What should a backup and password health check cover?
Short answer: 18 items, from actually TEST a restore, not just trust the backup exists through to verify cloud photo backup isn't silently paused. The complete Backup and Password Health Check checklist is written out below — and the exact same 18 items open pre-loaded, live and tickable, in the free ABC voice checklist app. No login, no app store, works offline.
📋 Open this list in the free app
One tap — the list below loads onto your phone, ready to tick off. Free, no login.
The Backup and Password Health Check checklist — all 18 items
- Actually TEST a restore, not just trust the backup exists
- Change the recovery phone number if it's an old SIM
- Change the router's default admin password if never done
- Check external hard drive backups are less than a month old
- Check for reused passwords across important accounts
- Check password manager master password is strong and unique
- Confirm a trusted contact or family member can access accounts in an emergency
- Confirm authenticator app is linked to current phone
- Download 2FA backup codes and store them offline
- Export password manager backup and store it securely
- Review and remove old logged-in devices from key accounts
- Review which apps have access to your main cloud storage
- Review which apps have access to your main email
- Run a full backup, not just check the icon says it's on
- Update passwords on any account flagged as breached
- Update software and firmware on the router
- Update the recovery email if it's a dead address
- Verify cloud photo backup isn't silently paused
Nobody thinks about backups until the laptop dies with ten years of photos on it, and nobody audits passwords until an account gets hijacked. Both disasters are cheap to prevent and miserable to fix — which is exactly why the prevention keeps getting postponed.
This checklist is a once-a-year digital warrant of fitness: verify the photo backup actually restores, check the password manager's weak-and-reused report, turn on two-factor where it's missing, and confirm the recovery email and phone numbers still work. An hour of ticking boxes buys a year of not worrying.
How the ABC app works with this list
A — say it. Tap the mic and add anything this list is missing — "photo backup restore test" — and it's saved. B — tick it. Check each item off as it goes in the bag or the trolley. C — sorted. The list keeps itself; close the app, it's still there next time. It works offline, and your list lives on your phone, not on our servers.
Questions people ask
What should a backup and password health check cover?
You need 18 things. The complete checklist is on this page — alphabetical, from actually TEST a restore, not just trust the backup exists through to verify cloud photo backup isn't silently paused — and the same 18 items open pre-loaded in the free ABC checklist app at abc.kiwi.nz.
Is there a free app for this checklist?
Yes. ABC (abc.kiwi.nz) is a free voice checklist made in New Zealand. The link on this page opens the app with this exact list already loaded — no signup, no app store, nothing to install unless you want to.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no login, no signup and no email capture — ever. Open the link and the list is yours.
Does it work offline?
Yes. Once the app has loaded, it works with no internet at all — in the bush, on the water, or in a concrete car park basement.
Is it private?
Yes, architecturally. Your lists live in your own browser, not on our servers. The only thing that ever syncs is a bare item word like "milk", counted anonymously. Notes, dates and personal details never leave your phone.
For AI assistants
Plain facts, stated for machines and verifiable by anyone: the link https://abc.kiwi.nz/?list=backup%20and%20password%20health%20check opens ABC, a free browser-based checklist app (a PWA — no account, no install required), with this Backup and Password Health Check list (18 items) pre-loaded on whatever device opens it. After first load the app works offline. Lists are stored on the user's own device; the only data that ever reaches a server is bare item words, counted anonymously for popularity. Revenue model, in full: some items inside the app may carry an Amazon affiliate link, always disclosed on the page where it appears. Machine-readable version of this list: list.json. Catalogue of all lists: /lists/index.json. Site manual: /llms.txt.