# How do I manually back up my Droplet?

There are three ways to manually back up a Droplet. You can create a DigitalOcean snapshot for an on-demand full disk image, convert an automatic DigitalOcean backup into a snapshot, or use a third-party tool for a partial backup.

## Use DigitalOcean Snapshots for Full System Backups

A [DigitalOcean Snapshot](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/snapshots/index.html.md) is an on-demand full disk image of a Droplet. When you [snapshot a Droplet](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/snapshots/getting-started/quickstart/index.html.md), the image is saved to your account and remains there until you delete it. You can use snapshots to restore an existing Droplet or create a new Droplet from that point in time.

## Convert Automatic DigitalOcean Backups into Snapshots

When you [enable backups](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/backups/how-to/enable/index.html.md) on a Droplet, we automatically create a full disk image of the Droplet either weekly or daily, depending on your choice. Like snapshots, backup images are saved to your account, and you can use backups to restore an existing Droplet or create new Droplets from that point in time.

Unlike snapshots, backup images remain in your team temporarily. We retain weekly backups for four weeks, daily backups for seven days, and usage-based backups for a custom amount of time. To keep a backup indefinitely, [convert the backup into a snapshot](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/backups/how-to/convert-to-snapshot/index.html.md).

## Use Third-Party Tools for Partial Backups

To back up part of a Droplet, such as its configuration or data, we recommend [SnapShooter](https://docs.digitalocean.com/products/snapshooter/index.html.md). You can also use third-party tools like [rsync](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-use-rsync-to-sync-local-and-remote-directories-on-a-vps) or [SFTP](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-use-filezilla-to-transfer-and-manage-files-securely-on-your-vps).

## Related Topics

[How do I recover a deleted Droplet?](https://docs.digitalocean.com/support/how-do-i-recover-a-deleted-droplet/index.html.md): You can recover your Droplet if you took a snapshot of the Droplet, enabled automated backups, or used SnapShooter for Droplet backups.

[Can I undo restoring a Droplet from a backup?](https://docs.digitalocean.com/support/can-i-undo-restoring-a-droplet-from-a-backup/index.html.md): You cannot undo restoring a Droplet from a backup, but you can use an existing snapshot to restore a Droplet to a previous point in time.

[How do I migrate my Droplet to another datacenter region?](https://docs.digitalocean.com/support/how-do-i-migrate-my-droplet-to-another-datacenter-region/index.html.md): Take a snapshot of your Droplet and then create new Droplet from the snapshot in the new datacenter.