Kaspersky Standard | Plus | Premium
[Topic 84523]

About Backup and Restore

Available only in Kaspersky Plus and Kaspersky Premium.

Backup and Restore is needed to protect your data against loss when your computer malfunctions or gets stolen, or when it is deleted accidentally or corrupted by hackers.

To backup data, create and start a backup task. The task can be started automatically according to schedule or manually. The application also lets you view information about completed backup tasks.

It is recommended to save backup copies of data on removable drives or in Cloud storage.

Kaspersky application cannot create a full copy of a drive while a Microsoft Windows operating system is active on the drive.

Kaspersky application lets you use the following storage types for creating backup copies:

  • Local drive;
  • Removable drive (e.g., an external hard drive);
  • Network drive;
  • Cloud storage.

Creating tasks based on user's access rights

Backup tasks are created based on user's access rights to files on the local computer.

If you do not have local administrator rights on the computer, you can access only tasks created by yourself. If you have local administrator rights on the computer, you see all backup tasks, but you cannot modify tasks created by other users.

Backup tasks that were created earlier without taking user rights into account are available to all users of the computer. However, if such a task gets modified, it will be run based on the rights of the user that modified the task.

Restoring tasks based on user's access rights

If you do not have local administrator rights on the computer, you can restore data only from backup tasks created by yourself and only to folders you have rights to access. If you have local administrator rights on the computer, you can restore data from any backup task to any folder.

The total size of the copied files in a folder may exceed the size of that folder if it contains links to other folders (for example, when copying the Documents folder, the My Music, My Pictures and My Videos folders will also be copied if the Documents folder contains links to those folders).

About Backup and Restore in OneDrive

When backing up files to a OneDrive folder on your computer, Kaspersky application acts differently depending on whether the cloud file is downloaded to the OneDrive folder:

  • If the file is in the cloud and in the OneDrive folder on your computer, Kaspersky application makes a backup copy of this file.
  • If the file is not in the cloud, but it is present in the OneDrive folder on your computer, Kaspersky application makes a backup copy of this file.
  • If the file is displayed in the OneDrive folder but it is only stored in the cloud and not on your computer, Kaspersky application makes a backup copy of this file.
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[Topic 84679]

How to create a backup task

To create a backup task:

  1. Open the main application window.
  2. Select the Performance section.
  3. In the Backup and Restore block, click the Make backup button to start the backup creation wizard.

    The Backup Task Creation Wizard starts.

    The Wizard consists of a series of pages (steps), which you can navigate through by clicking the Next button. To go back, click on the name of the previous step at the top of the page. To stop the Wizard at any step, click the Cancel button.

    Let us review the steps of the Wizard in more detail.

In this section

Step 1. Select files and folders for backup

Step 2. Select a backup storage

Step 3. Configure a backup schedule

Step 4. Configure a backup storage

Wizard completion

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Step 1. Select files and folders for backup

In the Select folders step of the Wizard, you can specify folders and files you wish to back up. To do this, drag and drop the required folder to the Select folders window or choose the folder by clicking the Select a folder button that opens the Select a folder window. In the Select a folder window you can select a folder from the tree or enter the path to the folder in the text box manually.

Kaspersky application does not create backup copies of files located in the "Desktop" and "My Documents" folders if these folders are located on a network drive.

To add more folders, click the Add folder button at the upper-right corner of the page. To delete a folder from this page, hover over the folder you need and click the recycle bin button.

After the folder is added, you can select files that you want to back up. To view the list of files in a folder, double-click the folder you need. To include or exclude specific files from the backup copy, you can use check boxes next to the files. If you need to find a specific file in the list, use the Search option.

If you need to sort files by type in order to perform quick configuration, click Select file types and select any of the predefined categories: Audio, Images, Documents, Financial documents, Video, or Other file types.

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Step 2. Select a backup storage

Expand all | Collapse all

In the Select storage step of the Wizard, you can configure a backup storage or specify an existing one:

  • Cloud storages. Select the Dropbox option if you want to store backup copies in the Dropbox cloud storage. Note that the Dropbox cloud storage needs to be activated before use. When backing up data to Cloud storage, Kaspersky application does not create backup copies of data types that are restricted by Dropbox usage rules.
  • Network drives. If you prefer to store backup copies on a network drive, specify the relevant network drive by clicking the Add button.

