FBackup Review: Free Program to Make Backups

We keep more and more different data on our computer. Unfortunately, what we do not stop to think is that, if something goes wrong and we do not have a backup, all this data will be lost forever, either due to a mechanical failure, a hard disk error or a virus. We can always do manual backups, or trust the cloud to save our data. However, these are not the best way to have a good backup plan. And, for this, it is necessary to resort to programs specially designed for this purpose, such as FBackup.

FBackup is a free and very simple program to make backup copies. This program guides us through a wizard in which we must choose where we want to save the copy, what data we want to be part of it, the type of backup and when we want to make it, either at the moment or schedule it to run periodic.

FBackup Free Program to Make Backups

When we have already configured the backup plan, this program will take care of everything, so we can no longer worry. For example, if we have configured it to run once a day, or a week, when a certain condition is met, the scheduled task will be performed to update the backup.

FBackup main features

While other programs bet on very complicated solutions to configure, schedule and make backups, FBackup opts for the simplest possible way. Your assistant guides us throughout the process, explaining each of the steps and helping us to choose the best backup plan.

One of the best features of this program is that the backup copies are stored inside a ZIP (or make a mirror copy) that allows us to access the data of said backup and restore them individually. In this way, if we need a file we save having to restore the entire copy. It also allows us to back up to multiple destinations at the same time.

Another great feature of this program is that it is designed to protect the data of users from ransomware. In addition to having its own security measures, this software connects to the Google Drive or Dropbox cloud and allows us to save our data in it.

When we schedule a backup we can choose a series of tasks that run before or after the backup . This is useful to automate, for example, the closing of programs so that all the data is saved without problems, or to schedule the shutdown of the computer when the copy finishes.

This version does not have data encryption for backups, although we can protect it with a password. That function, and many others that we are going to see, are reserved for the paid version of this program, called Backup4All.

FBackup Differences with Backup4All

Backup4All is, broadly speaking, the paid version of FBackup. This version has all the features that FBackup offers us and adds, to older, the following functions:

  • Backups in the cloud to OneDrive, Azure, Amazon S3, BOX and other personal servers.
  • Support to send the copies to servers through FTP, FTPS and SFTP.
  • Backups of network drives.
  • Lets know the versions of the copies.
  • Copy statistics and summary.
  • Lets you better group and manage settings.
  • Multiple views of tasks.
  • Function to protect the program with a password.
  • Drag & Drop support.
  • Improved searches.
  • Support for Outlook plugins.
  • Allows you to install the program over the network from your MSI.
  • Block level backup.
  • Support to pause and resume backups.
  • 128-bit, 192-bit and 256-bit AES encryption.
  • Filters for backups.
  • Email notifications.
  • Functions for cleaning backups.
  • Possibility of deleting the original data after a copy.
  • Allows the copy to be run when the computer is turned off.
  • Smart backup type.
  • Support for incremental and differential backups.
  • Support for ZIP compression at the file level.
  • Stores multiple versions of full backups.
  • Allows you to set the maximum number of copies.
  • Lets you choose the compression level.
  • Support to divide ZIP copies into several parts.
  • Control from CMD.
  • Functions to check the status of the backup.
  • It allows to recover concrete incremental copies.
  • Support to preview the backup.
  • Allows you to restore a specific version of a file or folder.

This program has a cost of 50 dollars (although we can save money through different promotions that are usually available on their own website). Paying only once we can make unlimited use of the program

Make easy backups with FBackup

This program takes up very little and also installs very quickly with a single click. Its installer is free of unwanted software, so we only have to click on the install button and that’s it.

The main interface of the program is very clear and easy to use. When we first open it, we can also see a simple wizard that will guide us during the first backup.

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Choose the copy destination

We are going to create a simple backup. The first thing we will have to do in the configuration wizard for a new backup is to choose the destination, or where we want the backup to be saved. We can choose a local hard drive, an external hard drive, a network drive (for example, if we have a NAS) or save the backup in the cloud.

Data that will be part of the backup

In the next step of the wizard we will have to select the sources, that is, the files or folders that we want to be saved in the backup. We are going to see all our hard drives and we will be able to individually select the files or folders that we want from each one of them. It does not have to be everything in the same directory.

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We will also be able to choose if we want to save program settings. By default FBackup includes a series of plugins for some programs, although we can download more to recognize other software.

Filters

The next step we can configure different types of filters for backup. For example, we will be able to choose if we want empty folders to be included in the copy (since, generally, they are useless), or the types of files that we want to include or exclude from the copy. Very useful to save only what interests us and avoid increasing the size of the backup unnecessarily.

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Backup type

Next we will have to choose the type of backup that we want to make. A full backup will create a compressed (zip) file on the destination with all the data from the source. A mirror copy creates a literal, uncompressed copy of the files and folders at the destination. Incremental and differential copies are only available in Backup4All.

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We will also be able to password protect the backup to prevent others from accessing the data.

Backup programs

If we want to forget about backups, what we must do is schedule them. FBackup allows us to choose when and how we want these copies to be made. By default it will be configured to launch them manually, but we can configure them to run daily, weekly or monthly.

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Customize and save the backup

Finally, we only have to give a name to the backup to be able to easily identify it within the program. We will also be able to give it a description and configure an icon.

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We save the backup and go.

Control, launch and restore a backup of FBackup

After completing the wizard, the backup will appear in the program as a task.

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If we have programmed it, when its time comes it will automatically run to save our data. And if we want, we can also run it manually using the “Backup” button at the top.

When the backup is finished we can see a summary of the process to verify that everything went well and there were no problems. The “Test” button at the top will allow us to check the backup to make sure everything is correct.

To restore the backup we have to use the “Restore” button at the top. By default, the program will try to restore the copy to its original directory. However, we can also choose the option to restore the copy to a custom directory that we want.

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Download FBackup

As we have already explained, FBackup is a completely free program. To use it, all we have to do is access the following link and download the latest version available on our computer.

Installation is quick, easy and clean. And once the program is installed it will remain in memory to be able to run all the programmed copies that we configure.

Alternatives to FBackup

Although FBackup is one of the best free backup programs, its functions are somewhat limited to encourage us to pay for the Backup4All license. Fortunately, there are other much better programs to back up our data, such as the following.

Free programs to make backups:

  • GoodSync : This program is specially designed to facilitate the task of backup and synchronization of files and folders. This program is very fast, easy to use and safe, and we can find it for all types of operating systems, both on PC and mobile.
  • Duplicati : For users who want to forget about the limitations of “freemium” programs, Duplicati is an excellent free and open source backup software. Unlike others, this program is compatible with all types of clouds (including Mega), as well as having very high-level encryption and support for differential and incremental copies.

Backup payment programs:

  • Backup4All : As we have already explained, this is the paid version of FBackup and it has a large number of additional functions and features to give us absolute control over our backups.
  • Bvckup 2 : Another very fast paid program to make data backups in Windows.