Can I use my IDrive account to backup data from both Windows and Macintosh computers?
Yes, IDrive accounts created after 11-23-2011 offer cross-platform compatibility enabling you to backup and sync data from both Windows and Macintosh computers.
However, IDrive accounts created prior to 11-23-2011 are not cross-platform compatible, as these accounts work on different technologies.
Perform the following steps to install the application:
Download the application. Double-click IDrive.dmg and then IDrive.pkg. The 'Welcome to the IDrive Installer' screen is displayed.
Click 'Continue' to proceed with the installation. The 'Software License Agreement' screen appears. Click 'Agree' to proceed.
Select the location where you want to install the application, using 'Change Installation Location' and click 'Install'.
A screen is displayed for verification. Enter the valid system password (administrator password) and click 'OK'. On successful installation, the 'Installation Succeeded' message is displayed.
How to grant full disk access on MAC OS 10.14 Mojave or later?
Mac OS 10.14 Mojave or later requires user consent for applications to access privacy sensitive or protected data. You need to grant full disk access permission to IDrive, if your backups fail due to an "Operation not permitted" error.
To provide full disk access to IDrive.app,
In the 'Grant the required system permissions' popup click 'Open Privacy & Security'. Note: If you cannot view the popup, log out and re-login to the IDrive desktop application.
Drag the IDrive application icon into the Full Disk Access table.
The IDrive and IDriveDaemon applications will be added.
Re-launch the IDrive application for changes to reflect.
Note: Once the required permissions are granted, the notification will not appear the next time you launch the IDrive application.
When I sign in to my IDrive account for the first time on a machine, I notice that some data has already been scheduled for backup. Why?
IDrive is an automated online backup application. To safeguard your critical data, the Desktop, Documents, Library, Music, and Pictures folders are selected for backup by default, with the scheduled time set to off-peak hours. If these settings are not altered, the application commences the backup of the default Backup set once the scheduled backup time is reached. However, you can change the settings.
On a first sign in to your account, a screen is displayed as below from where you can edit the contents of the backup set by clicking on the 'Change…' button, and schedule parameters.
If I perform frequent backups, would I end up using my quota quickly?
IDrive deploys an intelligent incremental backup system where changes to contents of the Backup set are sent to the IDrive servers. If data is removed / deleted / reduced, the space used in the
account reduces. The latest file copy is used to compute your quota. The previous versions of files are stored free.
I have deleted some unwanted files / folders from my IDrive account, yet the 'Total storage space used' remains unchanged. Why?
The 'Total storage space used' information is not displayed in real-time, but computed on a periodical basis. For updated information, click on . For accounts with a large number of files the process may take a while.
IDrive uses 256 - bit AES encryption for data transfer and storage with a user defined key that is not stored anywhere on our servers. This ensures data is safe and secure.
By default, the IDrive application transfers only the modified portions of your backed up files after full initial backup. This optimizes your bandwidth usage and ensures that backups are quick.
How can I regulate my Internet bandwidth usage for IDrive?
The Bandwidth Throttle lets you set the Internet bandwidth to be used by the IDrive application for backups. By default, the bandwidth throttle value is set to 100%.
You can enable 'Auto Pause' option, which makes intelligent guesses on bandwidth throttle during backup operation to enable optimum desktop experience with the following options:
Mac in use: This option lets you set the bandwidth to be used by IDrive for backups, when it is in use. By default, it is set to 25%. This allows other applications to run without hindrance.
Mac not in use: This option lets you set the bandwidth to be used by IDrive for backups when it is not in use. By default, it is set to 100%.
Note: The percentage set for Bandwidth Throttle is applicable for both scheduled and interactive backups.
How do I locate files / folders in my IDrive account?
To locate files / folders backed up to your IDrive account, enter the search term (full or partial file / folder name) on the 'Restore' tab and press the 'Enter' key. Entries matching the search criteria are displayed and can be restored.
What is the Archive Cleanup feature and how does it work?
The Archive Cleanup feature lets you match the contents in your IDrive account with the data in the current backup set on your Mac. It is useful to free up space in your account as it deletes data from your account that no longer exists on your computer.
To use this feature,
Navigate to 'Settings' > 'Archive Cleanup'.
Specify the percentage of files to be considered for backup and click 'Cleanup Now'.
IDrive will generate a list of items to be deleted from your account.
Click 'Delete' to delete them permanently from your account.
Note:
Archive Cleanup permanently deletes data that no longer exists on your computer to free up space in your account.
