Your friends are more experienced than you when it comes to technology, do not doubt it. For this reason, after an evening spent talking about the importance of backup, you decided to take action once and for all to secure all your data and photos. So you are ready and smart phone in hand, you would like to backup your device. It is therefore for greater security that you are reading this guide: you would like to know how to create backup copies but, from the moment you are not sure how to proceed, you would need my help.

All right, if things are actually like this, I cannot help but be happy. I’m really happy to be able to help you solve your technological problem. In this tutorial we will see together all the basic steps to perform a proper backup. The procedure will be addressed for mobile devices but also for Windows and Mac computers; I want to make sure you succeed.

How do you say? These premises have intrigued you and now you’re no longer in the skin and would you start? I imagine! Okay, so sit up comfortably and take a few minutes of free time to read this guide. Follow my instructions step by step and you will see that you will not be able to make mistakes. I wish you a good read

How to create backup copies (Windows)

On PCs running Windows, you can set up your device backup using the Microsoft OneDrive tool. This service will allow you to back up all your important data, so as to avoid losing them in case of problems or malfunctions of your computer. Moreover, considering that the backup is online, you can consult your files from any other computer.

OneDrive allows you to synchronize all the settings of your computer, so you can restore them if necessary. You can also synchronize the folders you want so that you always have your files in the cloud at hand.

The first step in starting a backup with OneDrive is to have a free Microsoft account . This account provides you with a basic 5 GB of storage to store all data.

Also, if you need more space, you can upgrade your account for a fee by adding more GB, up to 1000 GB. You can even subscribe to a plan up to 5000 GB for 5 users. In any case, the costs are in the standard: from € 2 / month for the basic plan, up to a maximum of € 99 / year, for the most substantial plan available.

Before you start backing up your files, you will need to associate a Microsoft account with your computer. If you did not do it from the first configuration, simply by choosing a local account, then follow the procedure that I will show you in the next lines.

Open the Windows Start menu (icon with the flag symbol ) located at the bottom left. Then click on the Settings icon   you can find in the menu ( gear symbol ).

Once the Settings window is open , click on the Account item   ( symbol of a little man ). If you’ve never associated a Microsoft account, you’ll find the word Sign in with a Microsoft account . Then follow the on-screen procedure, entering your email and password associated with your account. If you’ve enabled 2-step verification, unlock access by following the on-screen instructions.

Now you will need to verify that all sync settings are on, so you can be sure your computer settings are saved in the cloud.

Go back to the Windows Settings and click on the Account item , followed by clicking on the Sync Settings item, which you can find in the left sidebar.  Under Sync Settings , move the lever from left to right, so as to activate the option. If you do not want to sync some options, you can choose from the lower list what you want to keep active and what to deactivate.

Now it’s time to sync your files with OneDrive. Make sure that Microsoft OneDrive is installed on your computer.

You can check it if there is an icon next to the clock with the symbol of a speech bubble. You can also click the Start button   and in the search bar type the word  OneDrive . It should therefore appear on screen the namesake service on which you have to click. If you do not have OneDrive, download it again from this link .

Once you have downloaded OneDrive, right-click on the bubble icon in the lower right-hand corner next to the Windows clock. Then select the Settings item and, from the window that appears, click on the Account tab . Then click the Add Account button and perform the on-screen procedure. This will enable sharing of folders on OneDrive. If you want, you can manually select all the folders to synchronize.

To access online folders, you can use OneDrive integration with Windows Explorer . Open any Windows folder and, from the left sidebar, click on OneDrive . You will then immediately access all the files in your cloud.

Once you have downloaded OneDrive to your Windows computer, you will need to log in with your Microsoft account: it then indicates the email address and password for it. Now, you will be finally asked to configure the OneDrive client.

What I advise you to do is to check the folders you want to copy in this cloud storage service. This way you will have a backup copy always available online.

All the files and folders you have synced to OneDrive will also be visible on your computer and will be found in the Windows File Explorer section   . Clicking on the OneDrive folder from the sidebar will allow you to view files and even add others manually: just drag them into it.

If you want to deepen the topic, I suggest you read this other mine dedicated to the operation of OneDrive.

How to create backup copies (Mac)

On the computers with macOS operating system, however, the iCloud Drive service is available. The latter will allow you to store so free all your data, up to a maximum of 5GB of space. However, you can extend it, by subscribing to a plan subscription . What you need to take advantage of this backup is an Apple ID.

Basically, your device with macOS should already be set up for automatic backup during initial setup of your computer. In any case, I will show you how to check that the procedure has been carried out correctly on your device.

Open  System Preferences , using its icon located in the Dock bar   ( gear symbol ). Then click on the iCloud item   to access the settings of your Apple ID

In the right section you can see all the elements to be synchronized. In case you want to disable synchronization for a specific item, remove the check mark in the adjacent box.

This synchronization, however, will not allow you to back up the files you have on your computer. For this operation you will have to click on  Finder  (icon with a face) and then, from the left sidebar, click on the iCloud Drive item.

Then drag your files into this folder to synchronize them online on your cloud and always find them available.

If you want to deepen the topic, I refer you to my guide where I talk about the operation of iCloud Drive.

How to create backup copies (Android)

Considering that today we are always on the move and we use our mobile devices intensively, it is necessary that these are also protected with a backup. As? I’ll explain right away. Android devices, as well as those with iOS operating system (which I’ll talk about in the next paragraph), have a feature of automatic backup of device settings.

As you understand, the backup is, therefore, a useful tool that allows you to restore all data in case of emergency, or to recover them, if for example, you have replaced an old device with a new one. Do not forget to do it, it’s also important for your mobile device.

On Android devices, this backup system is managed through a Google account. The multimedia files instead are stored via apps always managed by the colossus of Mountain View.

Proceeding with the order, I’ll first explain how to verify that your automatic backup function is active on your device.

Reach the   Android Settings (icon with a gear symbol ) and tap on the Account item. If you have not added a Google account, tap Add account and follow the on-screen procedure. If not, tap the Google entry and then tap your account.

Make sure all items are active, so you can be sure that each item is synchronized with the cloud, with the ability to recover in the future.

Instead, if you want to automatically back up all your multimedia items, like photos and videos in your device’s gallery, you can use the Google Photos app. This app allows you to make an unlimited backup of all your content: you will no longer lose your most important memories! You can still explore this topic through my guide on  Google Photos .

How to create backup copies (iOS)

On devices with iOS the procedure is as easy as that indicated on devices with Android operating system.

Also in this case, to take advantage of the automatic data backup service on your device, you will need to have an Apple ID. The cloud backup service is managed through iCloud, the same service that I talked about previously for computers with macOS operating system.

Even on iOS, in fact, iCloud allows you to store free of files and media items up to 5 GB of space. You can always decide at any time to expand storage by signing up for a paid account.

But unlike what happens with Android, the iCloud space will also be used to back up your multimedia elements. You will then quickly occupy the free space you have available if you usually take lots of photos and shoot a lot of videos.

To check the items you’ve synced when you first set up your iOS device, click the Settings icon and then tap iCloud. Then move the levers from left to right at the items you want to synchronize. In this way, you will have activated the synchronization of data for the related entries.