Rebit software allows you to backup your PC and files securely to a local drive, network location, and even the cloud.
It also allows you to browse your backups. You can restore past versions of individual files, which comes in handy if you made a mistake or altered a file in a way you no longer like. You can also restore folders or your entire system.
How to browse your backups
Most of the time, the easiest way to browse your backed-up files is to open Rebit and click the Browse button.
The Backup Browser
Upon clicking Browse, you’ll see what appears to be a green version of Windows Explorer. You’ll see a familiar interface showing any computers, folders, and files you have backed up. You’ll see backups from local, network, and cloud storage.
In this picture, you’re looking at folders that include my backed-up photos. They are stored by year and month, so the “2018-03” is just a naming convention I personally use for photos.
Clicking around in the different folders allows you to move around and browse your backed-up files naturally–just like you would any other file and folder on Windows.
Are these files on my computer?
Although the browsing seems as natural as though they’re on your computer, you’re actually browsing a map of your backed up files. These files may also be on your computer, but you’re looking at a representation of your backups, which may have come from several computers. Or, you may have deleted the original files from your computer but you still have a backup of them that you’re able to see here.
How to restore a file or folder from the Rebit Browser
If you find a file or folder you want to restore, you can simply drag it from the Rebit Browser folder into the place on your computer you’d like it. This will copy it down to your destination.
You can also right-click on files within the Rebit Browser to see if past revisions are available. Revisions are typically for files you regularly edit, such as Microsoft Office documents. Exploring revisions will show you prior versions and allow you to grab the copy you want to restore.
Browsing backups without Rebit
There may be cases you want to browse your backups from a computer that doesn’t have Rebit installed. Perhaps you are moving from an old computer to a new one. Or perhaps you’re on vacation and need to access a file unexpectedly.
Fortunately, Rebit allows you to browse your backups from any PC. You just need to know your login credentials.
To start, head to the Rebit Downloads page (https://shop.rebitgo.com/rebitpro). From there, click on “Download Backup Browser.”
This will install a Browse utility.
Upon opening the application, you will see the same file browser as shown above.
From here, you can right-click and choose either import local backup or import online backup. After selecting either, it is recommended that you refresh your window by hitting the Refresh button or by pressing F5 on your keyboard.
If you select import online backup, the application will ask for your Rebit credentials and then will show your files backed up to the Rebit Cloud. It will simply import a map of your files, allowing you to browse what you have backed up. You can then navigate through them and copy any down to your current PC that you would like to restore.
If you select import local backup, the application will search for corresponding local and network drives with Rebit backups available. As with the other options, it will allow you to browse and restore files as you see desire.
Conclusion
It’s a best practice to browse your backups from time-to-time. This allows you to confirm you have properly selected everything you want to have backed up. Rebit makes this task easy and provides two ways to do so.
For further reading, you can view the full Rebit User Guide.
