Back up using a built-in operating system utility.Furthermore, check out our hard drive recovery tips and tricks, our picks for the best external hard drives, and our guides on how to choose an external hard drive, and how to back up your computer.
Here are our picks for some of the best free backup software ripe for the taking. The best part of it all? All three methods are typically quick, reliable and totally free for personal use. The available tools range from standalone programs and built-in backup utilities to newer, Web-based software that automatically stores all your data remotely in the cloud. However, there are ways to save your tail if you unexpectedly lose your virtual life in a cloud of (hopefully) metaphorical smoke.īackup software is not just a fad it’s an essential tool for keeping your digital belongings safe in a landscape prone to digital corruption, pesky malware, and inevitable hardware failure that strikes like a burglar in the night. All those cherished pieces – the photos of your family in Yosemite, your thesis paper on the migratory pattern of the Red-throated Diver, your 200GB of illegally downloaded music you can’t live without – lost into the eternal abyss due to some software or hardware failure, or possibly, just your own accidental stupidity. There’s nothing quite as gut-wrenching, frightening, and disheartening as losing all your precious files and folders in one fell, painful swoop.
