Relax. Your files are safe
everywhere you work.

Smart local backups without the subscription trap.

Qkey Backup watches the folders that matter and quietly protects your work, photos, projects, and ideas across macOS, Windows, and Linux. No cloud lock‑in. No ads. No monthly bill. Just fast incremental snapshots with encryption, compression, and simple restore when you need it.

One‑Time Purchase
Works Offline
AES‑256 Encryption
Cross‑Platform
LAN Sync
Email Reports
Download Free See Pricing

Why People Love Qkey

Simple Ownership

  • One‑time purchase — you keep it
  • No nag screens or upsells
  • Works fully offline

Serious Protection

  • AES‑256 encryption (optional)
  • Space‑saving compression
  • Runs multiple jobs in parallel
  • Weekly integrity self‑check
  • Automated email summaries

Smart Backups

  • Incremental snapshots
  • Fast scheduling options
  • Change tracking efficiency
  • File‑level restore

Designed for Real Work

  • Catches edits & new files quickly
  • Great for photos, code, docs
  • Restore one file or everything

Goes Beyond Ordinary Tools

Git tracks commits. Time Machine can miss temp + working copies. Qkey captures the full working state.

Beautifully Designed UI

Qkey logo
Qkey Backup
Integrity • All good
Good Night
History
Create Backup Job
Secure your files
Restore
Recover your data
Existing Jobs
Setup needed: no jobs configured
New to Qkey?
Short guides to help you pick sources, destinations, and schedules.
Open Learn Center

File‑Level Restore

Weekly Health Check

Your backups quietly re‑verify themselves on a schedule. If something looks off, you’ll see a subtle badge before it becomes a problem.

Trustable History

Each snapshot references the one before it—so you know the chain hasn’t been silently altered.

Restore Just What You Need

Drill into a snapshot, pick a single file or a handful, and bring them back without disturbing the rest.

Full Snapshot Recovery

Had a drive failure? One action restores the whole snapshot with clear progress feedback.

Smart Email Notifications

Clear summaries when everything’s good. Friendly alerts when action’s needed. No spam, just useful signal.

What you’ll receive
  • Weekly/Monthly summaries with job counts, changes, compression, and retention actions
  • Critical/Warning alerts for failures or low space with friendly, actionable steps
  • License and download emails after purchase with secure short‑lived links

Nearby Sync (LAN)

Back up to your other computers on the same network — no cloud, no account, no uploading to someone else’s servers.

Pairs in one click
We list your other devices. You approve and they stay trusted.
Stays on your network
Your data never leaves your Wi‑Fi unless you choose to move it.
Smart trust
Approve once and future connections are automatically secured.
Fast, efficient transfers
Only missing data is sent. Saves time and bandwidth.
Choose what to share
Enable sync only for the backup jobs you want.
Built‑in protection
AES‑256 encryption with optional compression keeps it secure & lean.
Nearby devices
🖥️MacBook‑Pro.local
Trusted
🖥️Studio‑PC
Approve
How it works (technical)
  • Device discovery: Local broadcast finds your other Qkey‑enabled machines.
  • First approval trust model: You confirm once (device fingerprint), then it’s auto‑secured on reconnect.
  • Receiver efficiency: The destination requests only blocks it doesn’t have (receiver‑driven replication).
  • Secure channel: Local TLS with key persistence — no third‑party relay.
  • Granular control: Per‑job replication flag prevents accidental sharing of everything.

Perfect For

Everyday Users

Want effortless protection without learning a new system

Developers & Technical Users

Want working state captured beyond what Git commits store

Small Teams

Share a workflow and need reliable, fast restore safety net

Developer Mode (Optional)

Optional tools for builders who want to see, tune, and script what’s happening under the hood. Safe to ignore if you just want automatic backups.

Live Performance

Throughput, file counts, compression savings, retention actions—updated as jobs run.

Adaptive Engine

Handles bursts & quiet periods intelligently to avoid thrash while staying responsive.

Inline Tuning

Adjust ignore patterns, paths, or concurrency without restarting the app.

Structured Telemetry

Optional NDJSON event stream for custom dashboards or automation pipelines.

Integrity + Retention Logic

See pruning decisions and integrity markers instead of guessing what was removed.

Diff Strategies

Switch or inspect change detection behavior to match project workloads.

Core reliability first — these tools enhance visibility, not complexity.

Choose Your Plan

No subscriptions. No surprise charges. Just simple, secure backup.
Starter
$0
free forever
  • Single user
  • Core snapshot engine
  • Incremental backups
  • Manual + basic interval run
  • Cross‑platform
  • Community help
  • Upgrade for Nearby Sync, encryption, compression & multi‑job speed
Download Free
Personal
$39
one-time purchase
  • Up to 5 users
  • Unlimited jobs
  • Full + incremental modes
  • Compression enabled
  • Encryption enabled
  • Nearby Sync (LAN)
  • Automatic scheduling
  • Cross‑platform
  • Email support
Get Personal

Nearby Sync (LAN), encryption, compression, and concurrent multi‑job optimization require a paid license. Developer Mode is optional and may evolve. All paid licenses include unlimited 1.x upgrades (no recurring fee).

Paid plans also unlock file‑level restore and automatic weekly integrity verification so you can trust what you saved.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need Developer Mode?

No. Most people just set up a job and let it run. Developer Mode is for users who want metrics, diagnostics, or tuning controls.

Can I restore just one file?

Yes. Open a snapshot, browse its files, tick what you want, and restore it in seconds.

How do I know my backups are still good?

A weekly integrity scan re‑checks the snapshot chain and looks for missing pieces. The app shows an OK or Attention badge so you know before you ever need a restore.

Is anything uploaded to a cloud?

No. Qkey stores backups on drives you choose. Your data stays local unless you point it to a network or external device.

How is this different from Time Machine?

Qkey is cross‑platform and captures working state efficiently with optional encryption & compression. It focuses on speed and clarity for restoring specific versions.

Will it slow down my computer?

Backups are incremental and adaptive. After the first snapshot, only changes are processed, keeping routine impact minimal.

Can I move my backups to a new drive later?

Yes. Just point Qkey to the new location and it will continue using your existing snapshot structure.

What are the automated email summaries?

Professional users receive weekly email reports showing backup status, storage usage, recent activity, and any issues that need attention. You can customize the frequency and content through the app settings.

Contact Us

Email Support
support@qkeybackup.com
Phone Support
+1 (800) 555-0199
Our Office
123 Data Drive, Lewisville, TX