---
id: backups.do-i-need-a-backup-if-i-use-icloud
url: https://storagestudio.us/faq/backups/do-i-need-a-backup-if-i-use-icloud
category: "Backups & restore points"
subcategory: "Time Machine and backup strategy"
question: "Do I still need a backup if my files are in iCloud Drive or Dropbox?"
alt_questions:
  - "Is iCloud a backup?"
  - "Dropbox sync is not a backup"
  - "cloud sync vs backup"
  - "do I need backups with iCloud Drive"
short_answer: "Yes. Sync services copy deletions and damage everywhere; they aren't a versioned backup you control. Data Backup adds a separate history of the folders you care about."
tags: ["strategy", "sync", "icloud"]
related: ["https://storagestudio.us/faq/backups/is-data-backup-the-same-as-data-transfers", "https://storagestudio.us/faq/backups/should-i-back-up-to-two-places"]
applies_to: "all"
last_reviewed: 2026-10-01
---

# Do I still need a backup if my files are in iCloud Drive or Dropbox?

Yes. iCloud Drive, Dropbox and similar services **sync** — they keep your files the same everywhere. That's great for access, but a deletion or a damaged file syncs too. Most offer a limited way to recover deleted files, but not a long, versioned history you control.

A backup keeps earlier versions somewhere separate. Data Backup can add that history for the folders you care about, on a drive or another account. See [iCloud questions](https://storagestudio.us/faq/icloud/) for how iCloud storage itself works.