---
title: "Back up the machine, then prove you can restore it"
description: "HowToBackupVM explains how to protect VMware, Hyper-V, and Proxmox virtual machines with backups you can actually restore."
url: https://howtobackupvm.com/en/
---

# Back up the machine, then prove you can restore it

HowToBackupVM explains how to protect VMware, Hyper-V, and Proxmox virtual machines with backups you can actually restore.

## A backup is a copy you can start

Snapshots help you roll back a change. A backup is a separate copy, kept somewhere the production datastore cannot take with it. These guides stay with that distinction, from application-consistent copies to retention and off-site copies.

## What to get right first

A snapshot still depends on the original disks. Learn when it helps and when it leaves you exposed.

Crash-consistent copies boot. Application-consistent copies keep databases usable.

A backup you have never started is a guess. Practice the boot on isolated storage.

## Latest guides

2026-07-30

Keep enough restore points to recover yesterday’s mistake and last quarter’s compliance question, then delete the rest on purpose.

2026-06-22

A second copy in the same rack still shares power, cooling, and a fire. Send one copy to another site or a separate account.

2026-05-14

A backup counts only after you boot a copy on storage and a network that cannot reach production.

## Questions

No. HowToBackupVM publishes guides. Contact and careers pages open your mail client, and nothing is purchased here.

The current set covers VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Proxmox VE, plus practices that apply to all three.

Test a representative virtual machine at least quarterly, and after any change to backup software, storage, or the network path.

## Ask about a backup design

The editors answer practical questions about virtual machine backup scope, restore tests, and retention. There is no product checkout on this site.

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