Information about CrashPlan Backup Software on Your Computer

Last Updated: 9/30/11

Crashplan is backup software that will back up all files in your Documents folder. Once the backup is initiated, the software will work in the background while you use the computer connected to the internet.

First Time Setup

1. Go into the Applications folder on your Mac and click on the Crashplan icon [see image]

crashplan application

2. On the setup screen, select "New Account" and begin filling out the following information:

Important: Be sure to enter your information as it appears in your student information (no nicknames)

First name: Your first name
Last name: Your last name
Username: Your NetID (same as OU email ID)
Password: Your NetID password
Registration key: see initial Crashplan setup email
PRO Server address: see initial Crashplan setup email

[see image]

initial setup

Backing Up Files

1. Click on the "Start Backup" button to begin backing up your files [see image]

crashplan logged in

2. You will then see a progress bar that indicates the status of your backup. To see more details, click on the "i" circle button [see image]

crashplan backup details

crashplan backup details

Note: Once you start the initial backup, you do not have to open the Crashplan application to do backups.
The backup service will automatically run every 15 minutes in the background when on an active internet connection.

Restoring Files

Once the initial backup is complete, you can begin restoring your files. To do so, do the following steps:

1. In the Crashplan interface, click the "Restore" button on the left hand side [see image]

crashplan restore

2. In the Restore panel, you can select whatever files you wish to have restored to your computer [see image]

crashplan restore files

3. Once the desired files are selected, you have several restoration options below the file navigator. Here you can choose which version of the files to restore, where to restore them, and whether or not to overwrite existing files. Several examples of options are below [see images]

crashplan restore files
crashplan restore files
crashplan restore files
crashplan restore files

Note: Crashplan is currently set to only backup and restore files in your Documents folder. If you have important files stored elsewhere, please move them into this folder for backup.


Need further assistance? Contact the OUWB IT Helpdesk via phone (248) 370-3695 or email [email protected]