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Protect and recover · Lesson 10 of 11

Back Up Your Phone and Computer With the 3-2-1 Rule

Learn why sync is not a backup, keep three copies of what you can't replace with the 3-2-1 rule, and test that your backup really works.

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Phones and computers can break, get lost or be stolen without warning, and your photos and papers can go with them. In this lesson you keep what you can’t replace in more than one place, using tools your devices already have. The best time to make your copies is now, while everything still works.

Sync is not a backup

Many phones and computers sync: they keep the same files on all your devices through your online account. That is handy, but it is not a backup. Because sync keeps every device the same, a deletion spreads too. For example, if a child clears space on the family tablet by deleting an album of holiday photos, the album disappears from your phone and laptop as well. You can usually get deleted files back, but only for a limited time, and only if someone notices.

An online account linked by dotted lines to a phone, an example family tablet and a laptop, each showing an empty dashed space where the photos were. A red label says Sync is not a backup, and a bin with a clock says Back only for a limited time.(opens the full-size picture)
Delete it on one device, and it goes from all of them.

The 3-2-1 rule

So keep sync on, but add a backup: a separate copy that a deletion can’t reach. A simple way to plan it is the 3-2-1 rule:

  • 3 copies of anything important, counting the original.
  • 2 kinds of storage, like your computer and a small drive you plug in.
  • 1 copy away from home, for example online, in case of a fire or a burglary.

Each number guards against a different accident, so if one copy fails, you still have another.

A house holding a laptop with a photo, labelled Original, connected to a small drive labelled Copy 2. Outside, a cloud holds Copy 3, Online. Labels say 3 copies, 2 kinds of storage, 1 away from home, Sync stays on, and Backup: a separate copy a deletion can't reach.(opens the full-size picture)
One photo, kept in three places.

Turn on your phone’s backup

Start with your phone. Turn on its own backup, in its settings (look for Backup; the names vary by phone). It usually runs by itself, for example while the phone is charging. But photos that sync may not be included in that backup, so copy them to your computer too. Then they ride along in your computer’s backup.

A phone's Settings with a Backup switch turned on, and the note Runs by itself. An amber warning says Synced photos may not be included, and an arrow carries a Holiday photo to a laptop with a blue check. Caption on the image: Look for Backup in your phone's Settings (names vary).(opens the full-size picture)
Copy your synced photos to your computer as well.

Back up your computer

Then back up your computer. Mac and Windows computers both have a free tool built in. It copies your files, photos included, onto a small drive you plug in. These tools also keep older versions of your files, so a document you changed by mistake can still come back. Unplug the drive when the backup is done, so a problem on the computer can’t reach it.

A laptop full of documents and photos, connected by a cable to a small drive with a blue check. The cable is labelled Files and photos, and a label above the drive says Free, built in, beside faded drawings of a laptop and a desktop computer.(opens the full-size picture)
Your computer already has what you need, apart from the drive.

Chats and sign-in codes

Some apps keep their data outside your phone’s backup. Chat apps can, and so can authenticator apps, which give you codes for signing in. If you lose your phone, those chats and codes could be gone with it. So open each one, find its own backup setting, and check that it is on.

A phone with a dashed box labelled Phone backup. Beside it, two app cards, Chats and Authenticator, each with its own switch turned on and the label Backup: On. A blue label says Each app has its own backup setting.(opens the full-size picture)
Don't assume the phone's backup covers every app.

Backup codes on paper

Some accounts also give you backup codes: spare codes for signing in if your phone is lost. Print them, and keep them with your important papers, like your passport. Paper can’t be deleted by accident.

A Backup codes card with five rows of dots, labelled Spare codes for signing in. A phone with a question mark, a printer, and a folder of Important papers holding the printed codes next to a passport. A label says Keep them with your important papers.(opens the full-size picture)
Keep a paper copy where you keep your passport.

The restore test

Last, a backup only counts once you have restored a file from it. Restoring means getting a file back. Try it with one file: restore it to a new folder, so nothing gets replaced, and open it. If it opens, your backup works. On your phone, check that the date of the last backup is recent.

Headline: A backup counts once you restore from it. A drive with the note Restore = get a file back, a Restore test folder holding a photo, the original Photos folder with the note Nothing replaced, the photo opened large with the label It opens, and a phone card that says Last backup: today.(opens the full-size picture)
Restore to a new folder, so nothing gets replaced.

YOUR TURN

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Read the full lesson script

In this lesson, you will keep what you can't replace in more than one place. Phones and computers can fail or get lost without warning. So make your copies while everything still works.

First, sync is not a backup. Sync keeps the same files on all your devices. So if a child deletes photos on the family tablet, the photos disappear from your phone too. You can get them back, but only for a limited time.

Keep sync on, but add a backup, a separate copy that a deletion can't reach. Use the three two one rule. Three copies, counting the original. On two kinds of storage, like your computer and a small drive you plug in. And one away from home, for example online.

Now, turn on your phone's own backup, in its settings. It usually runs by itself. But photos that sync may not be included, so copy them to your computer too.

Then back up your computer. Mac and Windows computers both have a free tool built in. It copies your files, photos included, onto that small drive.

Chat apps can keep their data outside your phone's backup. So can authenticator apps, which give you codes for signing in. Open each one, and find its own backup setting.

Some accounts also give you backup codes, spare codes for signing in if your phone is lost. Print them, and keep them with your important papers, like your passport.

Last, a backup only counts once you have restored a file from it. Restoring means getting a file back. Restore one file to a new folder, so nothing gets replaced, and open it. On your phone, check that the last backup is recent.

So, sync is not a backup. Keep three copies, on two kinds of storage, with one away from home. Today, restore one file from your backup. Next, in the final lesson, you will learn what to do if something goes wrong.