Documentation

Backups matter when you can restore them.

Set up BorgMate, create a backup, and prove that recovery works. These guides cover local and SSH repositories, scheduling, retention, maintenance, and common failures.

  1. Install. Borg and BorgMate are ready.
  2. Connect. A repository is verified.
  3. Back up. An archive completes.
  4. Test restore. A recovered file opens.

Choose your path

New setup Make your first verified backup

Create a local repository, run a backup, and restore a test file.

 Existing Borg user Open an existing repository

Connect local or remote storage without reinitializing it.

 Remote backup Configure an SSH repository

Set the host, user, repository path, key, and remote Borg binary.

 Something failed Diagnose an operation

Use Notifications and logs to resolve Borg, SSH, WSL, and scheduling errors.

Three concepts to know

Repository
The Borg data store on a local disk, NAS, or remote server. It contains deduplicated data and archive metadata.
Archive
One point-in-time backup inside a repository. A repository normally contains many archives.
Source folder
A folder from this computer included when BorgMate creates a new archive.
BorgMate does not hold your backup data.

It runs Borg on your computer. Your files go directly to the repository location you configure.

Supported setup

  • Borg 1.4.x for production repositories (1.4.5 or newer recommended — it includes a security fix for borg extract).
  • Experimental Borg 2.0.0b21 when enabled in Advanced settings.
  • macOS and Linux with Borg installed locally.
  • Windows with Borg installed inside WSL.
  • Local repositories, SMB shares, Borg 1 SSH repositories, and Borg 2 raw URLs.
  • On Windows, Borg 1 repositories on SMB shares require WSL 2 — under WSL 1 Borg cannot sync directories on SMB mounts, so BorgMate rejects this combination. Borg 2 works on SMB under both WSL versions.
Start here Install BorgMate