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This document provides an overview about how to back up Compute Engine
instances using backup plans in Backup and DR Service.
Use Backup and DR Service backup plans to create rule-based and indelible backups
of your Compute Engine instances and then store those backups in a
secure and isolated storage locations.
To back up your instances for system maintenance or
instance cloning, then use machine images
instead. Learn more about choosing the correct
data protection option
for your use case.
Limitations
You can use only those backup plans that are in the same region as the
instance.
Backup and DR Service doesn't support backing up Compute Engine instances to a
backup vault if the instance uses any of the following
configurations:
Instances with Extreme Persistent Disk volumes attached.
Instances with any Hyperdisk Extreme volumes attached.
Instances that use a C3D, H3, A3, A4, or Z3 machine type.
Instances with customer-managed encryption keys (CMEK) or
customer-supplied encryption keys (CSEK).
Instances without any attached disks.
Instances larger than 200 tebibytes (TiB).
What are Backup and DR backup plans for?
Backup and DR backup plans provide enhanced protection against
cyberattacks by storing immutable and indelible backups of your
Compute Engine instances. You also get an out-of-the-box backup solution
with access to seamless backup management across projects.
Backup and DR backup plans let you define advanced backup strategies
to store your Compute Engine instances in secure storage locations
called backup vaults. You can configure backup rules such as the
following:
How often to back up your instance resources
How long to retain the backups
Where and how to replicate the backed up data
You first define your backup rules in the backup plan configuration. By doing
so, you can configure how frequently you want to schedule backups for your
Compute Engine instance. You then apply that plan to your instances. The
Backup and DR then automatically backs up your instance resources and
retains those backups based on these rules.
After you apply a backup plan to an instance, you can also use the backup plan
to create on-demand backups of that instance.
To learn more about backup plans and backup vaults, see
Backup and DR overview
in the Backup and DR Service documentation.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Hard to understand","hardToUnderstand","thumb-down"],["Incorrect information or sample code","incorrectInformationOrSampleCode","thumb-down"],["Missing the information/samples I need","missingTheInformationSamplesINeed","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-08-26 UTC."],[],[],null,["*** ** * ** ***\n\nThis document provides an overview about how to back up Compute Engine\ninstances using backup plans in Backup and DR Service.\n\nUse Backup and DR Service backup plans to create rule-based and indelible backups\nof your Compute Engine instances and then store those backups in a\nsecure and isolated storage locations.\n\nTo back up your instances for system maintenance or\ninstance cloning, then use [machine images](/compute/docs/machine-images)\ninstead. Learn more about choosing the correct\n[data protection option](/compute/docs/disks/data-protection#options)\nfor your use case.\n\nLimitations\n\n- You can use only those backup plans that are in the same region as the instance.\n- Backup and DR Service doesn't support backing up Compute Engine instances to a\n backup vault if the instance uses any of the following\n configurations:\n\n - Instances with Extreme Persistent Disk volumes attached.\n - Instances with any Hyperdisk Extreme volumes attached.\n - Instances that use a C3D, H3, A3, A4, or Z3 machine type.\n - Instances with customer-managed encryption keys (CMEK) or customer-supplied encryption keys (CSEK).\n - Instances without any attached disks.\n - Instances larger than 200 tebibytes (TiB).\n\nWhat are Backup and DR backup plans for?\n\nBackup and DR backup plans provide enhanced protection against\ncyberattacks by storing immutable and indelible backups of your\nCompute Engine instances. You also get an out-of-the-box backup solution\nwith access to seamless backup management across projects.\n\nBackup and DR backup plans let you define advanced backup strategies\nto store your Compute Engine instances in secure storage locations\ncalled backup vaults. You can configure backup rules such as the\nfollowing:\n\n- How often to back up your instance resources\n- How long to retain the backups\n- Where and how to replicate the backed up data\n\nYou first define your backup rules in the backup plan configuration. By doing\nso, you can configure how frequently you want to schedule backups for your\nCompute Engine instance. You then apply that plan to your instances. The\nBackup and DR then automatically backs up your instance resources and\nretains those backups based on these rules.\n\nAfter you apply a backup plan to an instance, you can also use the backup plan\nto create on-demand backups of that instance.\n\nTo learn more about backup plans and backup vaults, see\n[Backup and DR overview](/backup-disaster-recovery/docs/concepts/backup-dr)\nin the Backup and DR Service documentation.\n\nTo learn how use your instance's backup plan to schedule or create a backup in\na backup vault, see\n[Back up Compute Engine instances to a backup vault](/backup-disaster-recovery/docs/cloud-console/compute/compute-instance-backup).\n\nWhat are the ways to apply backup plans to instances?\n\nYou can apply backup plans to both new and existing instances, as follows:\n\n- For new instances, you can [apply a backup plan while creating the instance](/compute/docs/instances/create-instance-with-gcbdr-backup-plan).\n- For existing instances, you can edit the instance configuration to [change the applied backup plan](/compute/docs/instances/change-backup-plan-for-instance) ([Preview](/products#product-launch-stages)).\n\nWhat's next\n\n- Learn how to [apply a backup plan while creating an instance](/compute/docs/instances/create-instance-with-gcbdr-backup-plan).\n- Learn how to [change the backup plan that's applied to an instance](/compute/docs/instances/change-backup-plan-for-instance) ([Preview](/products#product-launch-stages)).\n- Learn about the other [instance protection options provided by Backup and DR](/backup-disaster-recovery/docs/configuration/discover-compute-engine)."]]
