Operation Manual

10
1
How to Back Up Securely
Due to hardware or software errors/malfunctions, files stored on a VeraCrypt volume may become
corrupted. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you backup all your important files regularly
(this, of course, applies to any important data, not just to encrypted data stored on VeraCrypt
volumes).
Non-System Volumes
To back up a non-system VeraCrypt volume securely, it is recommended to follow these steps:
1. Create a new VeraCrypt volume using the VeraCrypt Volume Creation Wizard (do not
enable the Quick Format option or the Dynamic option). It will be your backup volume so its
size should match (or be greater than) the size of your main volume.
If the main volume is a hidden VeraCrypt volume (see the section Hidden Volume), the
backup volume must be a hidden VeraCrypt volume too. Before you create the hidden
backup volume, you must create a new host (outer) volume for it without enabling the Quick
Format option. In addition, especially if the backup volume is file-hosted, the hidden backup
volume should occupy only a very small portion of the container and the outer volume
should be almost completely filled with files (otherwise, the plausible deniability of the
hidden volume might be adversely affected).
2. Mount the newly created backup volume.
3. Mount the main volume.
4. Copy all files from the mounted main volume directly to the mounted backup volume.
IMPORTANT: If you store the backup volume in any location that an adversary can
repeatedly access (for example, on a device kept in a bank’s safe deposit box), you should
repeat all of the above steps (including the step 1) each time you want to back up the
volume (see below).
If you follow the above steps, you will help prevent adversaries from finding out:
 Which sectors of the volumes are changing (because you always follow step 1). This is
particularly important, for example, if you store the backup volume on a device kept in a
bank’s safe deposit box (or in any other location that an adversary can repeatedly access)
and the volume contains a hidden volume (for more information, see the subsection
Security Requirements and Precautions Pertaining to Hidden Volumes in the chapter
Plausible Deniability).
 That one of the volumes is a backup of the other.
System Partitions
Note: In addition to backing up files, we recommend that you also back up your VeraCrypt Rescue
Disk (select System > Create Rescue Disk). For more information, see the section VeraCrypt
Rescue Disk.