Ubuntu Home Directory Backups

November 13 2024 7:49pm • Est. Read Time: 2 MIN


Backing up your home directory

To back up your home directory on Ubuntu, we recommend using a tool called Backups. As luck would have it, Ubuntu comes with the Backups tool pre-installed.

Tip: Snapshots vs user data backups?


- Snapshots are best for a restore point when a system configuration goes wrong. Updates break something, oddball issues that happened after you changed something. This gets you back to a working state to sort out the problem later.



- Backups are best for your home directory contents. Application data such as browser or email data you want kept safe. Pictures, documents, etc. I recommend using an application called Backups for home directory backups.


1- Launch Backups from Activities. Create my first backup.


2- I recommend sticking to the defaults here. Click forward.


3- Select your external backup drive. Click forward.


4- Choose a password to protect your backup if you want lock this with - do not forget it. If not sure about this, then instead choose Allow Restoring without a password to be safe. Click forward.


5- Your backup begins.



6- Now once it's done, you'll arrive at this screen. I recommend choosing backing up automatically. 



Restoring a backup of your home directory


IMPORTANT NOTE: Restoring assumes you are using the same username as you had previously. Deviate from this, it will restore to the new username directory (even creating it) in your home. In short, keep your username the same as you had previously. Previous and new usernames should match.


1- Choose Restore once you've launched Backups with your backup drive attached. Choose the contents you'd like to restore. Select all or only one folder/file.



2- Stick to the defaults here if this is restoring to the same drive as before on the same Framework computer.



3- If you used an encryption password, enter it now.



4- You will now get this message. Close when done.