Cloud Gateways Switching WiFi Physical Security Integrations
What's New Support
User
Sign Up UniFi Site Manager
Help Center Help Articles Professional Support Professional Integrators Community RMA & Warranty Downloads Tech Specs
User
Sign Up UniFi Site Manager
Help Center Help Articles Professional Phone Support Professional Integrators Community RMA & Warranty Downloads Tech Specs
Cloud Gateways Switching WiFi Physical Security Integrations

Social

Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram

Company

Careers Contact Us Investors

Training

Courses Calendar Trainers Become a Trainer

Tools

WiFiman UISP Design Center
  1. Ubiquiti Help Center
  2. UniFi
  3. Drive
  4. Features & Configuration

Back Up Drive Files and Archive Protect Recordings with UniFi Cloud Storage

UniFi Cloud Storage stores off-site backups of UniFi Drive files and archives of UniFi Protect recordings. Manage your subscription, monitor storage usage, and access uploaded content in Site Manager.

Uploaded files and recordings remain accessible even when the source UniFi Console is offline.

UniFi Protect supports cloud archiving for independent sites and UniFi Fabrics. UniFi Drive cloud backups are currently available only for independent sites, with Fabric support planned for a future update.

Pricing and Storage Region

Item Details
Storage rate $5 per TB per month, based on actual storage used
Minimum monthly charge $5, plus applicable taxes
Storage provider Backblaze
Storage region US East; additional regions are planned

Set Up UniFi Cloud Storage

  1. Sign in to Site Manager.
  2. Select a site or Fabric.
  3. Go to Settings > Cloud Storage and click Set Up UniFi Cloud Storage.
  4. Optionally, enable Auto-Expand Storage to add storage capacity automatically when needed.
  5. Optionally, enable Warning Trigger and select a storage usage threshold. You’ll receive a notification when usage reaches that threshold.
  6. Confirm your payment method and agree to the Subscription Terms and Privacy Policy.
  7. Click Activate.

After activation, configure a Drive backup task or Protect archive destination at each site whose content you want to upload.

Back Up UniFi Drive Data

UniFi Drive supports two types of cloud backup:

  • Off-Site Backup: Backs up selected Drive files and folders to Cloud Storage.
  • Protected Cloud Backup: Stores a secondary cloud copy of Microsoft 365 backup data.

You can manage and restore backups through UniFi Drive or Site Manager. Browsing individual items and restoring specific versions of Microsoft 365 secondary backups are currently available only in the local Drive application.

To access Drive locally, connect to the same network as the UniFi Console and open the console’s IP address in a browser, such as https://192.168.1.1.

Create an Off-Site Backup

  1. Open UniFi Drive for the relevant site.
  2. Go to Backup Tasks and click Create Backup Task.
  3. Select Off-Site Backup.
  4. Under Source, click Select Data to Back Up and select the files or folders to include.
  5. Under Destination, select UniFi Cloud Storage.
  6. Click Create, then select Create Task Only or Create and Back Up.

Back Up Microsoft 365 Data

In UniFi Drive > Backup Tasks, use a Protected Cloud Backup task to configure a secondary copy of your Microsoft 365 backup data in UniFi Cloud Storage.

View Backup Status and Storage Usage

Access your backup tasks from either location:

  • Site Manager > Settings > Cloud Storage > Drive
  • UniFi Drive > Backup Tasks

Restore Drive Files to UniFi NAS

  1. Open the Off-Site Backup task in Site Manager or UniFi Drive.
  2. Choose a restore option:
    • To restore an entire backup version, click Restore to NAS.
    • To restore individual files or folders, click Browse Backup Data, select the items, and click Restore to NAS.

Restore Microsoft 365 Data to UniFi NAS

  1. Open UniFi Drive > Backup Tasks > Protected Cloud Backup.
  2. Select the backup task and click Restore to NAS.
  3. Choose the backup version to restore.
  4. Click Restore.

Archive UniFi Protect Recordings

Use Event Archiving to automatically upload recordings for selected cameras and detection types.

  1. Open UniFi Protect for the relevant site.
  2. Go to Settings > Off-Site Archiving.
  3. Under Add Archive Destination, select UniFi Cloud Storage. If it is already listed as a destination, select the existing destination.
  4. Enable Event Archiving.
  5. Click Configure and select the cameras and detection types to archive.
  6. Click View Files to open the cloud archive.

Browse Archived Recordings

  1. Go to Site Manager > Settings > Cloud Storage.
  2. Select the Protect tab.
  3. Under Protect Recordings, select a site.
  4. Use the time, camera, and detection filters to find recordings.
Control Description
Time range Select 1D, 3D, 1W, 2W, 1M, or All, or use the calendar to select a custom date range.
Cameras Filter by one or more cameras.
Detection types Filter by available types, such as Person, Vehicle, Package, License Plate, Animal, Face, or Audio. An Archived Recording filter is also available.
Grid view Browse thumbnails, timestamps, and detection icons.
List view View each recording’s Start Time, End Time, Detection Type, Camera, and Size.

Monitor Storage and Manage Your Subscription

Go to Site Manager > Settings > Cloud Storage to review total storage usage.

  • Select the Drive or Protect tab to view usage for each application.
  • Click Manage Subscription to view or update your subscription.

On the Protect tab, the site overview displays:

Field Description
Site The site associated with the archived recordings
Backup Data The number of cameras included in the archive
Last Sync The most recent synchronization time
Data Used Storage used by the site’s archived recordings

Frequently Asked Questions

Does activating Cloud Storage automatically configure uploads for every site?

No. Configure uploads separately for each site. In UniFi Drive, create a backup task. In UniFi Protect, configure an archive destination and enable Event Archiving.

Who can access Cloud Storage data?

Access depends on the application and site type:

Data Who can access it
Drive backups in Site Manager Console Owner
Protect archives for an independent site Console Owner
Protect archives for a Fabric Fabric Owner and Fabric Admins

Drive admins can also create and manage backup tasks in the Drive application.

To browse and download uploaded content, go to Site Manager > Settings > Cloud Storage.

What happens if my UniFi Console is offline?

Previously uploaded files and recordings remain accessible in Cloud Storage. The console must be online to upload additional backup data and recordings.

Are backups and archives retained after a Console Owner transfer?

Yes. Existing Cloud Storage backups and archives transfer to the new Console Owner.

To continue uploads, the new owner must activate Cloud Storage with their UI Account and manually resume the backup and archiving tasks.

How long can I access my data after canceling Cloud Storage?

After your subscription ends, new uploads stop. Existing backups and archived recordings remain accessible for 30 days.

What happens when I move an independent site into a Fabric?

The site’s archived Protect recordings transfer to the destination Fabric.

  • If the Fabric has an active Cloud Storage subscription: The recordings become available under the Fabric. They may take a few minutes to appear.
  • If the Fabric does not have an active Cloud Storage subscription: New uploads stop, and the recordings become inaccessible. Activate Cloud Storage for the Fabric to regain access.

UniFi Drive off-site backups are currently supported only for independent sites. Drive backup tasks cannot continue while the site belongs to a Fabric.


 

Was this article helpful?