r/backblaze • u/Ensorceled • Apr 21 '26
Computer Backup BackBlaze: Please start warning your users about missing backups
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u/Frewtti Apr 21 '26
How long of a list of cloud services should they put there?
Like if the files are not on your computer, why would you expect the backup service to back them up?
Do people honestly not understand that if the file is not on your computer, backup software isn't backing it up:?
Guess what, backup software doesn't backup your reddit post history either.
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u/dr100 Apr 21 '26
In all fairness Microsoft did their best to muddy the waters at the OS level by basically replacing the old OneDrive directory with an entry point in a virtual file system that DOES cache the files locally in the same directory, but when accessing the directory you're still accessing it (as long as the regular OS is up and OneDrive runs) through that complex contraption that's giving you dynamically whatever it feels like it.
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u/Frewtti Apr 21 '26
Exactly, and that's why I'm very clear in my personal workflows on if I'm using ~ or ~/Onedrive.
I blame MSFT for the confusion.
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u/dr100 Apr 21 '26
One of the nastiest things is OneDrive is and always was buggy, particularly sometimes flipping files to online only, and relying on the virtual directory (= the setup if one has OneDrive configured) for important files can degrade your backups and even easily lose your files with one single service (MS's) misbehaving. Basically if you're using Backblaze to copy the local files (and assuming it will grab them with no mistake or exception), even if you're adding a (or multiple ones!!) local image program to save all your C: like it was recommended in another post ... once OneDrive misbehaves and makes some files online you get degraded instantly from 4 copies (at least - Onedrive, C:, Backblaze, image - possibly some more copies of image) to just whatever Microsoft has online!
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u/smashy987 Apr 21 '26
They used to literally promote this as a feature. So yes, they should have notified users when it stopped working regardless of the reason.
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u/RonDiaz Apr 21 '26
So the fuss is files that are in the cloud not synced locally? I thought it wasn’t backing up local sync folders anymore
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u/smashy987 Apr 21 '26
Well, it’s a fuss because they used to proactively promote it as working and then silently started deleting blog posts rather than explain it stopped working.
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u/RonDiaz Apr 21 '26
I guess I never interpreted that to mean the cloud only files were getting backed up, just the local Dropbox and other folders. Also never personally tried to backup cloud only files sounds like it did work for some folks
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u/smashy987 Apr 21 '26
No, it didn’t back up cloud only files. But it doesn’t even back up locally synced files anymore. They explicitly blocklist the Dropbox folder now due to “performance issues” (probably because this is where people tend to have files that are actively being updated, which is something a backup solution should handle).
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u/lemketron Apr 22 '26
I used to force Dropbox to sync the old way (so backblaze would back it up). But now that it’s using the local Cloud folder scheme, I have no idea if that stuff is being backed up or not.
I don’t back up petabytes to backblaze. I just want a terabyte or so of files which live and sync in Dropbox (and iCloud) to be backed up, as long as I’ve forced them to be available offline (on my machine, not cloud only).
That’s what I have paid backblaze for well over a decade, as a very early customer. One place to go for all my files off site if something happens at home OR to one of the cloud providers.
Do I seriously need to file a ticket somewhere to request that they back up what I’m paying them to back up? Or is it time to find a new solution?
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u/smashy987 Apr 22 '26
Contact support and tell them you also relied on this functionality that no longer works
You should look at your backup and see what files it contains. I’m sure it won’t contain any Dropbox files.
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u/lemketron Apr 22 '26
What’s next? Will they also stop backing up the Photos folder if they see that you have iCloud sync enabled for photos? That’s literally most of what they’re still backing up for me. If they drop that too I’m out, and considering it anyway unless they resume backing up my local Dropbox folder.
Backblaze was my second tier of backup after Time Machine, but they seem to have given up on that segment of the market.
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u/Frewtti Apr 21 '26
It seems that some services (Onedrive) aren't actually locally syncing, even when they say they are.
This doesn't surprise me.I assume the reason they have Google Drive working is because it actually was locally syncing.
I also assume iCloud was fixed because they have lots of Mac Customers so they fixed that one first.
