Automatic backup and scheduling on Windows
Automatic backup means your PC backs up on a schedule instead of waiting for you to remember. In Tornova Backup you choose a daily, weekly or monthly time and the Windows app runs the backup then. Smart Backup is a separate feature that checks for changes once a day, week or month. This guide explains both, how to set them up and how to check they really run.
Manual backup, scheduled backup and why it matters
A manual backup happens when you start it. That is fine for a one-off copy, but the files you changed this morning are only protected if you remembered to run it. Most data loss happens between backups, so the gap between them matters more than the tool.
A scheduled (automatic) backup removes the memory test. You choose when it should run, and the software runs it whether or not you think about it. The trade-off is that a schedule only works if the PC is on and connected at that time, so you should check the results now and then.
Automatic Backup in Tornova Backup
Automatic Backup runs your selected Backup Set at the schedule you choose. You set it on the website, under Automatic Backup in your dashboard, and the Tornova Windows app carries it out on the PC, using the PC's own local time zone.
- Daily: back up every day at a time you choose.
- Weekly: back up on the days you choose, at a time you choose.
- Monthly: back up once a month on the date you choose, at a time you choose.
- One run at the chosen time. The schedule is a single run per day, not an hourly or continuous backup. For files that change often, you can also start Back Up Now whenever you want.
Signing out of the Tornova App screen does not stop scheduled backups; the app keeps its own device credentials for background work. If you want to stop automatic backups, switch Automatic Backup off.
If the PC is off or offline Tornova does not report a missed backup as successful. The missed run is recorded, and the backup follows the next eligible run. Leave the PC on and connected around the scheduled time, or choose a time when it normally is.
Automatic Backup and Smart Backup are different
The two names sound alike and are easy to mix up. They work together, but they are separate features with separate settings.
Automatic Backup compared with Smart Backup
| Automatic Backup | Smart Backup |
|---|
| What it does | Runs your Backup Set at a time you choose | Checks your Backup Set for new and changed files once per day, week or month and backs up only those |
|---|
| You choose | Daily, weekly or monthly, and the time | On or off, and day-wise, week-wise or month-wise |
|---|
| Where you set it | Automatic Backup page on the website | Settings > Smart Backup (in an Organization, on the website) |
|---|
| How it shows in Activity | Automatic backup entry with its result | Smart Backup entry: Success, or Up to date when nothing changed |
|---|
A file you change after today's Smart Backup check is backed up at the next check, or sooner if you use Back Up Now or Automatic Backup. Smart Backup is not real-time protection.
Choosing a schedule that fits how you work
- Work files you change every day: daily, at a time when the PC is normally on, such as shortly after you start work or in the evening.
- Photos and documents you change now and then: weekly is often enough, plus Back Up Now after a big import or a project milestone.
- Archives and rarely changing folders: monthly, or Smart Backup, so you protect new files without re-sending everything.
- A laptop that is often asleep: pick a time when it is usually awake, and check the results the first week.
Remember that your schedule sets how much work you can lose: with a daily backup, up to a day of changes. If that is too much, back up more often or run Back Up Now at key moments.
How to check that scheduled backups really run
- Open Activity in Tornova App or on the website after the first scheduled time has passed.
- Look for the run and read its result. Tornova reports Backup Successful only when the whole intended backup completed; otherwise you see Partially Completed with the files that were not protected, or an interrupted run.
- Look at the connection status of the PC (Connected or Not Connected). It is shown separately from the backup result.
- Every few months, restore one unimportant file and open it. A scheduled backup that cannot be restored is not protecting you.
If runs are failing or skipped, Backup not working? Common problems and what they mean explains each message, and How to set up automatic backup on Windows walks through the screens step by step.
Automatic does not mean careless
Scheduled backups run in the background with the PC's own device credential, separate from your sign-in, so they do not depend on you being signed in or answering a two-step code. Your data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and restore is controlled separately from backup. See Encrypted backup explained and Data protection and backup safety tips.
Deleting a file on your PC does not delete its cloud copy, and a temporary problem such as a lost connection never deletes your existing backups. Tornova keeps versions only if you turn them on; see File versions and Trash explained.
Frequently asked questions
Does automatic backup work on Windows 11?
Yes. Tornova Backup runs on 64-bit Windows 10 (version 1809 or later) and Windows 11, and Automatic Backup works the same way on both: you choose a daily, weekly or monthly time and the Windows app runs the backup.
What is backup scheduling?
Backup scheduling means choosing when backups run so that automatic file backup does not depend on you remembering. In Tornova it covers Automatic Backup (a time you choose) and Smart Backup (a daily, weekly or monthly check for new and changed files).
How often can Tornova back up automatically?
Daily, weekly on days you choose, or monthly on a date you choose, once at the time you set. For more often, use Back Up Now. Smart Backup checks for changes once per day, week or month.
Does Tornova run backups continuously or in real time?
No. Backups run at the scheduled time, when you start Back Up Now, or at Smart Backup's check. Tornova does not offer real-time continuous protection.
Do I have to stay signed in for scheduled backups to run?
No. Signing out of the Tornova App screen does not stop scheduled or background backup; the app keeps its own device credentials.
What happens if my PC is switched off at the scheduled time?
The missed run is recorded and is never shown as successful. The backup follows the next eligible run.
Which time zone does the schedule use?
The local time zone of the PC that runs the backup.
Do Automatic Backup and Smart Backup both need to be on?
No. They are independent. You can use either one, both, or neither and start backups yourself.
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