How can we help?

Backblaze can help recover your lost computer or stolen laptop by tracking it, if and when it connects to a network again. However, if you prefer not to grant Backblaze access to your computer's location, the feature can be disabled.

To disable this feature at the account level, log into your account here and click the Locate My Computer link on the left side of the page. Click the Turn Off button on the right side to disable this feature and stop all tracking.

Once this feature has been disabled at the account level, each Backblaze installation registered to the account will automatically disable it's own location services functions, so long as version 7.0.1.452 or newer is installed. The latest version of the Backblaze Online Backup installer is always available here. These settings changes may take some time to be picked up by each installation. 

The Backblaze Maintenance Schedule page can be found here: https://www.backblaze.com/scheduled-maintenance.html

Backblaze has a maintenance window scheduled every
Thursday from: 2:00pm - 4:00pm Pacific Time.

During this time the following services may be unavailable: making a new purchase, installing new trials, signing in to your account, creating new accounts, enabling B2, and creating a master Key.

Please note the following B2 calls may also be affected: b2_create_bucket, b2_delete_bucket

Most other parts of the service will remain unaffected.

We expect maintenance to be completed by 4:00pm Pacific Time. If the maintenance window needs to be extended, please keep an eye on our Twitter account during the maintenance window for updates: @Backblaze. For longer planned maintenance, updates will be posted to the Backblaze Blog prior to the maintenance taking place. 

If you are on Windows and you are trying to install Backblaze and you are running into the error: 

1. You will need to save the file to disk.

2. Right-click the saved file.

3. From the menu choose, Run as Administrator.

This will start the installer properly.

Backblaze Accounts & Two Factor Verification 

Backblaze supports two-factor verification via the TOTP (Time-based One Time Password) app of your choice, such as Authy or Google Authenticator or via SMS (Short Message Service aka text message) to a single phone number registered to the account. Please note that the SMS option is only available after the first account payment is successfully processed (typically after 30 days)

As fallback options, ten one-time use codes can be generated and saved securely, such as in a password manager, safe, or your preferred secure document storage system. For accounts using a TOTP app, SMS is supported as an optional fallback as well. 

Note: Accounts using SSO (Single Sign-On) will not have 2FV options available. 

To enable Two Factor Verification for the first time, follow these steps:  

1. Sign in to the Backblaze website with your current account email address and password.

2.  Once signed in, select "My Settings" from the left-side navigation links. 

3. Select the "Sign In Settings" link on the right side of the My Settings page.  

4. On the following pane, change the Two Factor Authentication option to "On" and all of the options to enable and configure fallback 2FV options will be available, as shown below.

6. If you choose SMS and leave the Generate Backup Codes option checked and click Update, it will show you a list of 10 backup codes you can use to regain access to your account in the future, should the primary 2FV method be inaccessible. Save or print these codes and keep them in a safe place. Once done, you will be logged out of your account automatically. 

Note: SMS will only be available if a phone number has already been registered to the account via the My Settings page. 

8. If you choose Authentication Application, open your preferred Authentication Application and scan the QR code shown for your account. Enter the verification code presented in the app and click Verify. It will tell you below that field if it was successful. You also have the option to Allow fallback to SMS, which is enabled by default. This will allow you to have a verification code sent to your verified phone number if you lose your Authentication Application. You can then click Update to save the settings. If you left the Generate Backup Codes option checked, it will show you a list of 10 backup codes you can use to regain access to your account in the future if you lose access to your phone number. Save or print these codes and keep them in a safe place. Once done, you will be logged out of your account automatically. 

9. When you log back in, you will see the below screen after you enter your password if you chose SMS. You can click the switch from Off to On to have your current browser trusted, so you won't be asked again for the SMS verification code in that browser. You will still be asked for the code in other browsers or on other devices. You have the option to select Resend Code if you have trouble receiving the SMS code, or click Use Backup Code to enter one of the 10 backup codes you saved previously. 

10. If you chose Authentication Application, you will see this screen instead. You can click the switch from Off to On to have your current browser trusted, so you won't be asked again for the Authentication Application verification code in that browser. You will still be asked for the code in other browsers or on other devices. You have the option to select Send SMS Fallback Code to your verified phone number if you have lost access to your Authentication Application, or you can select Use Backup Code to enter one of the 10 backup codes you saved previously. 

Backblaze Settings Overview (Win)

To open the Backblaze Control Panel, you can use either the Start Menu entry or the System Tray icon. 

If Backblaze has been pinned to your main Start Menu pane, it will appear as on the left below. If it has not, you can find it in the "All Programs" selection, as shown to the right below.  

The system tray icon is typically found at the lower right hand side of your desktop area, just to the left of the clock. Below is an example of the default desktop area with the system tray icons highlighted. 

