Why is my file missing from the backup archive?

A file may be missing from the SysCloud backup archive due to backup schedule, backup scope, retention settings, file exclusions, source cloud limitations, or temporary technical issues.

Use the sections below to identify the possible reason and troubleshoot the issue.

Step 1: Backup cycle or backup status

The file may not appear in the archive if the backup has not run or completed after the file was created or updated.

Possible reasons include:

• The backup was not scheduled for that day.
• The backup cycle had not run before the file was deleted from the source cloud.
• The backup is still in progress.
• The account was recently upgraded from trial to paid, and the transition is still being completed.

If you have just installed the SysCloud application and started the backup, wait for at least 24 to 36 hours for the initial backup to complete.

Step 2: Backup scope and file ownership

The file may be outside the configured backup scope.

Check the backup job configuration to confirm whether the backup is set to include:

• All files owned by the user
• Files shared with the user
• Only files from My Drive
• Shared Drive files
• OneDrive files
• Box files

For example, if the backup job is configured to back up only My Drive files or only files owned by the user, files shared with the user may not appear in the backup archive.

Step 3: File exclusions configured in the backup job

The file may have been excluded based on the backup settings configured during job creation or job editing.

Common exclusion settings include:

• File format exclusions
• File size exclusions
• Excluding Trash or Recycle Bin folders
• Selecting only My Drive files and not all shared files
• Excluding specific media file types

By default, audio, video, and image files are excluded from backup unless they are explicitly included in the backup job settings.

Examples of excluded media file types include:

• Video files, such as .mp4 and .mov
• Audio files, such as .mp3 and .wav
• Image files, such as .jpg, .png, and .gif

Some file formats may also be unsupported by SysCloud. For example, Google Forms are not backed up.

Step 4: Retention settings

The file may have been deleted from the backup archive based on the retention policy configured for the backup job.

If a retention period is configured, files in the backup archive are automatically removed after the defined retention period expires.

To troubleshoot this:

• Check the retention policy configured for the backup job.
• Update the retention policy if it does not meet your recovery requirements.
• Search for the file in an earlier snapshot, if available.

Step 5: Snapshot date or point in time restore selection

If you are using point in time restore or viewing data from a specific snapshot, the selected snapshot date may not contain the file.

This can happen if:

• The file was deleted before the selected backup date.
• The file was created after the selected backup date.
• The file was not updated or captured in the selected backup cycle.

To troubleshoot this, select a previous or later Snapshot Date and search for the file again.

Step 6: Source cloud access or API limitations

The file may not be available in the archive due to limitations or restrictions from the source cloud.

Possible reasons include:

• API access restrictions in the user’s Google Drive or cloud app settings.
• Source cloud API limits that temporarily restrict file downloads.
• File access restrictions that prevent SysCloud from downloading the file.
• The user has exceeded the configured SysCloud storage limit.

If the source cloud restricts access to the file during backup, SysCloud may not be able to capture the file in that backup cycle.

Step 7: Temporary technical issues

In some cases, files may be missed due to temporary technical issues, such as:

• Server connectivity issues
• Source cloud availability issues
• Temporary download failures
• Backup service interruptions

If the issue is temporary, the file may be picked up in the next successful backup cycle, provided it is still available in the source cloud and is not excluded by the backup settings.

Troubleshooting checklist

If a file is missing from the backup archive, try the following:

• Confirm that the backup job has run successfully after the file was created or updated.
• Check whether the file is owned by the user, shared with the user, or stored in a Shared Drive.
• Review the backup job scope to confirm that the file location is included.
• Check whether the file type, file size, or folder location is excluded from backup.
• Confirm whether audio, video, and image backup is enabled, if the missing file is a media file.
• Review the retention policy to check whether the file may have expired from the archive.
• Select a different Snapshot Date and search for the file again.
• Check whether the file was deleted from the source cloud before the backup cycle ran.
• Review backup errors or limitations in the archive to identify any file-specific backup issues.