You can regulate the percentage according to your preference. The percentage mentioned here refers to files considered for deletion in your account as a percentage of the total number of files. The purpose of this percentage-based control is to avoid the large-scale deletion of files in your account due to some unforeseen event on your computer. For most aggressive cleanup, set the percentage to 100%.
Archive Cleanup is not supported for USB and network-mounted drives.
You can set up automated cleanup periodically by enabling Periodic Cleanup.
Periodic Cleanup lets you set the frequency as well as the percentage of files to be considered. The frequency can be set to anything between 5 and 30 days; percentage to anything between 5% and 25%. Periodic cleanup helps in sustained control of the amount of data stored in your account over a period of time.
To access this option, turn on the toggle switch for 'Periodic Cleanup' under 'Archive Cleanup'.
Note:
This may result in the automatic deletion of data from your IDrive account. Set this option carefully.
The percentage mention refers to files considered for deletion in your account as a percentage of the total number of files. The purpose of this percentage based control is to avoid the large deletion of files in your account due to some unforeseen event on your computer.
Periodic Cleanup is not supported for USB and network mounted drives.
I received an email warning about exceeding the quota limit. How do I adjust my account storage usage to be below the limit?
In order to ensure that the backups continue to operate successfully, IDrive allows for usage beyond the allocated quota.
For usage beyond the limit IDrive sends you periodic email warnings. You can upgrade your account to a higher plan with more storage or use any of the following methods to bring the storage usage within the allocated limits.
Archive Cleanup
Run an Archive Cleanup operation from the Settings tab in your IDrive desktop application. This may help in immediately bringing down the usage, especially if you have removed a substantial amount of data from your computer and you want that reflected in your account. Set the cleanup percentage to 100% for maximum impact.
Periodic Cleanup
Schedule a periodic cleanup from the Settings tab in the desktop application. However, note that the changes may not be effective immediately as the removal of data takes place at a later date based on the selected options, and there are limits imposed to avoid excessive deletion.
Delete Files
Remove file(s)/folder(s) from your account via the desktop application. Go to the ‘Restore’ tab, choose the file(s)/folder(s) and click . You must update the backup set after deleting the files to ensure backup does not take place for the deleted files.
IDrive maintains detailed logs of operations like backup, restore, sync, delete, etc. performed in your account.
To view the activity logs, click on 'View Logs' displayed on the top-right corner.
Alternatively, you can right-click on the IDrive status item and select the 'View Log' option.
Note: To delete logs and log category details, click against the specific log and click 'Yes' in the confirmation window.
Is it possible to restore the files that are accidentally deleted from my IDrive account?
All the files that are deleted from your account will be moved to Trash. You can either move your files to the original location in your IDrive account or restore them to your local computer. The files present in Trash will automatically get deleted after a 30 day period.
To restore/move your files from Trash, follow these steps:
Click 'Trash' in the 'Restore' tab.
Select the check box to restore/move the desired files.
Click to move the files to the original location in your IDrive account. Or click 'Restore Now' to restore your files to the desired location in your local computer.
Can I restore the previous version of a file from Trash? *
Yes, you can restore the previous version of a file from trash. Right-click on the desired file and select the 'View previous versions' option. Select the required version and click 'Restore Now'.
I need a walkthrough of the IDrive desktop application interface.
The IDrive desktop application interface can be split into three sections - application header, navigation pane, and main window.
Application header
The application header comprises the search, account quota information, Upgrade button, and your Username linked to access—Online Help, Proxy Settings, Send Error Report, Bandwidth Test, and Account Settings.
Navigation pane
The navigation pane comprises four functional tabs:
Backup - View and select files and folders to backup to your IDrive account
Restore – Displays all files / folders backed up to your account, allowing you to restore, share, search files / folders
Scheduler - Schedule your backups
Sync - Sync your files and folders in real time across all the linked devices
Settings – Configure your IDrive account settings
Main Window
The main window displays contents related to the functional tab, selected on the navigation pane.
I have backed up certain folders (containing multimedia, etc.) which are not going to change. Can I remove them from my Backup set, presuming that the backed up data wouldn't be affected?
After you have backed up files that you will not update, you
can remove them from your backup set. All files, once backed up, remains unaffected
in your IDrive account even if you remove their reference from your backup
set.
I have included files from a CD and DVD in my backup set. After I back them up, can I run subsequent backups without inserting the CD and DVD while my backup set still refers it?
Yes. The absence of the CD/DVD, referenced in your backup set, will not hinder your regular backup activity. However, files from CD/DVD shall not be backed up.
