PolarBackup is a cloud backup service with desktop applications for Windows and macOS. It copies selected files from computers, external drives and network storage to an online account. Its storage options separate cold backups for archiving from instantly accessible storage, so the way you store a file determines how you can retrieve or share it.
Cold recovery
Cold Storage holds backup files that do not need immediate access. A recovery request takes 3–12 hours to prepare before downloading begins. In the desktop Restore application, you choose the computer whose backup you need, select files or folders, and set the restore options. The Restore application can also recover files onto a replacement computer.
The browser console supports smaller recoveries. You browse a computer’s backup and request the selected items; PolarBackup emails a download link when cold files are ready. Cold downloads through the console have a daily limit of 1 GB, while the desktop Restore application handles larger recovery jobs. Files in Instant Storage can begin downloading immediately.
Backup selection
PolarBackup’s Data Selection window lets you choose individual files, folders or whole drives. A mapped network drive can be selected alongside internal and external disks, including particular folders within that drive. Plans with both Instant and Cold Storage provide separate selection areas for deciding which data goes to each destination.
Smart Selection gathers common categories of data. It includes mail data, Office documents, photos, music, videos and browser bookmarks. These selections use relevant folders or file types: the Office category, for example, looks for supported documents in the personal Desktop and Documents folders.
Filters refine what a selection uploads. You can include or exclude extensions and regular expressions, apply a rule to one location or all selections, and leave out files above a chosen size or older than a chosen date.
How PolarBackup uploads changed files
After the initial full backup, PolarBackup uploads new and modified files through subsequent incremental jobs. By default, a changed file is uploaded as a whole, creating another version that can be restored later. Files deleted from the source computer remain available in the cloud as deleted items. The Home subscription retains ten versions per file; Business allows administrators to adjust retention.
For selected extensions or specific files, block-level backup sends the changed portions instead of uploading the entire modified file. This reduces the data transferred when a large file receives a small edit. Restoring such a file involves rebuilding it from the original backup and its changed blocks, which can lengthen recovery.
Backup schedules
Backup timing can follow an interval or specified days and times, with an optional time to stop uploads. Interval settings also offer periodic full scans of selected locations, helping pick up changes on network drives that are not always connected. On a regular computer, scheduled jobs require the machine to be awake and the user logged in; otherwise, the job waits for its next scheduled time.
Hybrid+ copies
Hybrid+ adds a local backup copy on an external drive, local server or network location while PolarBackup also stores the files in the cloud. During recovery, the Restore application looks for the local copy first, avoiding a cloud download when that copy is available.
You can limit the space used by the Hybrid+ repository. When it fills, PolarBackup removes older local files to make room for newer ones. Recovery goes through the Restore application rather than ordinary folder browsing, since the repository can contain compressed files.
Encryption keys
PolarBackup encrypts files with AES-256 before they leave the computer and keeps them encrypted during transfer and storage. You can set a custom encryption password when configuring the desktop application. That password is needed to decrypt the backup, and PolarBackup cannot recover it if it is lost.
A custom password also changes backup behavior: deduplication, which avoids uploading identical content more than once, is unavailable with that option. Changing the password after backups exist requires creating a new backup rather than simply replacing the key on the existing one.
Instant Vault
Vault storage provides a separate place for manual uploads through the browser. On a plan that includes it, you can drag files and folders into the Vault or copy backed-up items there. Home accounts use Instant Vault, while Business accounts can have Instant and Cold Vaults.
Instant Vault also supports sharing. You can create a link or grant access to selected users, then add a password, expiration date or download notification.
PolarBackup Home and Business
PolarBackup Home supports one active backup per user. Business supports three and adds Windows Server backup, user and permission administration, and centrally managed backup policies. Administrators can select paths, set filters and schedules, and control retention through the web console instead of configuring every computer separately.
