A Simple Home Backup Plan: The 3‑2‑1 Rule

Losing family photos or work files hurts more than any hardware failure. The 3-2-1 rule is an easy template: keep 3 copies of your data, on 2 different types of media, with 1 copy off-site.

Start by deciding what to protect—Documents, Desktop, Photos, and any active project folders. On Windows, create one Backup folder that mirrors these locations. Use File History or a third-party tool to back it up daily to an external HDD/SSD. That covers the second copy on a different medium.

For the off-site copy, pick a cloud drive. OneDrive, Google Drive, or iCloud all work and integrate well. Sync your Backup folder or schedule weekly uploads if bandwidth is limited. Enable account recovery methods (phone, backup codes) so you’re not locked out.

Test restores! Once a month, restore a random file to ensure the plan works. Label the external drive and unplug it when not in use to protect against power issues and ransomware. Keep simple documentation—what is backed up, where it lives, and how to restore.

Bottom line: With 3-2-1, even a laptop theft or disk failure won’t take your memories or projects with it.