Can I backup the iCloud Drive folder on my computer to IDrive?
Yes, IDrive can backup any files present locally in the Desktop and Documents folders in the iCloud Drive folder on your computer.
Make sure Desktop & Documents Folders is turned on in iCloud settings.
Open iCloud Drive from Finder.
Right-click the Desktop folder and select Download Now.
Similarly, right-click the Documents folder and select Download Now.
Once all the files are downloaded to your computer, you can add the Desktop and Documents folder to your backup set by navigation to Backup > Change. It will be backed up in the next operation.
Note: In case new files or folders are added to Desktop and Documents, you must download them to your computer and then perform a backup to IDrive.
Can I change the color of the IDrive status item on the menu bar?
Yes, you can change the color of the IDrive status item to black and white. To change the color, from the 'Settings' tab, select the 'Use black and white menu bar icon' check box.
I see 'Upload multiple file chunks simultaneously' option selected by default under the Settings tab. Why is that?
The 'Upload multiple file chunks simultaneously' option will improve the data transfer speed during backups. This option is selected by default for user convenience. For optimum speed, ensure the internet bandwidth is high during data backups.
When I sign in to my IDrive account for the first time on a computer, why is it asking me to replace existing or add new device for backup?
On signing in to your account, IDrive allows you to either add the computer as a new device or transfer the backup set, scheduled jobs, and IDrive application settings etc from an already backed up computer to the new computer.
Transferring the backup set, application settings helps you to avoid time consuming initial backup, in case you are:
Replacing an old computer
Replacing computer's hard drive
Recovering after an OS reinstall
Note: Online / local backup set and scheduled jobs for online and local data will be transferred.
To replace an existing computer,
Download and install IDrive on your computer.
Sign in to IDrive using your credentials.
When the 'Set up your new device for backup' screen appears, click 'Replace Existing'.
Select the desired computer from the 'Select one of the computers from the list to replace' screen and click 'Continue'.
Click 'Continue' in the confirmation screen.
A message appears when the existing computer is replaced successfully. Backups will stop for the existing computer.
To add the computer as a new device, you can click 'Add New Device' in the 'Set up your new device for backup' screen.
The two-factor authentication provides additional security to your account and helps in preventing unauthorized access. Once two-factor authentication is enabled via web, in addition to your password, you will need to enter a verification code sent to your email address or phone number or Time-based OTP authenticator app, while signing in to your IDrive account. Read more on how to enable two-factor authentication for your IDrive account.
How do I sign in to my IDrive account once two-factor authentication is enabled?
To sign in to your IDrive account after two-factor authentication is enabled,
On the IDrive application sign in screen, enter your username and password and click 'Sign in'.
If you have selected Email address or Phone number as the preferred method of receiving one-time verification code, enter the same and click 'Verify'. Note: You can also add your computer as a trusted device by selecting the 'Trust this computer' checkbox. Once a computer is added as a trusted device, users will not be asked to enter verification code during any subsequent sign in.
If you have selected Time-based OTP Authentication as the preferred method of receiving one-time verification code, enter the one-time code generated by the Time-based OTP Authenticator app in your mobile device and click 'Submit Code'.
1. From the 'Backup' tab, click 'Change…' and select the files / folders.
2. Click the 'Scheduler' tab and set the day, time and frequency for backup.
You can opt to receive email / desktop notifications on completion of the backup operation.
Can I schedule full and incremental backup on specific days?
IDrive does not have the conventional concept of full and
incremental backups (where modified data is stored separately from full backup). Every backup is basically a full backup with an
incremental effect.
IDrive overwrites the full backup with the modifications made to it during backup. In other words, you have full backup results each time. This helps in fast restores when needed.
IDrive uses advanced patching technology to determine the changed data at source and apply only the modified blocks on to the data at IDrive. No efficiency is lost due to IDrive methodology of updating full backups directly every time.
Is it possible to receive email notifications on the status of my backup jobs?
Yes. Sign in to IDrive desktop application and select the 'Email notification' check box under 'Scheduler' tab, you will receive emails on the status of your scheduled backup job.
I am not receiving an email notification for my scheduled backup(s). Why?
Ensure that you have enabled the notification option from the 'Scheduler' tab, provided a valid email address and selected the 'Email notification' option.
It is possible that email notifications from IDrive might mistakenly be getting filtered out as Spam and reaching your Spam or Bulk mail folder.
For a confirmation on the backup jobs, you can also view the logs.
