Maintenance
A General Backup Maintenance Checklist
Setting up a backup once isn't quite the end of the story — a small amount of ongoing attention keeps it actually reliable. Here's a general checklist you can adapt to your own setup.
Monthly
- Confirm the most recent backup actually completed successfully
- Check available cloud storage against your plan's limit
- Review any error or warning notifications
Every Few Months
- Test restoring a sample file to confirm the process actually works
- Review which folders/devices are included, and add any new ones
- Confirm account billing and renewal details are current
Annually
- Reassess whether your storage plan still fits your actual data volume
- Review account recovery options (like a backup email) are current
- Revisit your overall backup strategy against the 3-2-1 principle
The single most valuable habit on this list is periodically testing an actual restore — a backup that's never been test-restored is an assumption, not a guarantee.