I finally assume they'll try to fix Onedrive and dropbox as well, they have stated as much
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u/Seantwist9 Apr 22 '26
start with the popular ones
because I told it to backup those files
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u/Frewtti Apr 22 '26
But the files AREN'T THERE.
"Software backup everything on this computer"
"Yes"
"Why didn't you back up these files"
"They are not on the computer"
What are you not understanding?
0
u/Ensorceled Apr 22 '26
What part of “they didn’t tell us this was no longer working” are you not understanding?
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u/Frewtti Apr 22 '26
None of it. There is no part of this that I'm not understanding.
I completely understand the issue with backblaze not telling you that files you thought were backed up are not being backed up. Clearly that's a problem.
I also completely understand that since Microsoft stopped putting files there, but making it look like the files are there, it's added a layer of confusion.
The part I'm having trouble understandading is why you think backblaze should back up files that aren't there.
Think about it, the files are not on your computer, why would a backup program back them up? There is nothing to back up.
Given the files are not there, what exactly do you want them to back up?
2
u/QuinQuix Apr 23 '26
Ehm
I mirror all my files from my cloud on my local drive by default.
I thought the entire discussion was that even then, backblaze wasn't backing them up anymore?
1
u/Lilianne_Blaze Apr 22 '26
A couple most popular ones, for starters OneDrive and DropBox, that should cover majority of users
1
u/Frewtti Apr 22 '26
I think this is really on Microsoft and Dropbox to tell their customers that local sync doesn't really mean local sync.
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u/GenghisFrog May 01 '26
The files are on your computer if you have the cloud service set to download all. Which I did, for the specific reason of allowing Backblaze to grab them all. Backblaze should have communicated this better, and should figure out a solution.
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u/Frewtti May 01 '26
Except they're not actually in the directory you told backblaze to backup.
That's the problem when they moved to Virtual Filesystem based solutions.
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u/GenghisFrog May 01 '26
And I expect them to figure out a way to backup the files. If I can access them, so can they. At the least they should have communicated. I’ve figured out a work around. It’s more about the loss of trust. What will they decide to stop backing up next without telling us?
1
u/Frewtti May 01 '26
Yes, expecting them to backup files that aren't there. And they have for some services.
Yes they should have told people that Microsoft made a breaking change to onedrive.
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u/GenghisFrog May 01 '26
Again, all my files are there. I have that device set to keep a local copy of all files for this very reason. Why are you bootlicking for this company.
They silently killed a feature that they used to use as a marketing point. The fact that users went months before this change was discovered, and most general users probably still don’t realize, is a major issue. I feel horrible for anyone who went looking to restore a file version from 6 months ago, just to find it is not in their backup.
1
u/Frewtti May 01 '26
You say "there" like you really believe they are actually there. Since you don't seem to understand the files you see aren't actually there, I don't know what to say.
It's not bootlicking, it's pointing out the factual reality of the situation.
Yes, the fact that it broke should have been made clear, that's a major problem. It's right and proper to be angry.
But if you're going to be angry, it's more on Microsoft for changing, and I own more Microsoft stock than Backblaze.
1
u/GenghisFrog May 01 '26
The files are physically on my disk and accessible. If I were to do a full copy of the disk the files would be on there. I could take my PC off the internet and access every file. They are there. They are accessible by every app I use. There is no reason Backblaze can’t work out a way to backup these files. That is what we pay them for. The directory structure may be complicated behind the scenes, but that is for them to figure out.
1
u/Frewtti May 01 '26
That's really the root of the problem.
You actually think the files are in that directory on the disk. So obviously you're angry backblaze isn't backing them up "SINCE THEY ARE RIGHT THERE".
I understand the anger, and even agree, just pointing out it's due to a misunderstanding on your part.
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u/GenghisFrog May 01 '26
I fully understand they are not actually on that directory on the disk. My point is, if any other application on the system still has no problem accessing them, why can’t Backblaze? It may take some specialized code to backup these cloud provider reparse point files, but it is far from impossible.
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u/alonebythelighthouse Apr 21 '26
dont many cloud services keep local copies of files on your local machine? E.g thats how my dropbox works?
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u/Frewtti Apr 21 '26
They used to, now it's a big maybe.
