When y'all utilise a PC, you must make it a point to create extra copies of your documents and photos somewhere outside your computer's internal storage. That insulates you from potential data losses caused by sudden hardware failures, system crashes, and malware attacks.

Just local backups aside, it's as well all-time to upload your files online. Not but does that offer additional protection against unexpected events such as fires and theft, but you get to access the data on any device with an active net connection.

Google Bulldoze and OneDrive are two pop cloud storage services that can help you backup files to the cloud. The instructions below should assistance you lot figure out how to gear up upwardly each service to safeguard the data on your computer.

Automatically Fill-in Files to Google Bulldoze

Google Drive allows yous to dorsum up and sync files on your PC with its Backup and Sync client for Windows. To avert any confusion, here's how the  "Backup" and "Sync" elements work:

  • Backup: Continuously backs up folders to the Computers department in Google Drive. Y'all can't sync them to other devices.
  • Sync: Creates a special directory on your calculator and syncs files and folders to and from the My Drive department in Google Drive. You can also sync them with other desktop devices.

If you have a Google Account, you can immediately install and use Fill-in and Sync on your computer. If non, you must create a Google Account. You get 15GB of free storage to start with. Paid plans include 100GB for $ane.99/calendar month, 200GB for $2.99/calendar month, and 2TB for $9.99/calendar month.

one. Download the Backup and Sync installer from Google. And then, run information technology on your PC to install the Fill-in and Sync client.

Once the Welcome to Backup and Sync screen shows up, select Get Started and insert your Google Account credentials to sign into Backup and Sync.

2. The My Laptop or My Computer screen that shows upward allows you lot to specify the folders you want to backup to Google Drive.

By default, Backup and Sync displays three folders on your PC—Desktop, Documents, and Pictures. You can pick additional folders by selecting Choose Folder.

If you pick the Pictures folder, you must select your photo upload preferences—Loftier quality or Original quality. The old compresses photos and videos to the 16MP and 1080p resolutions, respectively, while the latter uploads them at full quality.

If yous want to back up your photos and videos separately to Google Photos, check the box next to Upload photos and videos to Google Photos.

Note: Photo and video uploads uploaded in compressed quality don't count toward your Google Drive storage quota until June 1st, 2021.

three. Select Next to proceed.

4. Option the Sync everything in My Drive option to sync all files and folders from  Google Bulldoze's My Drive section to local storage. Or, select Sync only these folders to sync select folders simply.

5. Select Beginning to finish setting upwards the Backup and Sync client.

Folders that you lot've chosen to support to Google Drive should first uploading immediately. Head over to Google Drive in your spider web browser and select the Computers tab to access the online copies of each folder by device.

Additionally, you should notice a location labeled Google Drive within the sidebar in File Explorer. It should contain files and folders from My Drive that yous've opted to sync locally. Folders that you copy to or create inside information technology will upload to My Drive in the Google Drive web app, equally well every bit to other devices that you lot've set up using Backup and Sync.

If you want to change how the Backup and Sync client functions on your PC afterward on, select the Backup and Sync from Google icon on the organization tray and go to Settings > Preferences.

How to Back up Files Using OneDrive

OneDrive comes pre-installed with Windows. Provided that you lot've signed into your PC with a Microsoft Account, you should be fix to showtime using information technology.

In addition to syncing your files online, OneDrive also allows you to dorsum up your most of import directories—Desktop, Documents, and Pictures—to the cloud. But here are a couple of things to exist enlightened of:

  • OneDrive moves the Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders to its sync directory should you choose to back them up.
  • Dissimilar Google Bulldoze, Microsoft's cloud storage service doesn't feature the selection to back up additional folders on your PC. You lot tin get effectually this limitation with symlinks (more than on that beneath).

OneDrive provides 5GB of gratis storage. Paid storage plans include 100GB at $1.99/month and 1TB at $6.99/month. The latter pick also nets you an Function 365 subscription.

1. Select the OneDrive icon on the system tray and go to Assist & Settings > Settings.

2. Switch to the Fill-in tab and select Manage backup.

three. Pick the folders y'all want to support—Desktop, Documents, and Pictures.

iv. Select Start backup.

v. Select OK again to relieve your changes.

If yous desire to support/sync other folders on your PC to OneDrive, you must use symbolic links.

A symlink consists of a folder shortcut that points to a directory in another location. Creating a symlink in OneDrive prompts the cloud storage service to sync the files within the target directory.

To create a symlink in OneDrive, open an elevated Control Prompt console (blazon cmd into the Start menu and select Run as administrator). Then, enter and execute the post-obit command after modifying the two file paths within it as needed:

mklink /J "C:\Users\username\OneDrive\Music" "C:\Users\username\Music"

Notation: The first path instructs the Command Prompt console to create a shortcut binder (named Music) within the OneDrive directory. The second path contains the directory that the symlink should point at (in this case, to the Music folder in Windows 10). You tin can also create symlinks on Mac too.

Symlinks aren't a perfect solution. If OneDrive runs into trouble syncing them, your merely culling is to movement the target folders to the primal OneDrive sync location itself. You can find this inside the File Explorer sidebar.

Google Drive vs. OneDrive: Make Your Pick

Google Bulldoze edges out OneDrive with its power to upload folders from whatsoever location on your computer. It draws a clear line between backing up and syncing data, and that makes information technology a very versatile deject storage solution.

But if you lot only prefer protecting the almost of import directories on your PC, then you shouldn't shy away from OneDrive. It's also native to Windows and the superior option from a technical standpoint.