How to quickly back up your Linux home folder using Kbackup
On Linux, your home folder is everything. It holds all of your music files, documents, videos, configuration files, and even video game saves. That’s why you must create a backup.
In the past, on AddictiveTips, we’ve gone over ways of creating backups. However, none of the apps we’ve covered are quite as user-friendly and as fast as Kbackup. With Kbackup, you can easily create a home folder backup in a matter of minutes! Here’s how to do it.
Installing Kbackup on Linux
The Kbackup application needs to be installed on your Linux PC before using it to create a backup of your home folder. To install the Kbackup application on your Linux PC, start by opening a terminal window on the Linux desktop.
After opening up a Linux terminal window on the desktop, follow along with the installation instructions outlined below that corresponds with the Linux operating system you are currently using.
Ubuntu
On Ubuntu, the Kbackup tool can quickly be installed on your Linux PC by using the Apt command below.
sudo apt install kbackup
Debian
If you’re on Debian, you’ll be able to get the Kbackup tool up and running using the Apt-get command below.
sudo apt-get install kbackup
Arch Linux
On Arch Linux, you’ll be able to get Kbackup working on your system by making use of the following Pacman command below in a terminal window.
sudo pacman -S kbackup
Fedora
Are you a Fedora Linux user? Are you looking to get Kbackup working on your Fedora system? Do it using the following Dnf command below in a terminal window.
sudo dnf install kbackup
OpenSUSE
In OpenSUSE Linux, you will be able to set up the Kbackup utility by making use of the Zypper installation command below.
sudo zypper install kbackup
Generic Linux
The Kbackup program is available on a wide variety of Linux distributions if you’d like to get it working on your system and can’t seem to figure it out, head over to the Kbackup website to learn more.
Creating the home backup
To create the home folder backup, start by launching the Kbackup program on your Linux desktop. To do that, you can search for “kbackup” in the app menu. Or, press Alt + F2 and write “kbackup” in the quick-launch window to open it.
Once the Kbackup application is open on the Linux desktop, follow along with the step-by-step instructions outlined below to create your home backup.
Step 1: Find a USB external hard drive or a huge USB flash drive/SD card for backup. You will need an external storage device for this backup because the home folder tends to be quite large.
When you’ve got your storage device, plug it into the computer. Then, launch the Linux file manager and access it via the mounting menu. It is critical that the external USB storage device is mounted, as Kbackup will save to it directly.
Step 2: In the Kbackup app, look to the sidebar. In the sidebar, you’ll see a / folder, with a down arrow next to it. Hit the down arrow to reveal all sub-folders in there. Then, look through the sub-folder list for “home”.
Step 3: Once you’ve found the “home” sub-folder, click on the arrow next to it. You should see another sub-folder with your username. From here, click on the empty box next to the username folder to indicate you wish to back this folder up.
Step 4: With your username folder added to Kbackup, make your way to the “Target” area in Kbackup. In the “Target” area, you will see the “Folder” area.
Click on the folder icon next to “Folder.” This will bring up a browser window. From here, use the browser window to browse for your external USB backup device in the browser window for a place for Kbackup to save the backup.
Step 5: After setting the backup location in Kbackup, find the “Start Backup” button at the top of Kbackup, and select it to start the backup process.
From here, Kbackup will back up absolutely everything in your home directory. Even hidden stuff. However, keep in mind that this backup could take quite a long time, especially if you have a large number of files in your home directory.
When the backup is complete, you will see a notification appear in Kbackup letting you know the backup is done. From here, close the app.
Restore your home backup
To restore your backup, plug in your external USB drive. Then, open up the Linux file manager and browse for the backup Tar file. Double-click on the Tar file to open it up in the archive manager.
Once the backup is open in the archive manager, you can extract the backup contents to any location you choose on your Linux PC. Keep in mind that the extraction process may take time, as the backup has many files in it.