  • Local and removable drives. If you prefer to store backup copies on a local or removable drive, select the relevant drive from the list.
  • I already have storage. If you already have a backup storage, specify it by clicking the Connect button.

To ensure data security, we recommend using the Cloud storage or creating backup storages on removable drives.

How to add a network drive as storage

To add a network drive:

  1. In the Network drives section of the Select storage window, click the Add button to open the Add network drive dialog and choose the desired network drive.
  2. Provide the necessary information for connecting to the network drive.
  3. Click Add.

How to add a local or removable drive as storage

To set a local or removable drive as a backup storage, select the drive from the list in the Local and removable drives section of the Select storage window.

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Step 3. Configure a backup schedule

In the Configure schedule step of the Wizard, you can specify the following settings:

  • Specify the name of the backup task.
  • Select the Run backup manually option if you wish to start the task manually.
  • Specify the backup task schedule if you want the backup task to start automatically.
    • Select the Run backup automatically option and set a time interval to run the task (for example, Every week), weekday, and the task run time.
    • Specify the username and password of your Windows account on this computer. The data of your Windows account is required to access files during the backup. If you are logged in to the operating system under a domain account, specify the username and password of your domain account to create the backup task.
    • Select the Run scheduled backup at computer startup if it was turned off at the specified time check box if you want to run a backup as soon as possible after the computer is turned on. For example, if the backup is scheduled to be performed every weekend and the computer was turned off, the backup is performed after the computer is turned on a weekday. If the check box is cleared, backup is performed according to schedule without retrying to run backup after a failed attempt.
    • Select the Run backup on connecting the removable drive check box if you want to run a backup when a removable drive is connected to your computer.

When working with backup tasks, please note the following:

  • If you create a scheduled backup task, you need to specify the data of your account on this computer.
  • If you create an on-demand backup task, you do not need to specify the data of your account on this computer.
  • If you change an on-demand task to a scheduled task, you need to specify the data of your account on this computer.

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[Topic 93346]

Step 4. Configure a backup storage

In the Configure storage step of the Wizard, you can specify the file storage settings:

During each backup, the application checks whether the file has changed since the previous backup. If the file has changed, the application creates a new version of its backup copy in the storage. The previous version of the backup copy is also saved in the storage. You can restrict the number of versions of backup copies. To do this, select the Restrict the number of backups of one file, if the file was changed several times check box, and in the Number of latest copies of one file field specify the number of versions of backup copies of one file to be stored. A backup copy can have up to 999 versions.

Also, you can restrict the storage period for each version of the backup copy of a file. Older versions of backup copies of the file will be automatically deleted. The last saved version of the backup copy of the file will be stored indefinitely. To restrict the storage period, select the Delete old backups of a file after the specified time. The latest, i.e. the newest copy, will be stored indefinitely check box to specify the number of days or weeks that each file version of a backup copy should be stored. The maximum number of days or weeks is 999.

You can optionally specify a password that protects your backup copies from unauthorized access. To do this, click Set in the Password section and set the password.

The password will apply to all the backup copies in this storage. It cannot be changed later. If you forget your password, you won't be able to restore files from the backup copies in this storage.

The application will prompt you to enter a password in the following cases:

  • When you first create a backup storage on a local or removable drive (like a flash drive). When creating subsequent backup tasks to a local drive or this removable drive, the application will no longer ask you to enter a password. The password that you previously entered will be used.

    If you copy the local backup storage to a removable drive and connect this removable drive to another computer, the application will ask you to enter a password to copy or restore data from this storage.

  • When you connect a removable drive to your computer. The application checks the removable drive and asks you to enter a password if it detects a backup storage on this removable drive.

If your backup storage is located on the computer where Kaspersky application is corrupted or is not installed, you can use Kaspersky Restore Utility to restore files from backup copies. For that, you need to copy the utility to this storage by selecting the Copy Kaspersky Restore Utility to storage check box in the Kaspersky Restore Utility section.

After you configure a backup storage, click the Run button to start the backup task immediately, or click the Save and close button to run this task later manually or on schedule.

