Personal Data Backup Schedule

Who this is for

Every device and account, backed up on your own rhythm. Each line says what is backed up, how, where and how often; the grid records that it happened.

Households with several phones, laptops, tablets and online accounts who want one sheet showing what is backed up, where, and when it was last done.

What this helps you track

• Every device and account that holds something worth keeping
• What is backed up from each, by what method and to where
• The frequency you chose for each one
• When each was last done, when it is next due and by whom
• A tick for every month the backup actually happened

How to use it

1. Write the household, the devices covered and the backup destinations you use, such as a drive or a cloud service.
2. Give each device or account a line: what is backed up, the method, the destination and the frequency you have chosen.
3. After each backup, write the date in the last done column, the next due date and who did it.
4. Tick the month in the grid below; the columns follow the first six lines of the schedule.
5. In the header, write where recovery details are kept, such as which password manager, never the passwords themselves.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

How often should each device be backed up?

That is for you to decide, based on how much you would lose between backups. The sheet has a column for the frequency you choose and does not suggest one.

Should I write passwords on this sheet?

No. The recovery field is for where recovery details are kept, such as which password manager or which envelope, not the details themselves. The sheet may be seen by anyone who picks it up.

How does the monthly grid work?

Each device column in the grid matches a line of the schedule: Device 1 is the first line, Device 2 the second, and so on for the first six. Tick the month when that device was backed up.

Does a backup count if I never try restoring it?

It is worth checking now and then that a file can actually be got back. Note the date you last tried beside the device in the done by column.