Here is a close view of the System Tray and the Backblaze icon and the menu that appears if you select the Backblaze icon: 

Once you have opened the Backblaze Control Panel, you will see a screen like that shown below.

The "Backup Now" button will either resume or initiate a backup, depending on your backup schedule settings. 

The "Restore Options" button will present you with basic information about the way in which you can restore files from your Backblaze backup. 

"Selected for Backup" reports the total number and size of all of the files currently included in your Backblaze backup. 

"Backup Schedule" indicates the current schedule setting of your Backblaze software. 

"Remaining Files" shows the total number and size of files currently in queue to be uploaded. These files are not yet backed up. 

The "Settings" button will take you to the various settings you can change for the Backblaze backups. For more information on each settings pane, please refer to one of the following articles: 

General Settings (Win)

Performance Settings (Win)

Schedule Settings (Win)

Exclusion Settings (Win)

Security Settings (Win)

Backblaze Settings Overview (Mac)

To open the Backblaze Preferences, you can use either the System Preferences pane, the menu bar icon, or the application file. You will find a screenshot of each below. 

To access your System Preferences pane, select the "" menu from the top left-hand side of your screen and select the "System Preferences" selection from the associated drop-down menu. It can also be accessed from the "Applications" section of "Finder"

The menu bar icon will typically be found at the top right-hand side of your screen, to the left of your system clock. 

Here you will find the Backblaze application file shown in the Applications directory. 

Once you have opened the Backblaze Preferences pane, you will see the screen pictured below: 

The "Backup Now" button will either resume or initiate a backup, depending on your backup schedule settings. 

The "Restore Options" button will present you with basic information about the way in which you can restore files from your Backblaze backup. 

"Selected for Backup" reports the total number and size of all of the files currently included in your Backblaze backup. 

"Backup Schedule" indicates the current schedule setting of your Backblaze software. 

"Remaining Files" shows the total number and size of files currently in the queue to be uploaded. These files are not yet backed up. 

The "Settings" button will take you to the various settings you can change for the Backblaze backups. For more information on each settings pane, please refer to one of the following articles: 

General Settings (Mac)

Performance Settings (Mac)

Schedule Settings (Mac)

Exclusions Settings (Mac)

Security Settings (Mac)

Reports (Mac)

In the newer macOS, beginning with 10.14 Mojave, Apple has made some privacy and security changes and as a result has affected the way Backblaze behaves. If running macOS 10.14 or later you will need to follow these steps to reenable Backblaze to back up your:
Photos, Contacts, Calendars, Safari, Mail, or other Apple items.

***First, Update To The Latest Version (5.4 or higher) of the Backblaze Client here.***

(please note: permissions will often automatically be requested during installation)

Giving Backblaze Full Disk Access After the new OS is on the Computer

1. After updating to the latest client, open the Applications Folder. 

2. Open the System Preferences on your Mac by clicking the apple icon in the upper-left corner and select System preferences.  

3. Click Security & Privacy settings.

4. Select "Full Disk Access" in the left-hand column.

5. If necessary, click the lock and enter your Mac's username and password to allow you to make changes.

6. Drag the Backblaze app into the Full Disk Access location and release the Backblaze icon into it as show in the images below. 

7. Restart your Mac. After reboot, once Backblaze does a hard drive scan it should back up everything that the OS upgrade excluded and your backup should remain safe! 

Creating a Restore: 

To start, you will need to sign in to the Backblaze website with your registered email address and password.

Selecting the Backup:

Once logged in, you will be brought to the account Overview page. On this page, all of the computers registered for backup under your account are shown with some basic information about each. Select which backup from which you wish to restore data by using the appropriate "Restore" button. 

Selecting the Type of Restore: 

Backblaze offers four different ways in which you can receive your restore data: downloadable zip file, Save Files to B2, or USB hard drive. The downloadable zip restore option will create a zip file of the files you request that is made available for download for 7 days. Zip restores do not have any additional cost and are a great option for individual files or small sets of data. Depending on the speed of your internet connection to the Backblaze data center, downloadable restores may not always be the best option for restoring very large amounts of data. Zip restores are limited to 500 GB per request and a maximum of 20 active requests can be submitted under a single account at any given time. 

The Save Files to B2 option allows you to move a zip restore to our B2 Cloud Storage service for permanent storage. B2 Cloud Storage is priced at $0.005/GB/Month for storage, and the Save Files to B2 option will quote your estimated storage cost. The maximum size of a Save Files to B2 restore is 10TB. You can learn more here.

USB hard drive restores are built with the data you request and then shipped to an address of your choosing. We ship via FedEx with signature required where available. FedEx does not deliver to PO Boxes. All USB restores are prepared and shipped from the U.S., even if your data is stored in a non-U.S. data center.

USB hard drive restores cost $189 and can contain up to 8 TB max (7,000,000 MB of data). This includes the cost of shipping. 