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[Topic 93348]

Wizard completion

The process of configuring the backup storage may take some time. At this step, you will be sent to the Backup and Restore window were you can see the list of backup tasks.

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How to start or resume a backup task

To start a backup task:

  1. Open the main application window.
  2. Select the Performance section.
  3. In the Backup and Restore block, click the View my backups button.
  4. In the window that opens, select a backup task and click the Run button.

The backup task is started.

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[Topic 84965]

Restoring data from a backup copy

To restore data from a backup copy:

  1. Open the main application window.
  2. Select the Performance section.
  3. In the Backup and Restore block, click the View my backups button.

    This opens the Backup and Restore window.

    • Click the View files option from the drop-down menu next to the selected backup task.
    • Click the My storages link and in the window that opens, click the View files button next to the selected backup storage.
  4. If a password was specified when the backup copy was created, enter this password in the Enter the password you set to access the backup copies in the storage window. The Select files to restore window opens.
  5. To sort and restore specific types of files, select these file types at the top of the page.
  6. The backup storage may contain copies of deleted files, and you can restore a deleted file from the backup copy. Select the Do not show backups of deleted files check box if you prefer not to see backups of deleted files.
  7. Then, do one of the following:
    • If you want to restore all data, select the All data check box.
    • If you want to restore only certain folders, select the check boxes next to the relevant folders.
    • If you want to restore only certain files, select the check boxes next to the relevant files in the Name column.
  8. In the Backup date drop-down list, you can specify the date and time when the backup copy was created.
  9. Click the Select button. This opens the Select files to restore window.
  10. Select one of the two options:
    • Original folder. The application restores data to the original folder.
    • Specified folder. The application restores data to the specified folder. Click the Select button to select the folder to which you want to restore data.
  11. In the If file names conflict drop-down list, select the action to be performed by the application when the name of the file being restored matches the name of the file already present in the destination folder:
    • ask – when file names match, the application prompts you to choose one of the following options: replace the file with the backup copy, save both files, or do not restore the file.
    • replace file with backup copy – Kaspersky application deletes the existing file and replaces it with the file restored from the backup copy.
    • save both files – Kaspersky application leaves the existing file unchanged and saves the file restored from the backup copy under a new name in the same folder.
    • do not restore this file – Kaspersky application leaves the existing file unchanged and does not restore the file of the same name from the backup copy.
  12. Click Restore files.

    The files selected for recovery will be restored from the backup copy and saved in the specified folder.

See also:

How to start or resume a backup task

Restoring data from a backup copy using Kaspersky Restore Utility

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Restoring data from FTP storage

Kaspersky application does not support Backup and Restore over FTP. To restore backup copies created in other Kaspersky applications from FTP storage, follow the instructions below.

To restore backup copies from FTP storage:

  1. Open the main application window.
  2. Select the Performance section.
  3. In the Backup and Restore block, click the View my backups button.

    This opens the Backup and Restore window.

  4. Click the My storages link to open the Storages window.
  5. Open the FTP storage folder in Windows Explorer.
  6. Copy the data (including the storage.xml file) to a local drive (for example, С:\<folder name>).
  7. In the Storages window next to the FTP storage, click the Delete storage button.
  8. In the deletion confirmation window, click Delete.

    The FTP storage is now deleted.

  9. In the Storages window, click the Connect my storage button.
  10. In the Connect storage window, select the Local drive section and use the Browse button to specify the path to the folder containing the backup copies that you copied to the local drive from FTP storage.
  11. In the Storages window, next to the connected storage, click the View files button.
  12. Follow the standard restoration procedure.

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[Topic 201581]

Restoring data from a backup copy using Kaspersky Restore Utility

Kaspersky Restore Utility lets you manage backup storage data on a computer where a Kaspersky application is corrupted or has been removed. By default, after installation of the application the utility is located in the Kaspersky Restore Utility folder located in the application setup folder. To use the utility on a computer where a Kaspersky application is not installed or is corrupted, copy the utility to a removable drive.

To start Kaspersky Restore Utility, you need local administrator rights.

How to start the Restore Utility

To start the Restore Utility:

  1. Open the removable drive to which you have copied the utility.
  2. Run the kasperskylab.pure.restoretool file in the Kaspersky Restore Utility folder.

