back up data

Meaning

To make a copy of digital information and store it in a secure, separate location (such as an external hard drive or cloud storage) so it can be restored if the original is lost or damaged.

Examples

• It is company policy to back up data every Friday before leaving the office.

  It is company policy to back up data every Friday before leaving the office.

• If you don't back up your data regularly, you risk losing months of hard work.

  If you don't back up your data regularly, you risk losing months of hard work.

• We use a secure cloud service to automatically back up data overnight.

  We use a secure cloud service to automatically back up data overnight.

• Please ensure you back up all critical data before the system migration begins.

  Please ensure you back up all critical data before the system migration begins.

• The IT department helped me back up my data after my laptop crashed.

  The IT department helped me back up my data after my laptop crashed.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ Don't forget to backup your data.

  ✓ Don't forget to back up your data.

  Use the two-word phrasal verb 'back up' for the action, and the single word 'backup' as a noun or adjective (e.g., 'create a backup file').

• ✗ I backed up all my datas on the external drive.

  ✓ I backed up all my data on the external drive.

  'Data' is an uncountable noun in this context and should not be pluralized as 'datas'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• Our automated systems are programmed to ___ to the cloud every midnight.

  💡 Save copies of files.

  Show answer

  back up data

• Before you format your hard drive, make sure to ___.

  💡 Save your files to a safe place.

  Show answer

  back up your data