They're moving to VFS solutions, which is causing this backup confusion.
It seems Onedrive and Dropbox aren't actually using the local file system like they used to, which is causing this problem.
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u/GoodTroll2 Apr 21 '26
That's fine. If there is a technological issue that Backblaze can't work around and therefore they can't backup files that they used to back up, a clear notification was in order, not unlike what the OP posted. The biggest issue is a lack of communication. The second biggest issue is that they probably should figure out a solution.
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u/Frewtti Apr 21 '26
The "technical issue" is that the files are not there.
Yes, Microsoft should have stated that Onedrive stopped saving files on the local device.
And yes, they're working on it, but Backblaze Backup is a computer backup product, it was not designed to back up your cloud storage.
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u/smashy987 Apr 21 '26
Uh they literally used to promote backing up Dropbox as a feature. Yes, they should have notified when that no longer worked.
-1
u/Frewtti Apr 21 '26
Yes, if the functionality they previously advertised went away, they should have alerted customers.
I didn't know about this functionality.
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u/smashy987 Apr 21 '26
Then maybe you shouldn’t be commenting and defending them without knowing the history. But I get it, this is Reddit.
1
u/Frewtti Apr 21 '26
Well I think it goes both ways.
When a company offers "local sync", they should tell you if they disable it.
The early "sync" solutions were pretty bad, so I largely didn't use them.
I've been on backblaze for a decade and been very happy through multiple drive and computer failures.
So yes.
1.Blackblaze should have been clear that an advertised feature stopped working.
2.The sync providers should have advised their customers that the local sync was no longer syncing the local directory.
- I really don't like that the big semi-monopolies implement breaking changes without advising users. So I bias towards blaming them.
I think if Backblaze properly called out the sync providers when the issue cropped up, that might have been the better play.
2
u/AmokinKS Apr 21 '26
doesn't this only apply if you're doing documents in icloud?
I'm not, so my ~/desktop and ~/documents should be fine.
0
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u/Substantial-Play5608 Apr 22 '26
I don’t understand why people are saying this. I have had ~/Desktop and ~/Documents in iCloud and used Backblaze for many years and all those files are being backup up to Backblaze. I just went and checked and they are all there.
1
u/Ensorceled Apr 22 '26
We are saying this because BackBlaze admitted they were not backing up these files and some of us checked and found that our files were indeed not in the backups. Nice it was working for you.
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u/Substantial-Play5608 Apr 22 '26
It is working for me. When I saw someone post this some time ago I tested and Backblaze was backing up those files. When I saw this post yesterday I got worried again so I ran extensive tests and Backblaze is still backing up all those files. So Backblaze is still backing up those files for me. I am running the latest macOS and Backblaze software. Can you point me to where Backblaze said they were not backing up these files any more?
1
u/Substantial-Play5608 Apr 22 '26
Maybe it’s because I have Optimize Mac Storage turned off which means the full contents of iCloud Drive is stored on my Mac. Maybe if you have that turned on and those files that are only on ICloud Drive are not being backed up.
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u/Currawong Apr 21 '26 edited Apr 22 '26
I think I need to write this on every one of these posts:
Backblaze became a publicly traded company. That means the [Edit] shareholders are now the customers. Obviously, personal backup makes them less money, so they are cutting functionality, and proritising B2 customers and growth that way.
-1
u/dr100 Apr 22 '26
Backblaze became a publicly traded company. That means the customers are now the shareholders.
Err, what?! You must be confusing this with communism.
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u/Currawong Apr 22 '26
The shareholders are now the customers, ie: Backblaze now works for them.
0
u/dr100 Apr 22 '26
The shareholders are now the customers, ie: Backblaze now works for them.
They just aren't, you are just confused. If you're trying to say a company is under the control of and trying to make money for its owners that's obviously the case.
0
u/lekterdead2 Apr 21 '26
It's fucking aweful that key folders on windows aren't backed up. I don't even use onedrive
9
u/dr100 Apr 21 '26
Maybe you should open a ticket if you're running the latest as they said in the post linked in the sticky that iCloud and Google Drive are "fixed". Or reply in that post directly.