PolarBackup is a cloud backup client for copying selected files and folders away from a computer, then restoring them after deletion, corruption, or a device change. It starts with the paths the user selects and sends later changes as incremental uploads. PolarBackup keeps versions of modified files and can retain files that disappeared from the original machine, so a backup is more than a synchronized copy of the current folder.
Choose the data
Data Selection controls what enters the backup. The user can pick folders directly or use predefined groups for common document types. A file outside those selections does not become protected merely because the desktop client is running. Moving a document into an unselected location can therefore leave later changes outside the backup set.
Filters remove extensions or matching paths from selected data. They can apply to every selection or one location, and extension entries use semicolons between values. A regular expression can describe a broader pattern. That flexibility also creates risk: one wide filter can quietly exclude every copy of a needed file type. Review the filter against a small folder before applying it globally.
Schedule the upload
PolarBackup can check for changed files at a repeating interval or start on chosen days and times. A full rescan can run periodically to catch files on network drives that were unavailable during an earlier check. Bandwidth controls determine when uploads may use the connection and how much traffic they consume.
A scheduled run on a regular PC needs the machine powered on, awake, and signed into the Windows profile. Sleep, hibernation, or logout postpones the backup to the next scheduled time. Windows Task Scheduler can wake the computer, but changing the schedule inside PolarBackup can reset manual Task Scheduler adjustments. Those adjustments must then be applied again.
Instant or cold
Instant Storage is intended for data that may need quick recovery. Cold Storage is a separate archive area for material that can wait. If the same file is selected for both, Instant Storage takes priority rather than uploading two copies.
The practical difference appears during recovery. Instant files can begin downloading promptly, while Cold Storage needs preparation before transfer and can take three to twelve hours to become ready. A cold archive therefore suits records that are rarely needed, but it is a poor match for the only copy of a document required during an urgent outage.
Restore the right copy
The restore client can recover a single file, a folder, deleted items, or an earlier version. A date range can rebuild a folder from versions available during a chosen period. The web console can download one old file at a time, while restoring a complete folder uses the desktop restore client.
Desktop restoration must continue without logout, shutdown, restart, or sleep. The window may be minimized or closed after the transfer is underway, but the computer still needs to remain operational. Restoring to an alternative folder first avoids overwriting a newer local copy before the recovered file has been checked.
Watch retention growth
Modified files create new versions, and local deletion does not immediately remove the cloud copy. This protects against accidental edits and deletion, but storage use can grow beyond the size shown on the original disk. Home accounts keep the ten latest versions automatically and retain deleted files until manual removal. Business retention rules may take time to apply.
A successful upload is not the final test. PolarBackup should be asked to restore a small known file after the first run. That test confirms selection, credentials, storage tier, and recovery steps before a real loss turns a configuration mistake into missing data.
