# Backups Quickstart

Backups are automatically-created disk images of Droplets. Enabling backups for Droplets enables system-level backups at intervals of every 4 hours, 6 hours, 12 hours, day, or week, which provides a way to revert to an older state or create new Droplets.

## Enable Backups

You can enable backups during Droplet creation or for existing Droplets.

To enable backups when you create a Droplet:

1. From the [Droplet create page](https://cloud.digitalocean.com/droplets/new), in the **Add backups** section, check **Enable backups**.
2. When you’ve selected all of your options, click the **Create** button at the bottom of the page.

To enable backups on an existing Droplet:

1. From the [control panel](https://cloud.digitalocean.com), click the name of Droplet.
2. In the left menu, click **Backups**.
3. In the **Backups** section, click **Enable backups**.

## Restore Droplets from Backups

1. From the [control panel](https://cloud.digitalocean.com), click the Droplet you want to restore.
2. In the left menu, click **Backups**.
3. Locate the backup you want to restore from, then open its **More** menu to the right and choose **Restore Droplet**.

## Convert Backups to Snapshots

We retain weekly backups for four weeks, daily backups for seven days, and usage-based backups for a custom amount of time. We retain snapshots until you delete them. To convert a backup into a snapshot:

1. From the [control panel](https://cloud.digitalocean.com), click the Droplet with the backups you want to convert.
2. In the left menu, click **Backups**.
3. Locate the backup you want to convert, then open its **More** menu and click **Convert to snapshot**.

## Disable Backups

1. From the [control panel](https://cloud.digitalocean.com), click the name of the Droplet for which you’d like to disable backups.
2. In the left menu, click **Backups**.
3. Click **Disable Backups**.