Note: If you are ordering a Mac restore drive that you plan on using and accessing through a Windows computer, please follow this guide to ensure the drive is formatted correctly for Windows.

Selecting Files for Restore: 

Using the left hand file viewer, navigate to the location of the files you wish to restore. You can use the disclosure triangles to see subfolders. Clicking on a folder name will display the folder's files in the right hand file viewer. If you are attempting to restore files that have been deleted or are otherwise missing or files from a failed or disconnected secondary or external hard drive, you may need to change the timeframe parameters. 

Put checkmarks next to disks, files or folders you'd like to recover. Once you have selected the files and folders you wish to restore, select the "Continue with Restore" button above or below the file viewer. Backblaze will then build the restore via the option you select (zip or usb drive). You'll receive an automated email notifying you when the zip restore has been built and is ready for download or when the usb restore drive ships. 

If you are using the downloadable zip option, and the restore is over 2 GB, we highly recommend using the Backblaze Downloader for better speed and reliability. We have a guide on using the Backblaze Downloader for Mac OS X here, or for Windows here. 

Please note: You can now apply filters to your view on the "View/Restore Files" page

You now have the option of applying the following filters to your file view on the "View/Restore Files" page. The options are:

1. Show hidden Files: This will display data normally hidden from the default view

2. Files Backed Up in the Last Week: This will display only files backed up in the last week

3. Files Accumulated in Forever Version History: Please note, if your back is set to any other version history besides Forever Version history, this option will not appear for you.

 ( you can find out more about our Extended Version History options here )

What to do after you have created your restore:

If you have selected a .zip (download) restore:

Once you have created a restore, our restore servers will begin preparing the files you requested.  When the restore is ready to be downloaded, you will receive an email notification.  Then you can go to https://secure.backblaze.com/user_signin.htm to login in to your account, and select 'My Restores'.

This will show you all of your restores available for download.  

We would recommend selecting 'Use Downloader' for all restores over 1 GB, which will download the Backblaze Downloader.  

Once the zip restore has been downloaded to your computer, you will need to unzip the folder to access the restored files. If you are on a Windows computer, you can use the unzipper built into the Backblaze Downloader. If you are on a Mac, you can use the unzipper built into the OS.

*Note - For best results on large restores, we recommend breaking up your restore into multiple chunks as shown here.

If you have selected a USB Hard Drive Restore:

You will want to follow the packaged instructions that come bundled with your drive, detailing how to install the appropriate unlocking software, and inputting the unlock code from your "My Restores" page. The steps for how to unlock your Encrypted drive can be found in this guide.

In both instances, either downloading a .zip, or accessing your encrypted drive, you would then drag and drop the files from the restore to the appropriate areas of your computer.

Please note: all restore drives are formatted to the operating system of the computer the restore was created from.

The following is a collection FAQs for customers using Backblaze for Business prior to January 18th, 2017 and who have not yet migrated to the new Backblaze for Business. Please see the Migration FAQ for on migrating.  

Installing & Getting Started

• What is the difference between IT and Individual Access?
• Does Backblaze Have a Silent Installer?
• Why is My Custom Installer Asking My Users for a Password?

Licensing

• How Do I Add Additional Licenses to my Backblaze for Business Account?
• Transfer Backup State for Backblaze for Business
• How Do I Remove A Backup from My Business Account?

Common Questions

• What is a Usage Report and Why are They Important?
• Why Am I Getting "Out of Compliance" Emails?
• How Do I Renew My Backblaze for Business Account?
• What Does ‘Client Not Seen’ Mean?
• How do I Change the Email Address/Domain Associated w/ my Account?
• Inherit Backup State for Backblaze for Business

The Master Application Key ID for an account can be found at the top of the 'App Keys' page of the Backblaze website, once signed into the Backblaze website. See the below screenshot. 

The Master Application Key is only shown when generating it and is not shown again, so make sure you save this in a secure location if you plan on using this more than once. 

On the same page, non-master app key and app key ID pairs can also be generated with specific access rights. 

For a detailed look, the documentation for app keys and app key IDs can be found here: https://www.backblaze.com/b2/docs/application_keys.html

NOTE: The terminology for the Master Application Key ID was recently changed from being called the Account ID. If you are using an integration where the terminology has not been updated to reflect our change, the Master Application Key ID will work in place of the Account ID. For a non-master app key that has been created, you can use that key's keyID in place of an Account ID.

What is Object Lock?

Object Lock is a feature that makes data immutable by preventing a file from being changed or deleted until a given date. This helps to protect files stored in Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage from threats like ransomware which could potentially encrypt or remove files you intend to keep.

How does Object Lock work?

