Everyday Computer Skills · Cloud Storage · Lesson 4 of 5

Deleted in One Place, Deleted Everywhere

Why sync copies mistakes, and how the recycle bin and version history save you.

Why sync copies your mistakes

In Staying Safe Online, you learned that sync is not quite the same as a backup. Here is why, in a little more detail.

Sync keeps one set of files matching everywhere. That is its whole job. It does not ask whether a change was a good idea.

So if you delete a folder on your laptop, it disappears from the cloud. Then it disappears from your phone and your tablet too.

The same goes for changes. Say you type over a document by accident and save it. The changed version syncs everywhere. The old words are gone from every device.

Think of sync like a shared whiteboard in a family kitchen. Everyone sees the same board. If someone wipes it, it is wiped for everyone.

A backup is different. It is a separate copy of your files, kept apart, that your daily changes don't touch. It is like taking a photo of the whiteboard each night. If the board gets wiped, the photo is still there.

This does not mean sync is bad. It is very handy, and the cloud keeps your files safe if your laptop breaks or is stolen. It just should not be your only copy of things that matter.

For a backup, use a tool that copies files to an external drive on a schedule. On Windows that is File History. On a Mac it is Time Machine.

Getting a file back

Deleted a synced file by mistake? Don't panic. Cloud services have safety nets.

The first is the cloud's own recycle bin. It is a holding place where deleted files wait before they are gone for good. It works like the Recycle Bin on your computer, but it lives on the service's website.

• OneDrive: sign in at the OneDrive website and open Recycle bin. Select the file and choose Restore. Files usually wait there for 30 days.
• iCloud Drive: on the iCloud website, open Drive, then Recently Deleted. Items wait about 30 days.
• Google Drive: open Trash. Files stay for 30 days.

After that, the files are deleted for good. So look soon.

The second safety net is version history. That is a list of earlier saved versions of a file. It helps when the file still exists but its contents went wrong, like a recipe you typed over.

In OneDrive, right-click the file in File Explorer and choose Version history. Pick an earlier date and restore it. In Google Drive, look for Manage versions or Version history.

On a Mac, many apps keep versions too. In an app like Pages, choose File, then Revert To, then Browse All Versions.

These safety nets are a big help. But they only last a while, so a real backup is still wise.