You should back up your Chromebook. Here's how.

Regular backup of computer data is crucial, even if your Chromebook is primarily online, locally stored files need to be backed up manually. This article will guide you on how to protect important data and avoid data loss.

Back up Chromebook local data

This is the focus of Chromebook backup. Some web platforms or Android applications may only save data locally and have not been synchronized in the cloud. To view files stored locally, open the Files app in ChromeOS launcher.

[Related Reading: Upgrading an old computer to a Chromebook]

Browse the system using the folder link on the left: For example, click "Camera" to view photos and videos saved by the Chromebook camera, click "Download" to view files saved from the network, click "Recent" to view saved to Chromebook in the last few days document.

Unfortunately, there are no apps or integration tools that can automatically sync all this data to the cloud. You need to backup manually, and it is recommended to backup once a week or regularly depending on the frequency of saving the file.

Backing up Chromebook files is simple. Select the item to save, batch selection can be pressed and held down the Ctrl key to click, or use Shift click to select the entire range, or press Ctrl A to select the currently open file all files in the folder.

Then drag and drop the selected file to the "Google Drive" entry in the navigation pane on the left. This sends the file to the cloud and you can organize it as needed. Another way is to press Ctrl C to copy the selected file, browse to the Google Drive folder in the left navigation pane, and then press Ctrl V to upload the file.

You can also use other cloud services, such as opening Dropbox in a web browser, clicking "Upload", and selecting the Chromebook local storage file you want to transfer to the cloud.

Unlike Windows or macOS, ChromeOS does not automatically back up local storage, so you need to repeat this process regularly.

Back up Chromebook web pages and Android application data

Web applications such as Google Docs, Gmail and Slack run online and continuously synchronize information through the Internet. If you work in a web browser, your data is secure and no backup is required. You simply need to log in to your account to access files from other devices.

But there are exceptions. If you work offline in apps like Google Docs, Sheets, or Slides, all changes will be saved locally on your Chromebook until you get back online. You can't back up these changes like you would a backup file, just go back online as soon as possible to be safe.

Android apps are roughly the same. In most cases, these tools automatically sync your data online without doing anything. But you may want to check the options for the installed messaging app, see if your messages have been synced to another location, and how to do it when you need a backup.

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If you are not sure if web pages or Android apps save any data locally, unless you work offline, it will almost certainly not. Even if files like videos or podcasts are temporarily stored in local storage, there will still be copies of them in the cloud, so you don't need to worry about copying them to another location.

It is worth mentioning that ChromeOS will sync data such as bookmarks and browsing history to your Google account by default, so you don't need to backup. To view what the system sends to the cloud, click the notification tray (bottom right), then click the gear icon, then click Account, Sync & Google Services, and Manage Sync Content.

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