Your backup needs a restore test, not just a success message

Seeing a successful backup message is reassuring. Being able to recover a file is more reassuring still. The difference becomes important when a laptop fails, a document is overwritten or the only copy of a family photo disappears.

A useful backup routine answers two questions: what is being copied, and how would you get it back? If the second question has never been tested, the routine still has an unknown at its centre.

You do not need to simulate a disaster or wipe a working computer. Start with one ordinary file and a safe restore to a separate location.

A synced folder is not always a complete backup

The Australian Signals Directorate's Australian Cyber Security Centre explains in its backup guide that backups can use cloud services or physical storage. It also warns that synchronisation can copy unwanted changes, including damage caused by ransomware.

That distinction matters when choosing a service. A folder appearing on two devices may mean the same changes are being repeated in both places. Check whether your setup retains earlier versions and how deleted files can be recovered. Do not assume those functions exist because the service uses the word cloud.

Read the settings for the particular product you use. Find out which folders are included, whether the account has enough space and what happens if a device has been offline. These are questions to verify in your own setup, not universal features of every backup product.

Decide what you cannot easily replace

Make a short list before choosing the routine. It might include personal documents, photographs, current study work or business records. Separate material you created from software or other files you could download again.

Then identify where each item actually lives. A document saved in Downloads may not be covered by the same routine as one saved in Documents. Photos on a phone, files on a desktop and documents shared with you by another person may each need a different check.

An original example: a student might have an assignment in a synced folder, research notes saved locally and photographs of handwritten work on a phone. Testing only the assignment would leave two other parts of the work unexamined. The example is fictional, but the inventory is something you can do with your own files.

Try one small restore

Choose a non-sensitive test document that is already included in your backup. Give it a recognisable name and a sentence inside it. Allow your normal backup process to run, then use the provider's instructions to restore a copy into a separate test folder.

Open the restored file. Check that the content is readable and that you recovered the version you expected. If the service offers previous versions, use a disposable test document to learn how that works without overwriting important work.

Do not delete the only live copy of something valuable to prove that recovery works. A safe test should leave your original intact. If the steps are unclear, stop and use the product's official help or ask somebody qualified to assist.

Write down where you found the restore controls and anything that was confusing. Those notes are for future you, who may be dealing with a broken device and less patience.

Protect the backup itself

The ACSC recommends strong account protection for cloud backups and keeping external backup storage disconnected when it is not being used. Its guidance also recommends maintaining an offline copy. A backup that can be altered through the same compromised account or connection may not provide the separation you expected.

Its personal cyber security first steps include regular backups and checking that files can be restored. How often you need a copy depends partly on how much work changes between backups.

Think about that interval in practical terms. If you lost everything created since the last copy, what would you need to recreate? There is no single schedule in this article that suits every household or business. Choose a routine based on the material and check that it actually runs.

Account access is part of recovery

Knowing where a backup is stored is not enough if you cannot access it after losing your main device. Review the account's recovery options through its official settings. Keep recovery information securely, and do not put passwords or recovery codes in a public document or ordinary shared task list.

For a business, establish who is authorised to restore data and how they get help if that person is away. Avoid solving the problem by giving everybody the same password. Access arrangements should match the sensitivity of the information involved.

If ransomware is involved

The ACSC's ransomware guidance explains the importance of unaffected backups. Recovery from a suspected attack is different from restoring an accidentally deleted document. Seek appropriate help before reconnecting storage to a system that may still be compromised.

For an ordinary check today, keep the task modest: identify one important folder, confirm it is covered and restore one harmless file. Record the result. A backup becomes much more useful when recovery is a process you have actually seen work.

Repeat the small check after a significant change, such as moving to another computer or backup service. A successful test of the old arrangement does not confirm that the replacement includes the same folders or recovery options.

Source check: 27 September 2026. Follow the instructions for your own devices and backup service before changing settings.