Back Up Automatically

By default, the McAfee Online Backup backup software backs up automatically.

Automatic backups occur when your computer meets specific criteria such as how long has it been idle. You can back up on a schedule instead of automatically, and you can start backing up manually any time you like.

If you cannot change this setting and you use Windows, you may be able to resolve this issue yourself. For more information, see If Settings Are Greyed Out in the McAfee Online Backup Backup Software for Windows. You may not be able to change this setting if your account administrator is managing it for you.

  1. Choose one of the following options:
  2. Choose one of the following options:
    • (Windows) Click Options, then click the Scheduling tab.
  3. Choose to back up automatically.
    • (Windows) Select Automatic (perform backups when your computer is not in use).
  4. (Windows) Set the following options:
    Don't back up if the CPU is over this % busy. Specify the level of computer processing utilization which determines whether an automatic backup can begin or must stop.

    If your computer's processing activity exceeds this percentage, automatic backups will still begin and backups in progress will continue.

    For example, if you set this to 15%, then a backup won't start or continue unless computer processing falls below 15%.

    Don't back up unless the computer has been idle for at least this long (minutes). Specify how many minutes your computer must be idle before an automatic backup can begin.

    If a program or your system settings cause the computer to become active, a backup in progress stops until the specified idle time is reached again.

    For example, if you set this to 30 minutes, then a backup won't start unless the computer has been idle for over 30 minutes. If during a backup the computer becomes active, the backup will continue.

    Don't back up more than this many times per day. Specify the maximum number of backups that can occur in a day. The minimum is one time. The maximum is twelve times.
    All of these conditions must be met at the same time before a backup can start or resumes.
  5. (Windows) (Optional) Set the following options:
    Attempt automatic backup even when a network connection is not detected Backups are attempted regardless of whether a network connection is detected. Use this if your network connection is unreliable.
    Start automatic backups when the computer is running on battery power Backups will start even when your computer is running on battery power.
  6. (Windows) Click OK. Your changes are saved and the Settings window closes.

Backups cannot happen unless your computer is turned on and connected to the Internet and not in hibernation, sleep, or standby mode.

Parent topic: Controlling When Files Get to McAfee Online Backup
Related tasks
Back Up Manually
Back Up on a Schedule