When is World Backup Day?
World Backup Day 2027 is on Wednesday
Wednesday, March 31, 2027
March 31 every year. That's in 165 days.
until World Backup Day begins, in your time zone
World Backup Day is an annual reminder to make copies of your important files, such as photos, documents and messages, and to check that those copies can actually be restored. It falls the day before April Fools' Day, under the slogan of not being an April fool.
About World Backup Day
A backup is a second copy of your data kept somewhere other than the original device. Phones get lost or stolen, laptops are dropped, hard drives wear out, and ransomware or a simple mistaken click can wipe out years of photos and paperwork. World Backup Day exists to nudge people into setting up backups before any of that happens, and to remind them that a backup is only useful if it can be restored.
The day started in 2011 as a grassroots internet campaign. The first version of the website described it as an independent initiative from users of the online forum Reddit, and its message was simple: back up your data and test your restores on March 31, so you are not an April fool the next day. Later versions of the site credited Ismail Jadun, from Ohio, as founder and project coordinator, working with Australian designer Sam Mularczyk.
World Backup Day has no official or government status. Its website, which has been translated into several languages, invites visitors to take a pledge to back up their files. From early on, as CBC News noted in 2016, the campaign attracted sponsorship from companies that sell storage and backup services, and many technology firms and IT departments now use the date to remind customers and staff about data protection. The underlying advice is the same whatever tools you use: keep more than one copy, keep one somewhere else, and check it from time to time.
Sources: World Backup Day (official site), World Backup Day: original 2011 site (archived), World Backup Day: About and team (archived 2016), CBC News: World Backup Day highlights importance of protecting data (2016). How we check dates.
How to mark World Backup Day
- Turn on automatic backups for your phone, so photos, contacts and messages are copied regularly without you having to remember.
- Back up your computer to an external drive, then store that drive somewhere other than next to the computer.
- Follow the common 3-2-1 rule of thumb: three copies of important data, on two different kinds of storage, with one kept off-site or in the cloud.
- Test a restore: pick a few files from your backup and make sure they open correctly.
- Help an older relative or a neighbor set up backups for their family photos.
- At work, ask whether shared files and important records are backed up and when a restore was last tested.
World Backup Day dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Monday, March 31, 2025 |
| 2026 | Tuesday, March 31, 2026 |
| 2027 | Wednesday, March 31, 2027 |
| 2028 | Friday, March 31, 2028 |
| 2029 | Saturday, March 31, 2029 |
| 2030 | Sunday, March 31, 2030 |
| 2031 | Monday, March 31, 2031 |
Also on March 31
Related days
Explore
Frequently asked questions
When is World Backup Day 2027?
World Backup Day 2027 is on Wednesday, March 31, 2027. It falls on March 31 every year. In 2028, it is on Friday, March 31, 2028.
Why is World Backup Day on March 31?
It is the day before April Fools' Day. The campaign's founding slogan urged people not to be an April fool by losing their data.
How often should I back up my files?
As often as you would hate to lose the changes. Automatic backups that run daily or continuously are the easiest way to stay current, with an occasional check that you can restore from them.
Is World Backup Day a public holiday?
No. World Backup Day is an observance, not a public holiday, so schools, banks, government offices and most businesses keep their normal hours.