Getting Started — Gopher Backup

You'll need the login credentials from your welcome email — your account email address and the password we generated for you. Keep that email handy for step 2 below.

Download and install the client

Click the tab for your device, then follow its steps.

Download the installer. Go to gopherbackup.com/download and click Download for Windows.
Run the installer. Open the downloaded .exe or .msi file and follow the setup wizard — Next, Next, Install, Finish.

Windows may show a SmartScreen prompt for a new publisher — this is expected and safe. Click More info, verify the app is Gopher Backup and the publisher is Red 1 Solutions LLC, then click Run anyway to proceed.
Launch Gopher Backup. Find it in your Start Menu — it will open automatically after installation finishes.

Continue to Step 2 below.

Download the installer. Go to gopherbackup.com/download and choose Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4 Macs) or Intel, depending on your Mac.
Run the installer. Open the downloaded package and follow the installer — click Continue through each step.
Grant Full Disk Access. macOS blocks apps from reading most files until you explicitly allow it — Gopher Backup can't back up your data without this.

When prompted, click Security & Privacy to open System Settings, then find Gopher Backup in the Full Disk Access list and turn its toggle on.

Continue to Step 2 below.

These steps cover Ubuntu and Debian. Like Synology, Gopher Backup on Linux doesn't use a desktop app: after installing the package, you create protected items and run backups from the Gopher Backup web console.

Download the package. Go to gopherbackup.com/download and click Download .deb — Debian / Ubuntu.
Install it. Open a terminal in the folder where the file was downloaded and run:
```
sudo apt install ./Gopher_Backup-26.7.3.deb
```
Use the exact name of the file you downloaded. The installer will:
- install Gopher Backup on your computer;
- ask for your username and password if this computer hasn't been set up before (use the email and password from your welcome email);
- show the server address, already filled in for you (leave it as it is);
- register this computer to your account; and
- start Gopher Backup running in the background.
The first thing it asks for is your username, which is the email address you signed up with:

Then it asks for your password, the one from your welcome email:

Finally, it shows your backup server's URL, already filled in for you (https://my.gopherbackup.com/). Leave it as it is and continue:
Open the web console. Go to my.gopherbackup.com and sign in with the same email and password.
In the left menu, under Settings, click Protected Items.
Click Add protected item… in the top-right corner and select your Linux computer from the list.
If the dropdown for Storage Vault does not show a vault with your device name, check Show storage vaults in use by other devices, then click the Storage devices dropdown and select the correct vault for that device.
A window opens to create your protected item. On the General tab, keep the suggested name or enter your own, leave the type as Files and Folders, and click Next.
On the Items tab, use the green buttons on the right to add the folders you want to back up. Your selection appears in the list, for example /home. Click Save when you're done.
That's it. Your first backup starts automatically, on the schedule that comes with your plan.
Want to back up right now? In the left menu, click Backup, select your Linux computer, and click Backup.

Uninstall

To uninstall, run:

sudo apt remove backup-tool

Removing the package keeps your saved sign-in details, so you can reinstall later without entering them again. To forget the saved configuration as well, run sudo apt purge backup-tool. That also uninstalls the package if it is still installed.

Using Fedora, CentOS, RHEL or another distribution? These steps cover Ubuntu and Debian. For the .rpm or .tar.gz packages, please contact support.

Synology works differently from other platforms: Gopher Backup doesn't have a desktop app for it. After installing the package, you create protected items and run backups and restores from the Gopher Backup web console instead.

Download the package. Go to gopherbackup.com/download and choose DSM 7 or DSM 6, matching your NAS's DSM version (check under Control Panel → Info Center if you're not sure). These two versions aren't interchangeable.
Open Package Center on your Synology NAS.
Click Manual Install in the top-right corner of the page.
Select the .spk file you downloaded and click Next.
Allow third-party packages.

For DSM 6, before installing, go to Package Center → Settings → General → Trust Level and select "Any publisher."

For DSM 7, click Agree when prompted during install.
Accept the license agreement.
Enter your Gopher Backup account credentials. The server field is pre-filled — just enter the email and password from your welcome email.
If Gopher Backup was previously installed and not fully removed, leaving these fields blank will reuse the existing credentials.
Acknowledge the permissions notice.DSM 7 ONLY

DSM 7 shows a reminder that an extra permissions step is needed after install — check the box and continue. We'll cover this step below.
Review and finish. Confirm the settings shown, then click Done to complete the install.

Grant folder permissionsDSM 7 ONLY

DSM 7 runs Gopher Backup as a restricted package user named backuptool. This user needs explicit access to any Shared Folder you want to back up — this step doesn't apply to DSM 6.

Open Control Panel → Shared Folders, select the folder containing the data to back up, and click Edit.
In the Permissions tab, choose "System internal user" from the dropdown.
Find backuptool in the list and click its checkbox in the Custom column.
In the dialog that appears, set "Apply to" to "All" and check every permission, then click Done.

Limitations on DSM 7: remote upgrade/uninstall isn't supported — to upgrade, install the new version manually over the old one. Restores may not correctly restore file ownership/permissions, since the package user can't change ownership to other users.

Set up your backup from the web console

Once installed, go to my.gopherbackup.com and sign in. From the Protected Items page, click Add protected item and select your Synology device to start backing it up.

Adding a protected item for a Synology device in the Gopher Backup web console

You can run backups and restores anytime from the Devices tab in the same console.

Step 2 — Log in

Open Gopher Backup. On the sign-in screen, enter:

Username — the email address you signed up with
Password — from your welcome email (you can change this later from within the app)

Then click Sign in.

Step 3 — Choose what to protect

Once logged in, click to add a new protected item. You can select specific folders — most people start with Documents, Desktop, and Pictures — or choose the Custom tab to protect anything else on your device, including entire drives.

Gopher Backup client — selecting items to back up

Next, give this protected item a name — the client suggests one automatically, or you can enter your own.

Gopher Backup client — naming the protected item

Step 4 — Run your first backup

Your backup schedule is already set up as part of your plan, so backups will run automatically from here on — no need to configure anything. On the final screen of the wizard, check Run this backup now before clicking Finish to start your first backup right away instead of waiting for the schedule. Depending on how much data you're protecting, this first backup may take a while; after that, only new or changed files need to upload, so future backups are much faster.

Gopher Backup client — Finish screen with Run this backup now checked

That's it — you're protected. You can check your backup status anytime from your account page, which also works like an app on your phone's home screen.

Need help?

If you get stuck at any step, our FAQ page covers common questions, or you can contact support — every request is handled by a real person, and we reply within 4 to 24 hours.

Set up your first backup