How can I perform an immediate backup without signing in to the application?
Click the IDrive status item on the system menu bar and select 'Scheduler' > 'Manage all scheduled jobs'. In the 'Manage all Scheduled Jobs' screen, select the 'Start the backup immediately' check box. This will immediately execute backups for the backup set, provided you have created one and signed in to the application at least once before.
I am backing up an external network drive to my IDrive account. If I use a new Mac machine with the same external network drive attached to it, will it impact the backups?
By default, IDrive creates a unique root folder with the Mac name to backup data, which mirrors the complete data structure hierarchy of your Mac. So your files from external drives will be backed up to the connected Mac name folder.
If you now connect your external drive to the new Mac machine and perform the backup, your backups will be impacted, as data from the external drive will be backed up to the new Mac name folder created under your account.
However, in case the Mac machine names are same on both the old and new systems, your backups will not be impacted.
Will my backups take place even when my Mac is in sleep mode?
Yes, your scheduled backups will take place even in the sleep mode if you select the 'Wake up computer from sleep mode during scheduled job' checkbox from the 'General' tab under the 'Settings' screen.
Will a missed scheduled backup take place when the computer is restarted after the scheduled time?
Yes. The scheduled backup will commence as soon as you restart the computer even if it is after the scheduled time. However, this is applicable only if you have selected the 'Start the missed scheduled backup when the computer is turned on' option from the 'Scheduler' tab.
In case you have not selected the option, then the scheduled backup will commence only if you restart the computer within 30 minutes of the scheduled time.
If you restart the computer after 30 minutes of the scheduled time, the scheduled backup will commence at the next frequency (as per the date and time that was set earlier).
Can I automatically stop the scheduled backup in IDrive if my laptop battery is running low?
Yes, you can choose to stop your ongoing scheduled backup whenever your laptop battery drops below a predefined value. To enable this option, simply select the corresponding checkbox to set the battery percentage anything between 20 through 50 from the ‘General tab’ under the ‘Settings’ screen.
The status of your scheduled backups can be viewed using the IDrive status item on the system menu bar.
Click 'View Logs' button on the top-right corner of the IDrive window and select 'Backup' folder to see the log files of the recent sessions.
Yes. Using the 'Scheduler' > 'Cut-off Time' option, you can stop the scheduled backup at the specific time. The backup is resumed at the next scheduled time from the point it was stopped.
IDrive lets you exclude files/folders in your computer from being backed up by using the 'Exclude' feature.
From the 'Settings' tab, under the 'Excluded Files / folders from backup' section, you can exclude files/folders with full/partial path names.
Files/folders with full path names:
To exclude files/folders with full name,
Under 'Excluded Files / folders from backup' section, right-click and select 'Add' or click .
Select the files/folders to add and click 'Open'.
Files/folders with partial names: You can exclude files/folders based on their partial names, file formats, etc.
To exclude files/folders with partial name,
Under the 'Excluded Files / folders from backup' section, select the 'Files/Folders with partial names' option.
Right-click and select 'Add' or click .
Enter the partial name, along with wildcard characters (*,?).
Note:
The excluded folders are marked in Orange color on the 'My Local' pane.
To backup an item which is on the exclude list, right-click the corresponding list box and select 'Remove' from the sub-menu. Alternatively, select the item and click .
Files and folders excluded by default by the application cannot be removed from the list.
How do I restore files / folders from my IDrive account to the local machine?
Select the files / folders that you need to restore from 'Restore' tab and click the 'Restore Now' button. The chosen files are saved to 'IDrive Downloads' folder.
Note:
Files / folders restored are overwritten (if they already exist).
If you wish to restore files to a different location change the 'Restore Location' path before restoring files.
One of the two IDrive accounts I hold has expired. I had scheduled backup job from both the accounts. I want to delete the same from the account that has expired while retaining the jobs for the other account. Is this possible?
Yes, you can delete the scheduled backup/restore jobs using the 'Manage all the Scheduled Jobs' feature in IDrive.
Click the IDrive status item on the system menu bar and select 'Scheduler' > 'Manage all scheduled jobs'. In the 'Manage all Scheduled Jobs' screen, right-click on the scheduled backup from the list and click 'Delete'. You will be prompted to confirm the deletion, click the 'Yes' button.
Do I need to backup Time Machine data folder to my IDrive account?
If you have selected all required files / folders that needs to be backed up from your Mac then there is no need to backup Time Machine data again as it will duplicate the backup data on your IDrive account. To avoid this duplicate copy, by default IDrive will exclude Time Machine data ('Backups.backupdb') folder from your backup.
