Back up personal files on Ubuntu, then practise restoring them

Decide what you need to recover

List documents, photographs, projects and other personal folders. Include work outside the usual Documents folder, such as a project directory on another drive. Consider whether important application data needs its own export or a specialised backup method. Check where each application actually saves the work.

A personal-file backup does not automatically reconstruct a complete computer. Installed applications, a bootloader, a database and a virtual machine can need additional planning. Recovering an assignment and photo collection is different from restoring a running workstation exactly as it was. Define the outcome before choosing the scope.

Open Backups and review the selections

Look in your applications menu for Backups or Déjà Dup. If it is absent, use your Ubuntu release’s official software installation route and check the application identity. Follow its current help rather than downloading a similarly named utility from an unfamiliar website.

Déjà Dup documents folder selections, exclusions, a destination and a schedule. Review these choices instead of assuming defaults cover every location. Check Downloads if it contains unfinished work or files you have not moved elsewhere. Default exclusions and button labels can differ with the application version.

Choose an appropriate destination

Select a destination available for both backup and later recovery. For an external drive, check its identity and free space. Avoid using a folder on the same physical drive as the only backup destination for files on that drive. A second folder does not create another device.

Label the destination clearly and note which computer it belongs to. If it already contains files, do not format it as a routine setup step. Choosing a backup destination should not require erasing unrelated material merely to make a folder or drive name look clean. Pause if a storage prompt proposes destructive changes.

Keep the encryption password recoverable

If the application offers encryption, choose a strong password and keep it recoverable without the original laptop. An encrypted backup that depends on a password lost with the computer will not solve the recovery problem. Protect that information rather than leaving it openly attached to the drive.

Finish the first run and read the completion status. A scheduled backup differs from a successful backup, and an interrupted first run may remain incomplete. Record the date, destination and included folders. These notes provide a useful reference when checking later runs or setting up recovery on another installation.

Restore into a separate test folder

Choose a small sample: a text document, photo and project file you can inspect. Open the restore or backup-browsing option, select a date and recover the sample to a separate location. Open each file and check its contents instead of relying solely on a successful-looking restore message.

GNOME’s current help distinguishes newer Déjà Dup backups using Restic from older backups using Duplicity. Their restoration interfaces differ. Follow the instructions appropriate to the backup format and installed version; a different-looking window does not by itself mean the backup is broken.

Make the routine fit your use

Choose a schedule matching how frequently valuable files change and when the destination is connected. If you write assignments daily, a backup that only succeeds before occasional upgrades leaves a large gap. Check successful completion dates after the first week of normal use.

Add another recovery location for important files, review capacity as projects grow, and restore another sample after significant setup changes. Keep a brief recovery note with the destination, required application and protected password-recovery location. Aim for a process you can repeat calmly when the original computer is unavailable.

• Confirm the included folders.
• Check the physical destination and free space.
• Keep encryption credentials recoverable elsewhere.
• Read the successful completion date.
• Restore a sample separately and open it.
• Use help matching your version and backup format.