Enable backups

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_{Updated May 8, 2026} Backups are managed copies of a VM’s OS disk. Two flavours: Each VM can have multiple schedules running side by side (for example a Daily schedule for short-cycle protection plus a Weekly schedule for long-cycle retention). For one-off lower-overhead captures with no schedule and no retention policy, see Create a snapshot. For when to use which, see Snapshots vs Backups.

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Two places to manage backups

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a. VM detail page → Backups tab — single VM

Open the VM detail page and switch to the Backups tab. Two action buttons sit at the top right:

• + Instant Backup — capture now, one-off
• Schedule Backup — recurring schedule

Below, every backup of this VM is listed with creation date, size, expiry, and a per-row actions menu.

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b. Compute Resources → Backups — account-wide

The top-level Backups tab in Compute Resources is the central hub for every VM’s backups across the account. Two sub-tabs:

• VM Backups — every individual backup grouped by VM, with size totals and estimated monthly cost.
• Scheduled Backups — every active schedule across the account.

The same + Instant Backup and Schedule Backup buttons live here too. From the global view they prompt you to pick which VM to back up.

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Run an instant backup

Click + Instant Backup from either entry point. Click Create Backup. Capture takes several minutes; the new backup appears in the list with creating status, then ready. Instant backups are retained according to your VM’s retention policy — the same policy that scheduled backups use.

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Schedule recurring backups

Click Schedule Backup. Older backups beyond the retention window are auto-deleted on a rolling basis. Click Schedule Backup to activate.

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Multiple schedules per VM

Add as many schedules as you need on the same VM — they run independently. A common pattern: Both run; both bill independently against the rolling free tier and per-GB rate.

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Manage existing schedules

On Compute Resources → Backups → Scheduled Backups, each schedule’s row has a 3-dot Actions menu: Frequency, time, and retention can be edited any time — no need to delete and recreate.

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Pricing

• First 3 backups per VM are free, rolling. When a 4th backup runs, the oldest of the 3 is auto-deleted, so you keep the 3 most recent at no charge.
• $0.05/GB/month for any backup retained beyond the free 3.
• Daily and Weekly cost the same per GB — pricing is by storage, not by frequency. Pick by your recovery point objective: Daily = up to 24 hours of data loss in a worst case, Weekly = up to 7 days.
• The Estimated Monthly Cost column on the VM Backups view projects what a full month at the current storage would cost.

Charges accrue continuously and settle at the end of each calendar month, with the previous month billed on the 1st — applied against your account balance first, with any remainder charged to your saved card.

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Backup vs Snapshot

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Next steps