Getting Started with BackupEngine
Set up your first backup in under 5 minutes. This guide walks you through installation, account setup, and your first backup.
Prerequisites
- • A BackupEngine account (sign up free)
- • Windows 10/11, Windows Server 2016+, macOS 12+, or Linux (Ubuntu 22+, RHEL 8+)
- • 4 GB RAM minimum, 100 MB disk space for the agent
- • An authenticator app for MFA (Google Authenticator, Authy, etc.)
Create Your Account
Visit backupengine.com/signup and create your account. Choose your plan (Free, Professional, or Server Edition) and your data region (US, Canada, or EU).
During signup you will:
1. Enter your email and password
2. Verify your email address
3. Enroll MFA (scan QR code with authenticator app)
Download & Install the Agent
Download the desktop agent for your operating system from the download page.
Windows
BackupEngine-Setup-x64.exe
~85 MB
macOS
BackupEngine.dmg
~90 MB
Linux
backupengine-amd64.deb
~80 MB
# Linux installation
sudo dpkg -i backupengine-amd64.deb
Sign In & Register Device
Open the agent and sign in with your BackupEngine email and password. Complete MFA verification, then register this device. The agent auto-detects your device name and OS.
Set Your Encryption Passphrase
Choose a strong passphrase (minimum 8 characters). This derives your AES-256-GCM encryption key via Argon2id. In zero-knowledge mode, only you can decrypt your data — we never see your passphrase or key.
⚠ Important: Remember your passphrase
In zero-knowledge mode, there is no password reset. If you lose your passphrase, your backed-up data cannot be recovered.
Create Your First Backup Set
Go to the Backup tab → New Backup Set. Give it a name (e.g., “Documents”), select folders to include, set exclude patterns, and choose a schedule.
# Or use the CLI:
backupengine backup start
You're Protected!
Your backup runs automatically on your schedule. Monitor status from the Dashboard, the Customer Portal, or the CLI.