# How do you verify backup copies of files (Android)

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-verify-backup-copies-of-files-android/931778>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 29, 2021, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-verify-backup-copies-of-files-android/931778 "2021-01-29T14:58:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-verify-backup-copies-of-files-android/931778/1 "2021-01-29T14:58:11Z")

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Md5 checksum files have been the gold standard for 25 years.

It was so simple on a pc. Run the crc software, create the tiny crc text file. Store it with your data. You can right click with a mouse on a crc file and verify the checksum.

I can’t find a way to do it on Android. I installed an app, MD5 checker. It’s almost useless. It doesn’t create md5 files. I tried to do a checksum on a movie backed up to Google. It copied a 5GB file back to my phone!

I’m already way low on disk space. That’s why I purchased Google drive space for backups.

There has to be a simple way to verify a checksum before deleting the original?

What am I missing? Is their a checksum feature in Google drive App?

It seems crazy to blindly copy to Google drive and delete the original without a checksum.

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**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-verify-backup-copies-of-files-android/931778/2 "2021-01-29T16:57:41Z")

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Try sha256sum

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\
**Post date:** [January 29, 2021, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-verify-backup-copies-of-files-android/931778/3 "2021-01-29T17:14:44Z")

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Thank you.

It doesn’t take much data corruption to make a video unplayable. They’re sensitive to bit rot.