# Backup types

## Full backup

As the name suggests, full backups involve a complete copy of all selected data. They are the simplest and most common form of data backup strategy.

## Incremental backup

Incremental backups only copy or transfer the data that has been changed since the last backup session. Most times, a full backup precedes an incremental backup. While incremental backups are more flexible and consume less storage space, their restoration process can be more time-consuming. First, the initial full backup needs to be restored and next all chain of incremental backups needs to be restored, one by one.

## Synthetic full

Synthetic full backups combine the advantages of full and incremental backups. They leverage existing full backups and subsequent incremental backups to create an updated full backup. An incremental backup operation is performed and as a result, thanks to the synthetic strategy capabilities, we obtain a full backup copy. Synthetic backups only partially tax the network during the backup itself because they only transfer or copy changes.

{% hint style="info" %}
To use the Synthetic Full backup strategy you need to first configure the proper type of Backup Destination
{% endhint %}

## Incremental forever

In a forever incremental backup, only one initial backup is required, and subsequent backup schedules track and store only the modified data since the previous backup indefinitely.

{% hint style="info" %}
The incremental forever backup strategy is available only for Microsoft 365
{% endhint %}


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