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Check your backups

A backup you never check can fail without telling you. This guide checks the four things that matter: backups are running, they hold what you think, the repository is healthy, and you can get files back.

1. Are backups running?

  1. Open the Dashboard and sort by Last snapshot.
  2. Look at Next snapshot. overdue means a scheduled backup didn't happen.
  3. Open the Tasks tab and select Failed to see backups that failed or finished with errors. Open one to read kopia's log.

If backups don't run at all, check who runs them: the Backups button on the Dashboard names the app (Who runs backups). KopiaLens runs backups only while it's open.

To get told when a backup fails, set up a notification (Notifications).

2. Is everything backed up?

  1. Open the Excluded tab.
  2. Keep Not backed up selected and open each drive.
  3. Look for folders marked NOT backed up or partial that you expected to be in your backups (Excluded).

To back up a missing folder, use New snapshot… on the Dashboard. To see why something is left out, open its Details: the panel lists the exclusion rules that apply.

3. Is the repository healthy?

  1. Open the Repository tab. The Health card lists any problem it finds, such as maintenance that hasn't run for a long time (Repository).
  2. Select Verify backups…. Choose Every source and a share of files to download and check, for example 5% of files.
  3. Start it. The verify runs as a job, and its result shows in the job panel and the Tasks tab.

Verifying more files catches more damage but takes longer. On cloud storage it also costs download traffic (Checking backups).

4. Can you get files back?

Try a restore now, before you need one:

  1. Pick a file you know, in Search or the Tree.
  2. Right-click it and select Download, or restore it Next to the original (Restore files).
  3. Open it and check it.

How often

  • Look at the Dashboard and Tasks once a week, or let notifications tell you.
  • Check the Excluded tab after you add new folders or drives.
  • Verify backups now and then, for example once a month.