OneDrive is not a backup (and why that matters)

OneDrive, iCloud, Google Drive and Dropbox sync your files. That’s not the same as backing them up. Here’s the crucial difference.

This one catches people out constantly. “It’s all in OneDrive, I’m fine.” You might not be.

Sync copies your mistakes too

Sync services mirror your files across devices in real time. Delete a file — or let ransomware encrypt it — and the service faithfully copies that change everywhere, including to the “safe” copy. There’s no separate, untouched version to restore from.

What a real backup adds

• Version history you can roll back to (last week’s file, before the disaster).
• Separation from your machine, so one problem can’t wipe both.

Sync is great for convenience. It is not your safety net. Add a proper backup (and ideally a local one too) and then you’re actually covered.