Overview
This article provides step-by-step instructions for adding a new computer to or removing an existing computer (also known as device) from your CrashPlan account. Adding all your business's computers to your CrashPlan account helps ensure all your data is protected.
This article is intended for CrashPlan Essential, Professional, and Small Business users.
CrashPlan Enterprise or MSP administrators should see Deploy CrashPlan apps for more information.
Considerations
- After adding a new computer, you can begin backing up files for that computer.
- When you remove a computer from your account, the CrashPlan app stops backing up its files and permanently removes all its backed-up files. If you want to back up the computer again later, you must restart your backup.
Add a computer
Before you begin
CrashPlan Professional and Small Business only
-
Create a separate account for each user before installing the CrashPlan app on those users' devices. With separate user accounts, you can:
- Manage each user individually.
- Ensure each person can download only their own backed-up files instead of having access to the files of other people in your small business.
Use unique email addresses and passwords
Each person using CrashPlan needs their own user account with a unique email address and password. Sharing a user account among multiple people is a large security and data privacy risk because any person using the shared account can download backed-up files from every device under that user account.
- In some situations, you may prefer to install the CrashPlan app for multiple users on the same computer instead of following the installation instructions below.
Step 1: Download the CrashPlan app installer
Placing an installer on each device
Most CrashPlan users prepare to install the CrashPlan app using one of these methods:
- Download the CrashPlan app installer once, then copy the installer to multiple devices.
- On each device, download the CrashPlan app installer from the CrashPlan console.
- Sign in to your CrashPlan console with your CrashPlan username and password.
- Go to Downloads.
- Click the appropriate Download icon
for your device's operating system.
Step 2: Install CrashPlan and sign in
Each user installs and signs in to the CrashPlan app using their own username and password.
- Run the CrashPlan app installer on the device where you want to install CrashPlan.
- Windows: Double-click the MSI file.
- Mac: Mount the DMG and double-click the PKG file.
-
Linux: Unpack the .tgz archive and run the included install.sh Bash script:
sudo ./install.sh
- After the installation is complete, sign in to the CrashPlan app.
Step 3: Start backing up files
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(Users with other devices on the same user account only) The message Looks like this device is signing in for the first time appears. Click Add New Device and then click Yes on the confirmation dialog.
The new device appears on the Home screen. - Click Add destinations.
- To back up to the CrashPlan cloud, select PROe Cloud - West or CrashPlan PRO Online.
- To back up to a local destination:
- Select Add Local Destination.
- Select the device or folder to which you want to back up, and click Open.
- Click Save.
- Click Done.
Backup starts automatically.
Remove a computer
Removing is permanent and can't be reversed
Removing a computer from your account deletes all of its backed-up files. This is permanent and cannot be reversed. Any previously stored backup information is deleted.
- Sign in to your CrashPlan console.
- Go to Devices > Active.
- Click the device name for the computer that you want to remove.
The device details screen appears. - Click the action menu.
- Click Deactivate.
- When prompted, select I understand this device’s archive will be deleted.
- Click OK to permanently remove this computer from your CrashPlan account.