This ops manual describes how to test your backups.

Table of contents

• Frequency
• Step 1: Constantly monitor your backups
• Step 2: Test your backups
• Step 3: Make a log in your JDex
• Ask for help

Frequency

There are two activities here: one passive, one active.

Passive: monitor

You need to monitor your backups to ensure they’re running. This is easy. You should be doing it constantly.

Active: test

You also need to test your backups to ensure they work! If you do this every year you’re better than most people. If you do it every 6 months you get a gold star.

Step 1

Constantly monitor your backups

This just means keeping an eye on the icon that tells you if the backups are working.

On a Mac

This is the Time Machine icon in the menu bar – a clock with an arrow going counter-clockwise.

When backups are happening it animates. When there’s an error it shows an exclamation mark.

All you need to do is look at it sometimes and don’t ignore the exclamation mark! You’d be amazed at how many people don’t do that.

Everywhere else

We can’t cover every piece of backup software here. But I’d be stunned if the pattern was any different:

• OK   : Icon shows its normal state.
• Error: Icon shows some sort of warning symbol.

So your task is:

1. Find this icon.
2. Ensure you know what its normal state looks like.
3. Pay attention to it.
4. Do not ignore it when it looks different. :-)

Step 2

Test your backups

There are horror stories about people who thought they had a backup. But when they went to use it, it didn’t work.

If you don’t test your backups, you may as well not bother in the first place. And testing them will prepare you for the day that you need to use them.

2.1 Remind yourself where they are

If it’s been a while since you configured your backups, you might not remember how to access them. Hopefully you left yourself a note in your JDex about this. If not, now would be a good time.

2.2 Restore one file per storage device

Say you’re backing up a laptop, a PC, and an external hard drive. You need to restore at least one file from each of these to prove that everything is functioning.

It doesn’t matter which file. Go back a week and grab an older version of something you’re working on. But as a rule, if you can restore anything your backup is okay.

This needs to feel easy. Practice it like a fire drill. You don’t want the first time you evacuate to be when there’s an actual fire.

2.3 What’s important to you?

Is it your email, a set of files, your contacts?

Pretend you lost it. Cosmic ray. Gone! Now restore it from one of your backups. Until you can do this, you should be waking up at night thinking about it.

Step 3

Make a log in your JDex

A nice habit to get into is making a log that shows when you last checked your backups.

In this JDex note, add a new header and put bullet points with the date. Keep it simple. Like this:

# Backup test log

- 2025-03-24 Tested Time Machine & Backblaze.
- 2025-09-30 Tested Time Machine & Backblaze.
- ...

Ask for help

If you are at all unsure whether you’re doing the right thing, please ask for help. Backups are the most boring and the most important thing you need to do.