The Restore Utility main window opens. The window shows the default storage configured in the application. You can specify the path to another storage.

How to open a storage using the Restore Utility

To open a storage using the Restore Utility:

  1. Start the Restore Utility.

    The utility automatically detects the path to the backup storage if it has been created on the local C: drive.

  2. If the backup storage is located on another drive, click the Specify storage button in the main window of the Restore Utility.
  3. In the window that opens, click the Browse button and specify the path to the backup storage.
  4. Click the Select storage button.

How to restore data from a backup copy

To restore data from a backup copy:

  1. Start the Restore Utility.
  2. Do the following in the main window of the Restore Utility:
    1. In the Backup task drop-down list, select the task that resulted in the creation of the backup copies you need.
    2. In the Backup date drop-down list, select the date and time when the relevant backup copies were created.
  3. Select the files you need restored. To do so, select check boxes next to the relevant folders in the list.

    Use the button next to the Search field to switch between a folder tree and a list of files.

  4. Click Select.

    This opens the Select a folder window.

  5. In the window that opens, select the location for saving restored files.
    • Original folder. Select this option to restore data to the original folder.
    • Specified folder. Select this option to select the folder to which data should be restored. To select the folder to which data should be restored, click the Browse button.
  6. In the If file names conflict drop-down list, select an action to be performed by the application when the destination folder for the file being restored already contains a file with the same name:
    • ask – when file names match, the application prompts you to choose one of the following options: replace the file with the backup copy, save both files, or do not restore the file.
    • replace file with backup copy – Kaspersky application deletes the existing file and replaces it with the file restored from the backup copy.
    • save both files – Kaspersky application leaves the existing file unchanged and saves the file restored from the backup copy under a new name in the same folder.
    • do not restore this file – Kaspersky application leaves the existing file unchanged and does not restore the file of the same name from the backup copy.
  7. Click Restore files.

    This opens the Restoring files window. The window shows the progress of file recovery from backup copies. You can stop the recovery process using the Stop button.

    The required backup copies of the selected files are restored.

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[Topic 57646]

About Cloud storage

Kaspersky application lets you save backup copies of your data in Cloud storage via the Dropbox service.

To use Cloud storage:

  • Make sure that the computer is connected to the Internet.
  • Create an account on the website of the cloud data storage service provider.
  • Activate Cloud storage.

You can use one and the same Dropbox account to back up data from different devices with Kaspersky application installed to a single Cloud storage.

The Cloud storage size is determined by the provider of the cloud storage services, the Dropbox web service. See the Dropbox website for more details on the terms of use of the web service.

When copying files to Dropbox, Kaspersky application does not differentiate between uppercase and lowercase letters in the name of a file and/or name of a path to the file. Therefore, when attempting to create backup copies of files whose names and/or paths differ only by their case, Kaspersky application creates only one backup copy because a conflict arises in Dropbox.

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How to activate Cloud storage

To activate Cloud storage:

  1. Open the main application window.
  2. Select the Performance section.
  3. In the Backup and Restore block, click the Make backup button to start the backup creation wizard.
  4. In the folder selection window, specify the folder and files that you want to back up.
  5. In the storage selection window, select the Dropbox option in the Cloud storages block, and click the Sign in button.

    An Internet connection is required to create a Cloud storage.

    A Dropbox account login dialog opens.

  6. In the window that opens, perform one of the following operations:
    • Complete registration if you are not a registered Dropbox user.
    • If you are a registered Dropbox user, log into your Dropbox account.
  7. To finish Cloud storage activation, confirm that Kaspersky application is allowed to use your Dropbox account for backing up and restoring data. Kaspersky application places backup copies of saved data in a separate folder that is created in the Dropbox storage folder for applications.

    After Cloud storage activation has been completed, the storage selection window opens. It contains a selection of online storages to choose from. For the activated Cloud storage, the application shows the amount of used space and the amount of free space available for data storage.

When copying files to Dropbox, Kaspersky application does not differentiate between uppercase and lowercase letters in the name of a file and/or name of a path to the file. Therefore, when attempting to create backup copies of files whose names and/or paths differ only by their case, Kaspersky application creates only one backup copy because a conflict arises in Dropbox.

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[Topic 84526]