Getting started

Nyx Backup protects your files by encrypting them on your machine and writing them to storage you control. This page takes you from install to your first finished backup.

1. Install

Download the installer for your operating system from the download page:

Windows - run the .msi (x64, or ARM64 for Windows 11 on ARM). Nyx Backup installs a background service and a desktop app.
macOS - run the .pkg installer (universal - Apple Silicon and Intel). It installs the app and its background service; then launch Nyx Backup from Applications.
Linux - install the .deb or .rpm (x86-64 or ARM64/aarch64). The regular package includes the desktop app and needs WebKitGTK 2.42 or newer (Fedora 39+, or Debian 12 / Ubuntu 22.04 with updates applied); below that the install is refused rather than failing at launch. Check with pkg-config --modversion webkit2gtk-4.1. On ARM64 there is also a -headless package - background service and terminal tools only, no desktop libraries - for Raspberry Pi and ARM servers. The backup service runs under systemd either way.
Raspberry Pi - supported on Raspberry Pi OS 64-bit (Pi 3/4/5). It has to be the 64-bit system: there is no 32-bit ARM (armhf) build. bookworm ships WebKitGTK 2.40, just under the desktop package’s floor, so apply updates first or install the -headless package; the older bullseye cannot reach 2.42 at all, so use -headless there and drive it from the terminal interface or the command line.

The background service is what actually runs your backups on schedule. The app, the terminal interface, and the command line are all just front ends that talk to it.

2. Generate your key (first run)

The first time you open the app it walks you through creating your encryption key. Nyx Backup generates the key on your machine and shows it to you once as a recovery passphrase - eight short groups of letters and numbers.

Write the recovery passphrase down and keep it somewhere safe, separate from your computer. Your key is stored in your operating system’s secure keychain so backups can run unattended, but the recovery passphrase is how you (or the free Recovery Tool) decrypt your backups on a new machine. If you lose both the machine and the recovery passphrase, no one - including us - can recover your data. This is what end-to-end encryption means.

3. Create a backup set

A backup set ties together three things: what to protect, where to send it, and when to run. From the Dashboard or the Backup tab, choose New Set and:

Name the set.
Choose sources - the folders and files to back up.
Choose a destination - a cloud bucket, a server, or a drive you own. See Connecting storage. Use Test connection to confirm the credentials before saving.
Set a schedule and retention - see Scheduling and retention. You can leave the defaults for now.

Save the set.

4. Run your first backup

On the set’s card, choose Run now. The Dashboard shows live progress. The first run reads and uploads everything you selected, so it takes the longest; later runs only send what changed.

When it finishes, the set shows a green check and the time of the last successful backup.

5. Confirm you can restore

Before you rely on any backup, prove you can get data back. Open the Restore tab, pick your set, browse the snapshot, and restore a single file to a test folder. See Restoring files.

That is the whole loop: point it at storage you control, pick folders and a schedule, and restore anything, anytime.