Backblaze has stopped backing up OneDrive and Dropbox folders and maybe others

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Backblaze’s consumer backup client has quietly stopped backing up folders used by cloud-sync services like OneDrive and Dropbox, and in some cases appears to skip `.git` repositories, without clear in-app warnings to users. Commenters argue this undermines the core promise of “back up everything,” especially given Backblaze’s “unlimited” marketing, past reliability issues, and the growing tendency of Windows and macOS to push user files into cloud-backed locations by default. Many are reconsidering or cancelling the service, favoring tools like restic, borg, Arq, and rsync.net that give explicit control over what is backed up and store only encrypted data on third‑party infrastructure.

Backblaze changing what gets backed up (silently)

  • Many commenters are disturbed that Backblaze Personal now excludes OneDrive/Dropbox (and likely iCloud, others) via mandatory, hidden exclusion rules.
  • Users report no clear UI warning, no obvious setting to re‑enable, and only a brief mention in release notes.
  • Several people only discovered this when trying to restore overwritten or lost cloud‑synced files and finding nothing there.

.git folders and developer workloads

  • Strong backlash against excluding .git directories, which often contain the only history for local or private repos.
  • Conflicting reports:
    • Some say .git was backed up but hidden in the restore UI behind a “show hidden files” filter.
    • Others share support emails explicitly stating .git is excluded “by design” because of performance issues.
  • Net effect: developers can’t reliably assume their repos (especially history) are protected.

Trust, “unlimited” marketing, and backups vs sync

  • Widespread sentiment that a backup provider must be exceptionally transparent; silent behavior changes destroy trust.
  • “Unlimited” plans are heavily criticized as inherently unsustainable and prone to later quiet restrictions.
  • Long debate over what “backup” means:
    • Some say any extra copy (even Dropbox with versioning) qualifies.
    • Others insist on independent, long‑term, immutable copies (3‑2‑1 rule); sync alone is not enough.

Technical arguments around cloud folders and git

  • Several defend excluding OneDrive/Dropbox: placeholder “files on demand” can cause backups to download TBs of data, fill disks, and hammer network/cloud APIs.
  • Others argue that’s solvable (e.g., only back up locally‑materialized files, or provide explicit options) and never justifies hidden exclusions.
  • For .git, performance concerns are cited (many objects, packfiles, frequent rewrites), but critics note other tools handle this and that correctness should trump speed.

Experiences with restores and client quality

  • Multiple users report failed or partial restores: missing files despite “forever history,” corrupted data, mangled non‑ASCII filenames, or unstable clients.
  • These stories amplify concern that Backblaze may not reliably hold what it claims to back up.

Alternatives and DIY setups

  • Many plan to leave Backblaze, recommending: restic, borg, Duplicati, Kopia, Arq, rclone + B2/R2/S3/Wasabi/Hetzner/rsync.net, or Synology/other NAS with snapshots.
  • Common pattern: open‑source client, client‑side encryption, commodity object storage, regular restore tests, and explicit control over what is (and isn’t) excluded.