location
Don't go to the effort of running a new full backup only to place your files in the same locations as the originals. For example, if you save your backup of your PC files in a dedicated file on your C drive, that does nothing to protect you from operating system failure and data loss. If your PC were to then break down, it will take everything with it, including your back up, and you won't be able to perform a full restoration.
You may also want to avoid easily lost or damaged backup storage like disk drives or external hard drives. Having everything continuously backed up on an external hard drive may seem like the perfect backup scenario with very little outlay. However, these devices can become corrupt and require formatting i.e. need to be completely wiped before they can work again.
Don't forget to run your backup
Dropbox Auto Backup
You should schedule automatic backups and make sure you stick to them. It can be tempting to mute reminders or postpone processes when you're in the middle of something. Doing this with your backup only spells disaster. Have a set time each week for your backups to run, preferably outside of office hours. This means all your data can be safely stored without interrupting your regular workflows.
Make sure your backed-up data is correctly labelled
It's easy to let backups run in the background and not give them a spare thought. But should you need to use them one day, you'll be grateful that you took the time to label everything correctly. It's understandable that you might not want to wade through every data set to name them accurately. Still, you should make the effort to do so with your most important documents in all your most recent backup files. Especially as you may not be able to identify these from date alone.
Even if you follow all these tips, a successful backup still calls for quite some effort on your end. Whether it's storing, sorting, or retrieving data, you're sure to end up wondering if there is an easier way. And there is.
Dropbox Pc Backup
Cloud backup and delta sync
Does Dropbox Backup Files
Make sure the Dropbox desktop application is installed on your computer.
Learn how to check syncing status, prioritize which files sync first, or prevent some files from syncing.
If you can't move, delete, rename, or share your folders after backup
After backup, you can't move, delete, or rename the top-level folders you've backed up (like 'Desktop', 'Documents', and 'Downloads', or 'My Mac' and 'My PC'). However, you can move, delete, and rename the files within them. You won't be able to share those folders in Dropbox by inviting people to them via email, but you can still share those folders with a link and share any files or folders within them.
Turn off computer backup
Notes:
- You must have the Dropbox desktop application installed to turn off computer backup. If you already uninstalled the desktop application, reinstall the desktop application to turn off computer backup.
- Deleting the files or folders in 'My PC'or 'My Mac' will delete those files from both Dropbox and your computer.
- If you no longer have access to the device, you can turn off computer backup by unlinking the device from your Dropbox account.
To turn off computer backup:
- Open your Dropbox desktop app preferences.
- Click the Backups tab.
- Click Manage backup.
- Uncheck the folders you'd like to stop backing up to Dropbox or uncheck My Mac/My PC to turn off backup for all folders at once.
- Click Save.
- Choose Keep content in folders on this PC/Mac or Leave content in Dropbox.
- If you choose Keep content in folders on this PC/Mac, the files and folders you stopped backing up can be found in their original folders on your computer.
- If you choose Leave content in Dropbox, new files you add to those folders will save to their original folders on your computer, but the files and folders you previously backed up to Dropbox with computer backup will remain in your Dropbox account. On your computer, they'll be accessible by shortcuts, in their original folders, called 'My files in Dropbox'.
- Note: If you see Set Up instead, it means computer backup is already off.
- Click Stop backup.
- Click Close.
Admins: Choose if your team can use computer backup
Admins can choose whether or not team members can enable computer backup.
If an admin chooses not to allow team members to enable computer backup, team members won't see the option to enable it in their account. Computer backup won't be disabled for team members who are already using it and it isn't disabled for team members who already enabled it on their accounts before they joined the team. To check which team members have already enabled it, admins can search the admin insights dashboard for 'Enabled/disabled backup for computer'.
To choose if your team can use computer backup:
- Sign in to dropbox.com with your admin credentials.
- Click Admin Console.
- Click Settings.
- Click Backups.
- Under Allow your team to enable computer backup, toggle to On or Off.
- Note: It may take up to an hour for the change to take effect.
How does an incremental backup work?
An incremental backup is a backup type that only updates the changes made to your files since your last backup. So, if you change 10 words in a 10,000 word file, an incremental backup will only affect those 10 changed words. That means you won't need to reprocess files that haven't changed since the previous backup.
Differential backups, on the other hand, reprocess all of the files that have changed since your last backup. They are similar to incremental backups but, instead of only replacing the 10 changed words in a 10,000 word file, they would need to reupload the entire file.
What is the best type of backup approach?
The best type of backup strategy will depend on your needs, but most businesses will benefit from incremental file backups as they provide the most time-efficient solution. Gaps between backups create opportunities for data loss and can endanger attempts at disaster recovery. This heightens the importance of frequent backups and makes the speed of backups a significant factor. As differential backups have to process more data than their incremental counterparts, they are completed slower—making incremental backups the better option.
There is one downside to incremental backups which is that when things do need to be restored, data must be restored from every incremental backup made since your last full backup. This can be a very time-consuming backup process. You may struggle to pin-point the precise date you want to back up from as well.
Dropbox Automatic Backup Windows
Top tips for Backups
If your business is not implementing a backup system, you really are living dangerously. Get your files backed up and safely stored so even if the worst happens, you know you can rely on data recovery. Here are some tips for getting started:
Don't save your backup in the same location
Don't go to the effort of running a new full backup only to place your files in the same locations as the originals. For example, if you save your backup of your PC files in a dedicated file on your C drive, that does nothing to protect you from operating system failure and data loss. If your PC were to then break down, it will take everything with it, including your back up, and you won't be able to perform a full restoration.
You may also want to avoid easily lost or damaged backup storage like disk drives or external hard drives. Having everything continuously backed up on an external hard drive may seem like the perfect backup scenario with very little outlay. However, these devices can become corrupt and require formatting i.e. need to be completely wiped before they can work again.
Don't forget to run your backup
Dropbox Auto Backup
You should schedule automatic backups and make sure you stick to them. It can be tempting to mute reminders or postpone processes when you're in the middle of something. Doing this with your backup only spells disaster. Have a set time each week for your backups to run, preferably outside of office hours. This means all your data can be safely stored without interrupting your regular workflows.
Make sure your backed-up data is correctly labelled
It's easy to let backups run in the background and not give them a spare thought. But should you need to use them one day, you'll be grateful that you took the time to label everything correctly. It's understandable that you might not want to wade through every data set to name them accurately. Still, you should make the effort to do so with your most important documents in all your most recent backup files. Especially as you may not be able to identify these from date alone.
Even if you follow all these tips, a successful backup still calls for quite some effort on your end. Whether it's storing, sorting, or retrieving data, you're sure to end up wondering if there is an easier way. And there is.
Dropbox Pc Backup
Cloud backup and delta sync
Does Dropbox Backup Files
Dropbox makes it completely effortless for your business to sync files in a safe and secure manner with its own technology called delta sync. Delta sync enables incremental backup, making for faster backup times without the need to use as much storage space in your Dropbox account.
While each incremental backup since the last full backup must be restored to capture every change, Dropbox Rewind allows users to restore entire backups from specific points in time. With Dropbox Rewind, users can restore a large number of changes at once while still reaping the benefits of backing up their data incrementally.
Dropbox File Backup
With everything being online, you can enjoy unparalleled flexibility. You don't need to be in the office, or even on your work device—you can access your files from anywhere. Dropbox also offers an auto-resuming sync feature so you won't lose your progress or downloads if your internet connection drops, they will simply resume when you reconnect.
