Before any repair that touches the operating system — a reinstall, a factory reset, sometimes even a screen swap on certain models — we back your data up as standard. But if you want to do it yourself first, or just want peace of mind before dropping a laptop off, here’s the fastest way.
The one thing to grab first: Documents, Desktop, and Pictures
If you’re short on time, these three folders cover most people’s irreplaceable files. On Windows, they’re usually under This PC → your username. On a Mac, they’re in your Home folder.
The fastest method: a USB drive
For most people, copying files to a USB stick or external drive is the quickest practical backup. Buy the biggest drive you can afford — a 128GB USB drive costs very little and covers most personal file collections comfortably.
The easiest ongoing method: cloud backup
OneDrive (built into Windows), iCloud Drive (built into macOS), or Google Drive will all automatically sync your files to the cloud in the background, so a repair — or a lost laptop — never puts your files at risk again. Once set up, you don’t have to remember to do anything.
Don’t forget browser passwords and bookmarks — if you use Chrome, Edge or Firefox’s built-in sync (signed in with your Google/Microsoft/Firefox account), these come back automatically on any device without a manual backup.
What about photos on your phone synced to the laptop?
If you use Google Photos or iCloud Photos, these are usually already backed up in the cloud independently of your laptop — worth double-checking before you assume you need to back them up separately.
What we do on our end
For any repair that involves reinstalling Windows or macOS, we back up your files to a secure drive here first, as standard, at no extra charge — so even if you didn’t get round to it yourself, your data isn’t at risk.
Got a repair booked in and want to know exactly what we’ll back up? Check your booking details or give us a call.