{"id":17020,"date":"2021-02-24T09:38:56","date_gmt":"2021-02-24T09:38:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.backupassist.com\/blog\/?p=17020"},"modified":"2022-06-27T05:05:57","modified_gmt":"2022-06-27T05:05:57","slug":"how-to-back-up-office-365-sharepoint-online-and-teams-documents-for-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.backupassist.com\/blog\/how-to-back-up-office-365-sharepoint-online-and-teams-documents-for-free","title":{"rendered":"How to back up Office 365, SharePoint Online and Teams Documents for free – updated for 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just in case you\u2019re not familiar with why you should back up your SharePoint documents, here\u2019s a brief explanation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Microsoft are responsible for the availability and uptime of their service<\/strong>, while you\u2019re responsible for the data<\/strong> on it. It\u2019s like how a mechanic is responsible for keeping your car well serviced and free from breakdowns, but it\u2019s you\u00a0that will\u00a0wear\u00a0the consequences if you crash the car, or your careless employees leave it unlocked and a thief steals it.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Microsoft will help you keep past versions of files with their versioning feature, and there is a recycle bin for deleted files. But anything outside the 93 day recycle bin retention period is lost forever\u2026 and Microsoft\u2019s service doesn\u2019t make it easy to do a point-in-time restore or protect against events like your tenant being deleted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is that there are free tools that enable you to keep backups. Using these tools correctly will mean you\u2019ll minimize the chance of losing data in the event of a cyber-attack or user accident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ll\u00a0examine\u00a0two free tools and give you a step-by-step guide on\u00a0getting\u00a0your SharePoint documents safely backed up. And we’ll also contrast the free options with a paid (but inexpensive) option.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TL; DR Comparison of three SharePoint Backup Options<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n
<\/strong><\/th>\n OneDrive client app<\/strong>
(free)<\/th>\n 		BackupAssist 365<\/strong>
free option<\/th>\n 		BackupAssist 365<\/strong>
paid option<\/th>\n <\/tr>\n <\/thead>\n
Vendor<\/strong><\/td>\n Microsoft<\/td>\n Cortex Cyber<\/td>\n Cortex Cyber<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Method<\/strong><\/td>\n Sync SharePoint documents to a local file system\t<\/td>\n Download SharePoint documents to a local file system on schedule<\/td>\n Download SharePoint documents to a local file system on schedule<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Store backups on local hard drive<\/strong><\/td>\n Yes<\/td>\n Yes<\/td>\n Yes<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Store backups on network share<\/strong><\/td>\n No<\/td>\n Yes<\/td>\n Yes<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Reporting<\/strong><\/td>\n None<\/td>\n Daily reports<\/td>\n Daily reports<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Keep historical snapshots<\/strong><\/td>\n No<\/td>\n No<\/td>\n Yes<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Encryption in transit<\/strong><\/td>\n Yes<\/td>\n Yes<\/td>\n Yes<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Encryption at rest<\/strong><\/td>\n No<\/td>\n No<\/td>\n Yes<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Security issues<\/strong><\/td>\n Severe issues – local corruptions get synced to the cloud<\/td>\n One-way sync cannot corrupt cloud copy<\/td>\n One-way sync cannot corrupt cloud copy<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n
Runs unattended<\/strong><\/td>\n Requires user to be logged in<\/td>\n Yes<\/td>\n Yes<\/td>\n <\/tr>\n <\/tbody>\n <\/table>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Method 1: Use the OneDrive client app to sync Office 365 and SharePoint Online <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First things first: the OneDrive app provided by Microsoft is not a backup tool, but it can be used in conjunction with other backup tools to provide robust and comprehensive protection for documents in SharePoint. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The idea is to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. use the OneDrive app to download and sync your cloud-based Document Libraries to a local hard drive, and then <\/li>
  2. use your favorite backup software to back up your local hard drive. We recommend doing backups to offline or offsite storage. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Important note: if you skip Step 2<\/strong>, you\u2019re not actually keeping reliable backups. Although you have a 2nd<\/sup>\u00a0copy of your data offsite, a simple sync doesn\u2019t\u00a0provide\u00a0historical snapshots of your\u00a0data and\u00a0remember that deletions and corruptions due to ransomware on your local machine will be synced up to the cloud.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But most businesses will already have an on-premises backup solution, so using the OneDrive app is a free way to get your data down from the cloud so it can be incorporated into your on-premises backups.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    (If you don\u2019t already have an\u00a0on-premises\u00a0backup solution, then we recommend you skip directly to Method #3, below, for a backup solution that gives you historical snapshots of your SharePoint document libraries.)\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    How to set up the OneDrive client<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    1. If it\u2019s not already installed, download it from here<\/a><\/strong>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      1. Go to the web browser and log into Office 365 \/ Sharepoint and navigate to your site. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
