Start Verkada cloud backup before the footage you need exists

Record when backup starts and verify the first uploaded interval before depending on off-camera recovery.

Source facts

Verkada cloud backup is enabled per camera and uploads eligible footage from that point forward; it does not upload footage recorded before enablement. A global organization setting can disable cloud backup, so a camera-level setting alone is insufficient. Administrators choose which footage is eligible and when uploads occur. If a configured camera loses connectivity, already uploaded video remains available in the cloud while the camera records locally. Uploading resumes after cloud connectivity returns.

Source: Verkada Help — Cloud Backup.

Applicability

Applies to Verkada camera cloud backup as documented in Command. A backup schedule and a recording history are separate things; this article makes no promise about an unconfigured camera’s past footage.

DSE recommendation

DSE recommends making the activation time part of camera commissioning. Record the global setting, per-camera enablement, eligible footage selection, upload schedule, and the first period expected in the cloud. If older footage already matters, use an approved preservation workflow rather than expecting a newly enabled backup to recover it. Align the upload window with available uplink capacity and assign an owner to investigate gaps before the required material ages out.

Verification

After a scheduled upload window, play a known new interval from the cloud and compare it with local history. Include quiet and motion periods if both are required. Document the oldest successfully uploaded interval and any backlog; a configured toggle is not evidence that the upload completed.

Official reference

Verkada Help — Cloud Backup. Reviewed October 15, 2026.