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Lisa23931531txcq
Known Participant
May 24, 2023
Answered

Do I need to back Creative Cloud up?

  • May 24, 2023
  • 6 replies
  • 2342 views

Hello,

I'm still quite a newbie to all of this. I largely use PS for artwork, and occasionally AI. I have posted here before and received support and as such I now store my imported/ exported drawings on my iCloud drive, and use Creative Cloud to store the project files as they tend to be large. I'm working off my own Mac, and don't need CC for sharing with anyone else. My main question now is - do I need to back Creative Cloud up? I know I can log onto another computer and log in and then have access to everything there, but is that enough or should I back my CC projects up onto a hard drive too? Thanks in advance for your patience!

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer kglad

    again, bottomline: cc storage offers little backup security.

    6 replies

    Nancy OShea
    Community Expert
    Nancy OSheaCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    May 28, 2023

    You can never have enough reliable backups. Hard drives fail, often without warning.  And Creative Cloud storage is not a dedicated file backup & recovery service. 

     

    I use a service called Backblaze that automatically backs up my computer's files each night.  I've used it for several years -- ever since I lost 3 years of PSD files.  Believe me, Backblaze is worth the $7/month for peace of mind.  It's a been a real life-saver on more than one occasion.

     

    [Disclaimer: I neither work for nor am I paid by Backblaze.  I'm just a satisfied customer.]

     

    Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
    L
    Lisa23931531txcqAuthor
    Known Participant
    May 28, 2023

    Thank you, I'll have a look!

    John Waller
    Community Expert
    John WallerCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    May 25, 2023

    I always regard Cloud storage as a secondary, nice to have, convenient space to store my files. Nothing more.

     

    However, my primary backup is always local: internal and external hard drives.

     

    Picture your worst case scenario: your PC/laptop dies or is stolen and the Adobe Cloud disappears or is hacked tomorrow. Both unlikely but possible

     

    What are you left with? Hopefully at least one full, non-corrupt, backup on an external hard drive.

     

    Ultimately, how much effort you put in to your backup strategy boils down to how much you value your own work and the time you spent creating that work.

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      Lisa23931531txcqAuthor
      Known Participant
      May 28, 2023

      Thank you - I've asked above but I'm thinking I should do this too eg. store on MacBook Pro/ back up on WD drive and then back up on CC as a nice-to-have? At the moment, my artwork/ pics are stored in my iCloud drive, and my PS and AI project files in the CC cloud. I don't like this way of working tbh. I'd rather have it all in one place. I back my Macbook Pro onto the drive.

      Peru Bob
      Community Expert
      Peru BobCommunity Expert
      Community Expert
      May 24, 2023


      You want more than one backup copy of your files.

      Please see Schofield's Second Law:
      https://www.zdnet.com/article/follow-schofields-three-laws-of-computing-and-avoid-disasters/

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        Lisa23931531txcqAuthor
        Known Participant
        May 28, 2023

        Thank you!

        John T Smith
        Community Expert
        John T SmithCommunity Expert
        Community Expert
        May 24, 2023

        You should always have a local copy of all files, not just in the cloud
        If you don't have space on your computer drive use an external drive for files
        A USB flash drive to carry with you... here are 2, there are many more available
        PNY brand https://www.amazon.com/PNY-512GB-Turbo-Attach%C3%A9-Flash/dp/B0BF5VHLBZ
        SanDisk https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-512GB-Ultra-Flash-Drive/dp/B083ZLJ5MG
        Other flash drives are 1 or even 2 Terabytes
        Formatting a flash drive https://www.usbmemorydirect.com/blog/flash-drive-format-types/

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          Lisa23931531txcqAuthor
          Known Participant
          May 28, 2023

          Thank you. I have a western digital drive which I think is 1TB, but is that enough once you pack it with big files?

          Nancy OShea
          Community Expert
          Nancy OSheaCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          May 28, 2023

          External drives are prone to failure.  I keep two externals in rotation in case one of them starts to fail + cloud backup service in case of loss from fire, theft or climate-change related disaster.

           

          Nancy O'Shea— Product User & Community Expert
          kglad
          Community Expert
          kgladCommunity Expert
          Community Expert
          May 24, 2023

          cc files are for file sharing (with others and with yourself on other devices).  they are not for added protection/insurance against data loss.  ie, you should use something else (eg, an external removable hard drive) to back up your data.

          L
          Lisa23931531txcqAuthor
          Known Participant
          May 28, 2023

          Thank you - so if I don't need to share my files with others, or with my own alternative devices, do I need CC storage at all? I could just use it as a back-up and store the main files on my computer if there's space/ backed up on a drive? Or just on a drive if no space?

          Neelamk
          Neelamk
          Legend
          May 24, 2023

          Hi Lisa,

           

          Welcome to our Community forum. Thank you for reaching out to us. To answer your question Creative Cloud application can be used to back up files in the cloud as well as in your local machine drive. To know about syncing files with the Creative Cloud application, please refer to the below article link:

           

          https://helpx.adobe.com/creative-cloud/help/sync-creative-cloud-files.html

           

          Please let me know if this answers your question or if you need more details. we hope to hear from you soon.

           

          Regards,

          Neelam

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          Lisa23931531txcqAuthor
          Known Participant
          May 28, 2023

          This confuses me if I'm honest. The below answers suggest I only need CC if I'm sharing with anyone or with myself. I am not. It does not perhaps seem the best option for me to save files to?

          T
          Test Screen Name
          Legend
          May 28, 2023

          Yes, I don't see any reason to save to CC storage if you are working solo on one computer, unless you are also going to save it locally for backup. 

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