        1. Click on the document library you want to sync. (The default one is just called \u201cDocuments\u201d). Then click \u201cSync\u201d as shown.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          \"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
          1. Open the OneDrive app<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
            \"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
            1. You\u2019ll then need to sign into the app<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
              \"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
              1. Enter the password<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                \"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
                1. Choose where to sync your SharePoint Document Library to. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                  1. Complete the on-boarding and your sync should start.  <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                    1. Repeat steps 3 to 8 for additional document libraries <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                      1. By default, OneDrive app won\u2019t download your files. You\u2019ll need to click on the system tray icon to bring up a popup menu. Then choose \u201cSettings\u201d, and then click the \u201cSettings\u201d tab in the top left. You must uncheck the checkbox that reads \u201cSave space and download files as you use them\u201d. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                        \"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
                        1. Make sure to include the destination directories in your on-premises backup solution <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                          You can check that your data has synced by looking in Explorer. At first the target will display blue cloud icons, changing to green ticks once syncing is complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          \"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
                          \"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

                          If you try to choose a network share as your destination, you\u2019ll get a message like this: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          \"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

                          The OneDrive app functions when someone is logged into your computer, so that can be a problem on unattended machines, especially if Windows Update logs out the user and reboots your computer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          And finally, there are some security issues with this option. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          1. A corruption on the local machine will be synced to the cloud. <\/li>
                          2. You need to log in to Office 365 \/ SharePoint as a licensed user. If you change your password, the sync will break, and you\u2019ll need to log in again. <\/li>
                          3. You\u2019ll need to manually grant access rights to the user that\u2019s logging into the OneDrive app. This means if you have a SharePoint site that has restricted access, you\u2019ll need to grant rights to the OneDrive app user, which may breach security policies that you\u2019re trying to enforce. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                            Method 2: Use\u00a0BackupAssist\u00a0365 free functionality to back up Office 365 and SharePoint Online<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                            An alternative to using the free OneDrive app is the backup product known as\u00a0BackupAssist\u00a0365.\u00a0It has both a free and paid mode. The good news is that even the free mode solves\u00a0all\u00a0the limitations of the OneDrive app.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            BackupAssist\u00a0365 is a fully fledged backup solution from Cortex Cyber. It provides\u00a0backups\u00a0of mailboxes, OneDrive for Business and SharePoint in Office 365. Although backing up Mailboxes and OneDrive for Business requires a paid license,\u00a0backing up SharePoint can be completely free<\/strong> when you use just the basic functionality.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            Highlights of using BackupAssist 365 in free mode<\/strong> include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            1. Perform a one-way sync from your SharePoint Document Libraries in the cloud, to your local storage of choice.<\/li>
                            2. Get daily backup reports, so you know that the backup worked.\u00a0<\/li>
                            3. Any corruptions or ransomware infections on the local machine will not automatically corrupt your data in the cloud – unlike the sync app.\u00a0<\/li>
                            4. No limit to the size of data\u00a0backed up \u2013\u00a0whether\u00a01 MB or 1 TB,\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0not a problem.\u00a0<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                              If your aim is to keep a local mirror of your SharePoint libraries (i.e. download your cloud data to a local storage system) and include the mirror in your on-premise backups, then the free functionality in BackupAssist 365 is a compelling option.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              How to set up BackupAssist 365 for backing up Office 365 \/ SharePoint Online<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
                              1. Download\u00a0BackupAssist\u00a0365 from\u00a0www.backupassist.com\/365\/downloads<\/a>\u00a0and install the software.\u00a0<\/li>
                              2. Activate the\u00a030-day\u00a0trial mode\u00a0by entering\u00a0the\u00a0evaluation\u00a0license\u00a0key\u00a0that was emailed to you.\u00a0<\/li>
                              3. Set up a SharePoint task by clicking \u201cSetup task\u201d, and then clicking on \u201cSharePoint\u201d.\u00a0<\/li>
                              4. Follow the steps to set up the SharePoint backup.\u00a0\u00a0