If you want to include Time Machine folder in your backup set,
Go to 'Settings' > 'Exclusions'.
Under 'Exclude Files / folders from backup' section, select the 'Files/Folders with partial names' option.
Uncheck 'Backups.backupdb' folder to remove it from the excluded files and folders list.
Click 'Save Settings'.
Go to 'Backup' tab and add the Time Machine folder to the backup set.
Note: Backing up Time Machine data with IDrive does not work very well, because Time Machine will not recognize the backed up data for recovery at a later point of time. Additionally, if Time Machine data is included in your IDrive backup, your archive can grow to many times the size of the actual files being backed up, resulting in unnecessary multiple copies of the same file.
When I am signing in to my IDrive account for the first time on a new computer, it is asking me to select location/computer for backup. Why?
IDrive allows you to restore your previous computer's backup archive on your new computer. You can select the 'Adopt / Link to an existing location / computer' option, after signing in reconnect to the previous computer's backup archive in case you are replacing an old computer, replacing the computer's hard drive or recovering after an OS reinstall. By adopting the previous computer's backup archive, you can avoid time consuming initial backup of your files.
To adopt your backup archive,
Download and install IDrive on your computer.
Sign in to IDrive using your credentials.
Click on 'Adopt / Link to an existing location / computer' when prompted to select location/computer for backup. A list of locations/computers linked to your account appears.
Select the desired computer/location from the list and click on 'Adopt / Link Selected Location' to restore your previous backups.
In case you do not wish to adopt your previous backups on the new machine, you can click 'Proceed to create new location with this computer name' when prompted to select location/computer for backup.
I can see a 'View Snapshots' button on the Restore tab menu. What is it?
Certain accounts may see the feature 'View Snapshots' in the application. Snapshots are a historical view of your data, stored in your IDrive account, which allow you to perform point-in-time recovery. They are useful in case your files are corrupted by malware and you want to restore a previous version of the files.
To perform snapshot based restore,
Go to the 'Restore' tab and click 'View Snapshots'.
Select the date and time and click 'Submit'. A list of all the data backed up on or before the selected date appears.
Select the required files/folders and click 'Restore Now'.
How do I restore the data backed up on a local, Wi-Fi, or Express device?
To restore data from a local, Wi-Fi orExpress device,
Sign in to the IDrive application with your 'Username' and 'Password'.
From the 'Restore' tab and select the 'Restore files from Local, Wi-Fi or Express device' radio button.
Select the location of your local, Wi-Fi, or Express device.
You will be able to see all the files/folders backed up to the local backup destination.
Select the file(s)/folder(s) to restore and choose the desired 'Restore location'.
Click 'Restore Now'.
What is Versioning?
IDrive retains previous versions of all files backed up to your account. Currently you can restore 30 previous file versions, and for accounts created prior to 11-07-2018 you can restore up to 10 versions, to any location on your local computer.
Does versioning (previous versions of files) impact the available quota (storage space in my account)?
Your available quota depends on the storage requirements of the most recent view of your data. Backup of older versions do require additional space, however, this is not charged to your usage. In other words versioning does not increase your storage requirement.
Does IDrive support folder-wise restore of files with earlier versions? *
Yes, to restore a folder with earlier versions of files, you can right click on the required folder and hover on 'Restore Versions' any of the following options:
Most Recent - Use this option to restore the latest versions of files in the folder.
Example: If a folder has 5 files, all the 5 files will be restored in its latest versions available.
2nd Most Recent - Use this option to restore files prior to the last backed up version.
Example: If a file in the folder has 3 different versions, this feature will restore only the version prior to the last backed up, i.e., file version 2.
3rd Most Recent - Use this option to restore the third last version of a file in a folder.
Example: If a file in the folder has 3 different versions, this feature will only restore file version 1.
More - Provides an option to restore from fourth to tenth most recent version of files in a folder.
* Note: For some accounts, certain functions like folder-level versioning, version restore from Trash, Continuous Data Protection for network and external drives, adopting backup archive and settings from a device, and Snapshots are not available.
. For accounts with a large number of files the process may take a while.
. You must update the backup set after deleting the files to ensure backup does not take place for the deleted files.
. Alternatively, right-click on the files / folders you wish to share and select 'Share' from the drop-down.
against the specific log and click 'Yes' in the confirmation window. 
to move the files to the original location in your IDrive account. Or click 'Restore Now' to restore your files to the desired location in your local computer. 
.
. 
