Meta Description: Backblaze quietly stopped backing up OneDrive and Dropbox folders without notifying users. Here's what this means for your backup strategy, why sync ≠ backup, and how to actually protect your data in 2026.
The Backup Provider That Stopped Backing Up
Backblaze built its reputation on a simple promise: unlimited backup, no file restrictions, set-it-and-forget-it. For a decade, that promise held. People paid their subscription, installed the client, and slept easy knowing their files were safe in the cloud.
Then they quietly stopped backing up OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, and other cloud-synced folders — and didn't tell anyone.
No email. No alert. No dashboard warning. Just a bullet point buried in release notes under "Improvements":
The Backup Client now excludes popular cloud storage providers from backup, including both mount points and cache directories. This prevents performance issues, excessive data usage, and unintended uploads from services like OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, iDrive, and others.
This wasn't listed in their official exclusions page either. Users discovered it the hard way — by noticing their OneDrive or Dropbox folders were simply missing from their backup.
One user, R.A. Reese, found 383GB of his OneDrive data was no longer being backed up. He'd been a Backblaze customer for ten years. He'd previously used their drive-restore service successfully. And he only found out because someone else posted about it on Reddit.
The .git Problem
This isn't even the first time. Backblaze also stopped backing up .git folders at some point — again, without clear disclosure. Reese discovered this when he needed to restore a git repository's history after a force-push mistake, only to find Backblaze had silently excluded it.
The pattern is disturbing: a backup provider making unilateral decisions about what counts as "worth backing up" and not clearly communicating those decisions to the people paying for the service.
Why Sync Is Not Backup
A reasonable objection: "Those files are already in OneDrive/Dropbox, so they're already backed up."
No. They're synced, not backed up. The distinction matters enormously.
- Deleted file retention: OneDrive and Dropbox only retain deleted files for 30 days. Backblaze offers one year (or unlimited if you pay per GB).
- Version history: Dropbox only retains version changes for 30 days on standard plans.
- Account risk: If Microsoft or Dropbox suspends your account, your files are gone — and so is your "backup."
- Ransomware protection: Sync services replicate changes (including malicious encryption) immediately. A proper backup maintains independent snapshots.
Your files are less secure in a cloud sync folder than sitting on your desktop with a proper backup solution. By excluding these folders, Backblaze effectively removed protection from some of the most critical data people own.
The Real Lesson: Trust Is the Product
The technical issue here is solvable. You can reconfigure your backup. You can switch providers. You can set up a 3-2-1 strategy.
The deeper problem is about trust and transparency in SaaS.
Backblaze isn't selling storage. They're selling peace of mind. Their entire value proposition is: "You don't have to worry about your data." But by silently changing what they protect, they broke the fundamental contract. Users who checked their exclusions list in 2015 and trusted it would remain consistent were let down.
This pattern plays out across the SaaS ecosystem:
- Features disappear in "updates" that are actually downgrades
- Terms of service change without meaningful notification
- Pricing shifts mid-contract with grandfathering that eventually expires
- Data handling policies evolve in ways users never agreed to
The lesson for anyone relying on cloud services: your backup strategy is only as good as your monitoring of it. Set-it-and-forget-it is a myth. You need to periodically verify that what you think is being backed up is actually being backed up.
What This Means for Founders and Devs
If you're running a startup or managing infrastructure, this story has three direct implications:
- Verify your backups. Don't just configure them — test restores regularly. Set calendar reminders to check what's actually being captured.
- Diversify your backup strategy. The 3-2-1 rule exists for a reason: 3 copies, 2 different media types, 1 off-site. No single provider should be your only safety net.
- Read your providers' release notes. It's tedious, but this is exactly how changes like this slip through. Or better yet, set up automated checks that alert you when backup sizes change significantly.
Building a Bulletproof Backup Strategy in 2026
So what should you actually do? Here's a practical framework:
The 3-2-1-1-1 Strategy
An evolution of the classic 3-2-1 rule:
- 3 copies of your data
- 2 different media types (local disk + cloud, for example)
- 1 off-site copy (different geographic location)
- 1 immutable copy (snapshot that can't be deleted or modified, even by you)
- 1 air-gapped copy (completely disconnected from the network)
Practical Setup for Developers
- Local: Time Machine (macOS) or File History (Windows) to an external drive
- Cloud backup: A provider like Backblaze, Arq, or restic to S3/B2 — but verify exclusions quarterly
- Immutable: AWS S3 Glacier Deep Archive or similar with object lock
- Repository data: Push to multiple git remotes (GitHub + GitLab, or GitHub + self-hosted)
- Config files: Dotfiles repo, synced to a private git repository
- Verification: Monthly restore test — pick a random file and actually recover it
Tools Worth Considering
- restic: Open-source, deduplicated, encrypted backups to multiple backends (S3, B2, SFTP, local)
- Arq: Mac/Windows client that backs up to your own cloud storage (S3, B2, etc.)
- Borg: Deduplicating backup tool with compression and encryption
- Rclone: Syncs to 40+ cloud storage providers, acts as a Swiss Army knife for cloud data
The key insight: use tools where you control the configuration and the destination. If a provider can silently change what they back up, you've given them too much control.
FAQ
Q: Can I re-enable OneDrive/Dropbox backup in Backblaze? A: As of version 9.2.2, Backblaze automatically excludes these folders. There's no toggle in the preferences to override this. Users have reported workarounds involving changing the backup selection manually, but this may be overridden by future updates. Check Backblaze's current documentation for the latest status.
Q: What's the difference between cloud sync and cloud backup? A: Cloud sync (OneDrive, Dropbox) mirrors your current file state across devices — if you delete a file locally, it's deleted from the cloud too. Cloud backup maintains independent snapshots with version history and longer retention, protecting against accidental deletion, ransomware, and device failure.
Q: How often should I test my backup restores? A: At minimum, quarterly. Ideally monthly. A backup you've never restored from is a backup you can't trust. Set a calendar reminder, pick a random file, and verify the restore works end-to-end.
Q: Is Backblaze still worth using? A: It depends on your needs. Backblaze remains affordable and easy to use, but this incident highlights the risk of trusting any single provider implicitly. If you use Backblaze, supplement it with additional backups you control, and verify what's actually being captured regularly.
About the Author
Arkin is a startup founder and developer building Orbits Studio. He writes about tech, developer tools, and lessons from building in public. Find him at arkinjulijanto.github.io.