Backing up your BlackBerry smartphone

CrackBerry's guide on how to backup your BlackBerry Smartphone!

One of the things we can never stress enough is the importance of backing up your BlackBerry. There is so much data on your device including emails, SMS, phone call logs, passwords and memos that if something were to happen to the information or the device itself, having a solid backup could be a life saver. When it comes down to just how to backup your BlackBerry there are some really easy solutions. In the past it was kind of a pain to backup a device since the only real way to get it done was through BlackBerry Desktop Manager, but with the addition of BlackBerry Protect and other 3rd party apps, you can backup your device daily without even thinking about it.

Backing Up Your BlackBerry Smartphone

Backing up with BlackBerry Desktop Manager

There are two quick and easy ways to backup your device with free tools that RIM provides. The first (aka the old standby) is with BlackBerry Desktop Manager. Pretty much everyone who has a BlackBerry has used Desktop Manager at one point or another. The software is available for both PC and Mac and provides various functions to help get things done with your BlackBerry. Desktop Manager is essential for upgrading your OS, but it also lets you sync files as well as backup your data. Desktop Manager is the only way to get a true, full backup of your data including all of your personal information as well as all of your device settings.

To backup your device with Desktop Manager:

• Connect your device to your PC or Mac via USB
• Start BlackBerry Desktop Manager (it may open automatically when you connect your device)
• Click the Back Up icon on the upper right (or choose Device > Back Up Data)
• From the pop-up menu choose All Data then click Back Up

That's it! You'll see a progress bar as your device is backing up. When it's finished you'll have a backup of all your important personal data (not including 3rd party applications but you can do that fairly easily as well) that you can hold onto in case something should happen down the road.

Backing up with BlackBerry Protect

BlackBerry Protect is a great utility that was released by RIM and allows for OTA (over the air) backups of your important data. It comes pre-installed on most newer devices, so you won't even have to go looking for it anywhere (you can download from BlackBerry App World here). BlackBerry Protect is a great backup solution, however unlike backing up with Desktop Manager, it doesn't back up all of your personal data (most notably leaving out emails) or any device settings like sound profiles or browser settings. Regardless, BlackBerry Protect is clutch for automatically backing up daily, weekly or monthly without ever having to think about it. 

To backup your device using BlackBerry Protect:

• Install BlackBerry Protect from App World (if not already installed).
• Follow the instructions to setup BlackBerry Protect using your BlackBerry ID
• Choose your backup settings and frequency
• After completing all menus, BlackBerry Protect will backup automatically

That's really all there is to it. You never have to think about BlackBerry Protect again, but should the time come when you have a new device, you can install BlackBerry Protect and restore from a previous backup. 

BlackBerry Protect also has a few perks over BlackBerry Desktop Manager in that should your device ever be lost or stolen, you can login from the web portal to remotely locate your device, wipe all of your data or password lock the device - very cool stuff. For more on BlackBerry Protect check out our full walkthrough here.

Back Up, Back Up, Back Up

As we said before, backing up is essential. You never know when you'll lose a device or your data will go MIA, and having a recent backing can be crucial. These are just two of the ways to backup your BlackBerry, however there are plenty of other 3rd party apps you can use to get the job done as well.