Object Lock must be enabled on a bucket at the time the bucket is created. For files going into a bucket with Object Lock enabled, there are two ways to lock them. First, you can set a date when you upload the file as part of the call to our API. Second, you can set a date on a file that is already uploaded. For both methods, you must set a date to lock the file until and which mode you want to use. Attempts to delete the file or make any changes to it before the set date will fail. While you can use the second method to extend the lock on a file, you cannot use it to shorten the lock.

The majority of users will never have to interact with the API at all - integrations like Veeam will simply ask how long you want your files to be immutable and enable that functionality behind the scenes for you.

With Default Bucket Retention, the feature applies Object Lock for a specified retention period on files uploaded or copied into a bucket. Read here for more information.

With Object Lock Legal Hold, the feature prevents a file from being changed or deleted, but the immutability does not have a defined retention period - a file is immutable until Object Lock Legal Hold is removed. Read here for more information.

Does Object Lock with Backblaze work the same way as it does with AWS?

From a functionality standpoint, Object Lock with Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage works the same way as it does with AWS. Files will be locked until the date a user sets on the file.

Is there an extra cost to use Object Lock?

There is no extra cost to use Object Lock, however you are responsible for the normal charges associated with storing the locked file.

Can Object Lock be enabled later on?

No, the Bucket that a file is in must have Object Lock enabled to use Object Lock on that file. The only option to enable Object Lock on a Bucket is when you make the bucket for the first time. This means you cannot enable Object Lock on any file in a Bucket that was not created with Object Lock enabled and it cannot be turned on after the fact. We have mimicked this behavior from AWS.

What happens if I made a mistake and locked a file for longer than I wanted?

If you have locked your file for longer than you intended then you will need to close your B2 account. For assistance in closing your B2 account please see either Canceling and Deleting a Backblaze Account or How Do I Cancel My B2 Account.

Can I use Immutability with Veeam?

Yes, Object Lock in B2 Cloud Storage was designed with the Immutability feature in Veeam Backup & Replication in mind. If you have enabled Object Lock on a bucket on your account you can follow our guide on how to set up Veeam with B2 Cloud Storage. For more information, see this page.

Can I use Object Lock on a bucket that does not have it enabled?

No, Object Lock can only be used on a bucket that has Object Lock enabled.

Can I use Object Lock with the B2 CLI/AWS CLI?

The AWS CLI is currently supported. The B2 CLI will be available soon. Here is an example of how to create a bucket with Object Lock enabled and upload a file to Backblaze B2 with an Object Lock, then check the retention period for that file:

Creating a Bucket:

aws s3api create-bucket --bucket <bucketname> --object-lock-enabled-for-bucket --endpoint-url <S3 Endpoint>

Upload a File:

aws s3api put-object --bucket <bucketname> --key <filename> -->body <local_filename> --object-lock-mode COMPLIANCE --object-lock-retain-until-date "YYYY-MM-DD HH:MI:SS" --endpoint-url <S3 Endpoint>

Check Object Retention:

aws s3api get-object-retention --bucket <bucketname> --key <filename> --endpoint-url <S3 Endpoint>

Can I only use Object Lock with the S3 Compatibility API?

No, Object Lock is available via the S3 Compatibility API and the B2 Native API.

What happens after the end of the retention period?

Once the Object Lock retention period expires, a file may be changed or deleted.

Will Object Lock affect any other bucket or lifecycle settings?

Yes. When a file is locked, lifecycle settings or an integration setting attempting to change or delete the file will fail.

Can Object Lock only be enabled using the WEB UI? If not how can it be otherwise enabled?

Object Lock may be enabled by API or by using the web application. See this page for more information about our API. Default Bucket Retention and Object Lock Legal Hold may be enabled through the web application as well.

Can Object Lock Legal Hold be enabled for multiple files at once?

No, Object Lock Legal Hold may be applied only one file at a time during upload or updating a file.

What are examples of who or what Default Bucket Retention would usually apply to?

Default Bucket Retention is a great feature for those who want to ensure that their data is not changed or deleted. Refer to the Default Bucket Retention article for more information.

The Backblaze Fireball program consists of a Synology NAS with 10GigE add-in card, and hard drives shipped to the customer. The customer sets up the NAS, moves the data to it, and after configuring and testing the configuration for validity, returns the NAS to Backblaze. When Backblaze receives the NAS, the data is moved to B2 storage, verified, and then the data is cleared from the NAS.

If you become aware of an actual or potential violation of laws, rules, regulations, or any of Backblaze policies, you can report this anonymously in one of two ways:

1. By emailing to anonymous[at]Backblaze.com
2. Report this online by filling in the Anonymous Reporting Form.

If you suspect you have received a phishing email with content hosted on our servers, please send an email to reportphishing @ Backblaze . com.

Please ensure to include who the email was sent from and the link that routes to our domain.

The link should begin with "https://f000.backblazb2.com" or "https://f001.backblazeb2.com" or "https://f002.backblazeb2.com."