Check the status of your backup in CrashPlan

You can check the status of your CrashPlan backup from three places. Each one shows whether your device is backing up and whether any action is needed:

• CrashPlan icon: A quick status check from the notification area (Windows) or menu bar (Mac), without opening the CrashPlan app.
• CrashPlan app: The status of each backup set and backup destination on your device, and a history of recent backup activity.
• CrashPlan console: The status of your devices from any web browser, including a device you are not currently using.

To confirm that a particular file is in your CrashPlan backup, open a restore menu and locate the file, as described in Check whether a specific file is backed up.

Video guide

Check backup status from the CrashPlan icon

The CrashPlan icon shows the backup status of your device for each backup destination.

1. Click the CrashPlan icon :
   • Windows: In the notification area, in the lower-right corner of the screen.
   • Mac: In the menu bar, in the top-right corner of the screen.
2. Review the status icon and status message shown for each backup destination.
   For the meaning of each status, see What your backup status means.

If the CrashPlan icon does not appear, turn it on from the General tab of the CrashPlan app device preferences. The setting names for each operating system are in Notification area and menu bar overview and settings.

Check backup status in the CrashPlan app

The CrashPlan app Home screen shows the backup status of each backup set on your device, for each backup destination.

1. Open and sign in to the CrashPlan app.
   For the ways to open the app on each operating system, see Opening the CrashPlan app.
2. Click Home in the upper-left corner of the app.
3. For each backup set, review the status icon and status message next to each backup destination name.
   For the meaning of each status, see What your backup status means.

4. To review recent backup activity, open History:

   • Windows: Select Tools > History.
   • Mac: Select Window > History.

   History lists the date, time, and backup set for each backup activity.

Check backup status in the CrashPlan console

The CrashPlan console shows the backup status of each device on your account. Use it to check a device you are not currently using, such as a computer that is turned off or away from you.

1. Sign in to the CrashPlan console.
2. Navigate to Administration > Devices.
   The Devices list shows only the devices you have permission to view. For most users, these are their own devices.
3. Locate the device and review Last Backup Activity, which shows the time elapsed since the device last sent data to CrashPlan.
4. Click the device name to open its device details, and review the following values:
   • Authority Connection: Whether the device is Online, meaning connected to the CrashPlan cloud, or Offline.
   • Last Activity: The time elapsed since the device last sent backup data to CrashPlan.
   • Completed: The time elapsed since the device last reached 100% backed up.
   • Health bar: Green when the device has sent data recently. Yellow or red when the device has not sent new data for several days.

A device whose Last Activity is recent but whose Completed value is out of date is backing up new files, but cannot back up some files in its selection, often because another application has them open. Administrators can find the causes and resolutions in Troubleshooting device backup issues, and the health bar thresholds in Monitoring device health in the CrashPlan console.

What your backup status means

The CrashPlan icon and the CrashPlan app show a backup status icon and a status message for each backup destination. The status icon tells you at a glance whether CrashPlan needs anything from you:

• Backing up: CrashPlan is sending files to the backup destination. Keep the device turned on and connected to the network until the backup completes.
• Working normally: CrashPlan is backing up according to your backup schedule and frequency settings. No action is needed.
• Setup incomplete: The backup set needs files selected, a backup destination, or both. Backup starts once both are in place.
• Not running: CrashPlan is scanning the file selection, connecting to the backup destination, or preparing the backup. Backup starts automatically once this completes.
• Paused: Backup to this destination is paused, and you can still download files. Backup resumes when the pause period ends.
• Alert: CrashPlan cannot back up to this destination until the cause in the status message is resolved.

The status message next to the icon gives the specific reason for the current backup status, such as "Next backup in 12 minutes" or "Unable to back up - running on battery". Each CrashPlan status message, its meaning, and its resolution are listed in CrashPlan app status message reference.

Check whether a specific file is backed up

A file appears in the CrashPlan restore menu only once it is in your backup, so locating a file in the restore menu confirms that it is backed up. Use the CrashPlan app or the CrashPlan console to open the restore menu and look for the file.

Check for a file in the CrashPlan app

The CrashPlan app restore menu shows the files backed up to each backup destination, including local destinations such as an external drive.

1. Open and sign in to the CrashPlan app.
2. Click Restore Files.
3. If your account has more than one device, select the device the file is stored on.
4. If you back up to more than one destination, select the destination from the Restore files from menu.
5. Locate the file using one of the following methods:
   • File browser: Navigate through the folders to the location of the file on your device.
   • Search: Click the search icon, type the file name or part of it, and press Enter. Search options such as wildcards are described in Searching for files to restore.
6. Check the result:
   • The file appears: The file is backed up to the selected destination. To confirm that the backup includes your latest changes, hover over the file, click the versions icon, and check the date of the most recent version. The version date is when CrashPlan backed up the file, while the Date Modified column shows when the file last changed on your device.
   • The file does not appear: The file is not backed up to the selected destination. For the usual causes, see If the file is not in your backup.
7. Click Done to close the restore menu.

Check for a file in the CrashPlan console

The CrashPlan console restore menu shows files backed up to cloud destinations. To check a local destination, such as an external drive, use the CrashPlan app.

1. Sign in to the CrashPlan console.
2. Navigate to Administration > Devices.
3. Locate the device the file is stored on and click the Restore icon .
   If the Restore icon is grayed out and displays "Web restore unavailable", your user roles do not include permission to restore from the CrashPlan console. Check for the file in the CrashPlan app instead, as described in Check for a file in the CrashPlan app, or ask your administrator to update your user roles.
4. Locate the file using one of the following methods:
   • File tree: Navigate through the folders to the location of the file on the device.
   • Search: Type the file name or part of it into the Find files to restore box and press Enter.
5. Check the result:
   • The file appears: The file is backed up. To confirm that the backup includes your latest changes, click the arrow icon next to the file name and check the date of the most recent version.
   • The file does not appear: The file is not backed up to a cloud destination. For the usual causes, see If the file is not in your backup.
6. Click Cancel to close the restore menu.

If the file is not in your backup

A file missing from the CrashPlan restore menu is usually in one of the following situations:

• The file is outside your file selection: Add the file or its folder to the backup set from Manage Files in the CrashPlan app, as described in Include and exclude files for backup from CrashPlan.
• The file matches an exclusion: CrashPlan excludes certain system files, temporary files, and application data by default, and your administrator can exclude further file types. The default list is in Files excluded from backup by default in CrashPlan.
• The file has not backed up yet: New and changed files back up according to your backup schedule and frequency settings. Check the backup status, as described in What your backup status means, and look for the file again once the backup completes.
• A different device or destination is selected: The restore menu shows one device and one backup destination at a time. Confirm that both match the file you are looking for.
• The file was deleted from the device: The restore menu hides deleted files by default. Turn on Include deleted files in the CrashPlan app, or Display deleted files in the CrashPlan console, as described in Restoring deleted files.
• The file is hidden: Your administrator can hide files and folders from the CrashPlan restore menu, including files that are backed up. Turn on Show hidden files in the CrashPlan app, or Display hidden files in the CrashPlan console, to include them. The administrator setting is described in Include and exclude files for backup from CrashPlan.

Receive backup status by email

CrashPlan can send backup status report emails that summarize backup activity and alert you when a device stops backing up. The report types and their settings are described in Backup status report emails reference.