> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.freakhosting.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # How to Set Up Automatic Backups for Your Game Server > Turn on automatic backups in the FREAKHOSTING Game Panel so your game server is backed up every 6 hours, daily or weekly, with old backups cleaned up for you. **Automatic backups** back up your whole server on a timetable you choose and delete old automatic backups for you. Set it up once and you always have a recent copy to go back to. > **Difficulty** > > Beginner > **Time** > > 2 minutes *** ## Turn on automatic backups **1. Open Automatic backups** Open your server, then click **Automatic backups** in the sidebar. **2. Choose how often** Under **Schedule**, pick **Every 6 hours**, **Daily** or **Weekly**. **Off** turns automatic backups off. **3. Choose when** For **Daily**, pick the **Time**. For **Weekly**, also pick the **Day**. Check the **Time zone**. It starts on the server's time zone, and you can pick your own. **4. Choose how many to keep** Use **-** and **+** next to **Keep the last** to set how many automatic backups to keep. The allowed range is shown next to it and depends on your plan's backup slots. **5. Check the options** See [the options](#the-options) below. The defaults suit most servers. **6. Save** Click **Save**. The message tells you when the next backup runs, for example **Next backup: Tomorrow, 04:07**. Click **Undo changes** to go back to what was saved. ![Automatic backups page with Off, Every 6 hours, Daily and Weekly options, a time and time zone, Keep the last 2 automatic backups, three switches, Save and Undo changes buttons and a What is kept explanation](https://mintcdn.com/freakhostingltd/q82wyXmBFQWqJ0i4/images/game-panel/auto-backups.png?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=q82wyXmBFQWqJ0i4\&q=85\&s=a202eab1ec740494da9f54687ab0fe69) Daily automatic backups *** ## The options | Option | What it does | | - | - | | **Skip when the server is stopped and nothing changed** | Doesn't make another copy of the same files. On by default. | | **Keep my server running** | Makes the backup while the server runs, so players aren't kicked. Recommended. On by default. | | **Also count my manual backups** | When off, only automatic backups are ever deleted. When on, backups you made yourself can be cleaned up too. Locked backups are never deleted. | *** ## How the clean-up works The **What is kept** box explains the rules for your settings in plain words. In short: * Each server starts its backup a little after your chosen time, within 30 minutes, so a busy node isn't hit all at once. * The newest automatic backups are kept, up to the number you chose. Older ones are only deleted **after** a new backup has finished successfully. * Locked backups, backups you made yourself and backups started with **Back up now** are never deleted. * If the server is stopped and nothing changed since the last backup, that run is skipped. After 7 skipped runs in a row, one is made anyway. * A scheduled backup is skipped while the server's disk is more than 95% full. ### Backup slots Automatic backups share your plan's backup slots with your own backups. One slot always stays free for the next backup. If no slot is free, the run is skipped and nothing is deleted. The page tells you when this happens. Delete a backup you don't need, or lower **Keep the last**. *** ## Back up right now Click **Back up now** at the top right to make a backup straight away. It's never deleted by the automatic clean-up. Finished automatic backups show under **Recent backups** and on the [Backups](https://help.freakhosting.com/portals/game-panel/how-to-create-and-restore-backups.md) page, where you can download or restore them. *** ## Troubleshooting > **No automatic backup was made** > > Check the **What is kept** box. The run may have been skipped because the server was stopped and unchanged, the disk was more than 95% full, or no backup slot was free. > **An old backup I wanted was deleted** > > Only automatic backups are cleaned up, unless you switched on **Also count my manual backups**. [Lock](https://help.freakhosting.com/portals/game-panel/how-to-create-and-restore-backups.md#what-you-can-do-with-a-backup) any backup you want to keep for good. > **The backup ran at a different time than I set** > > Backups start within 30 minutes after the set time. Also check the **Time zone**. *** ## Related articles > **[Backups](https://help.freakhosting.com/portals/game-panel/how-to-create-and-restore-backups.md)** > > Download, lock or restore a backup. > **[Server alerts](https://help.freakhosting.com/portals/game-panel/how-to-set-up-server-alerts.md)** > > Get told when a backup fails. *** > [!NOTE] > > ### Need Extra Help? > > If you encounter any issues, our support team is ready to assist: > > * **Live Chat:** Quick assistance via our website. > * **Support Ticket:** [Open a Ticket](https://freakhosting.com/clientarea/submitticket.php) > * **Discord:** [Join our Community](https://discord.gg/freakhosting) > * **Email:** [support@freakhosting.com](mailto:support@freakhosting.com) > [!TIP] > > ### Save on Your Hosting > > Ready to upgrade your hosting? Use code **KB20** at checkout for **20% off** your first order! *** **Last Updated:** October 2026 This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.