Frequently asked questions

• How do I choose the correct license for my device?

  To help you select the right license for your environment, please follow these simple guidelines based on your device’s operating system and needs:

  For Windows devices:
  • If your device runs a Windows Server OS, select a Server license.
  • If your device runs Windows Server Essentials, select a Windows Essentials license.
  • If your device runs a Windows desktop OS such as Windows 10 or Windows 11, select a Workstation license.

  For Linux devices:
  • If your device runs on Linux, select a Server license.

  For macOS devices:
  • If your device runs on macOS, select a Workstation license.

  For Microsoft 365 backup:
  • Choose Microsoft 365 seats if you want to protect your organization’s Microsoft 365 data, including emails, files, sites, contacts and attachments.

  For Email Archiving:
  • Select Email Archiving seats if you need to retain emails for compliance, legal or long-term storage purposes.

  When to choose Microsoft 365 backup and Email Archiving:

  For maximum protection and compliance, you can choose both Microsoft 365 backup and Email Archiving. This combination enables you to restore lost data quickly and meet regulatory or business requirements for email retention.

  For Google Workspace:
  • Select Google Workspace seat licenses when you need to back up Google Workspace data such as Gmail mailboxes and Google Drive files. Each protected Google Workspace seat (user) requires a license. This applies to mailboxes and associated data like Team Drives

  Important note:
  You can always use a higher-tier license if needed. For example, a Server license can be applied to a Windows 11 workstation if preferred.

• How much free Acronis Cloud Storage is included with each license?

  Every subscription license includes free Acronis Cloud Storage, but the amount depends on the device type.
  
  Here’s what’s included per licensed device:
  
  • Servers: 250GB per license
  
  • Virtual host: 250GB per license
  
  • Computers / workstations: 50GB per license
  
  • Public cloud VM: 40GB per virtual machine
  
  • Windows Essentials: 150GB per license
  
  • Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace / Email Archiving: Unlimited cloud storage (cloud-to-cloud backup)
  
  Example: If you purchase one server + one virtual host, you’ll receive 250GB + 250GB = 500GB total free cloud storage.
  
    The cloud storage quota is shared among all the devices registered in the account.

• Which edition should I choose?

  Choosing the right edition depends on how many devices you want to protect and what type of environment you have. Here’s a quick recommendation to help you pick the best fit:
  
  Acronis Cyber Protect Standard
  Best for small setups that need reliable backup and recovery. Recommended when:
  • You have fewer than five devices. 
  • You need to protect Windows Essentials. 
  • You want a simple, cost-effective backup solution.
  
  Example: Three computers (Windows / macOS) and one server → Standard
  
  Acronis Cyber Protect Advanced
  Ideal for growing businesses with more devices and more complex needs.
  Recommended when:
  
  • You have more than five devices.
  • You want stronger protection and more advanced capabilities.
  
  Example: Eight computers + one  server → Advanced 
  
  Acronis Cyber Protect Backup Advanced
  Perfect for advanced IT environments — especially when you need backup for specialized systems without requiring security features. Recommended when you want to protect advanced environments like:
  
  • Red Hat Virtualization (VM agent-based backup)
  • KVM (agent-based backup)
  • Citrix Hypervisor (agent-based backup)
  • Nutanix AHV (agentless and agent-based backup)
  • Oracle LVM (agentless and agent-based backup)
  
  Examples: You need backup for KVM or Nutanix AHV workloads and you’re focused on backup (not security) → Backup Advanced.
  
  • Microsoft 365 backup or Google Workspace Backup. Important: These workloads are priced per pack of five seats.
  
  Examples:
  You want to protect five Microsoft 365 users → you need to purchase one Microsoft 365 backup license (five seats).
  You want to protect 12 Google Workspace users → you need to purchase three Google Workspace backup licenses (15 seats total).
  You want Email Archiving for 25 users → you need to purchase five Email Archiving licenses (25 seats total).

• What is the difference between Standard and Advanced, and Backup Advanced editions?

  Acronis Cyber Protect Advanced offers enhanced features and benefits compared to the Standard and Backup Advanced editions, including:
  
  • Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR): Cloud deployment only.
  • Scan backups for malware: This means checking your backup files for viruses or ransomware before you restore them. Why this matters: If your system was infected before the backup was created, the malware can also be saved inside the backup. Scanning the backup helps make sure you’re not restoring an infected file back into your system. In simple terms: Before we bring your data back, we make sure it's clean.
  
  • Safe recovery of backups: This means restoring your data in a secure way, so malware doesn’t spread again. In simple terms: We recover your data safely, without reintroducing the problem.
  
  Acronis Cyber Protect Advanced and Backup Advanced offer enhanced features compared to Acronis Cyber Protect Standard, such as:
  
  • Centralized management of backup plans
  
  • Support for tape backups
  
  • SAN storage snapshots
  
  • Acronis Notary
  
  • Remote bootable media control, and more
  
  • Support for advanced systems like XenServer, KVM, RHV, Oracle VM Server.
  
  Acronis Cyber Protect Backup Advanced includes advanced backup and essential security features such as ransomware and cryptojacking protection, and it’s the only edition that supports: 
  
  • Microsoft 365 backup
  
  • Google Workspace backup
  
  • SAP HANA backup
  
  Acronis Cyber Protect Standard includes advanced security and standard backup features for reliable backup and recovery. It combines data backup with multilayered cybersecurity against modern threats, including data protection maps, URL filtering and categorization, continuous data protection, and HDD health monitoring.
  Acronis Cyber Protect Standard license can be used for: Hyper-V VM agentless and agent-based backup, Virtuozzo, VMware vSphere.

• How many licenses do I need for my environment?

  A license is required for every machine or physical host that you want to backup. In the case when the product is used on a cluster, each node of the cluster must be licensed.

• How are Microsoft 365 Backup, Google Workspace Backup and Email Archiving licensed?

  Microsoft 365 Backup
  
  Microsoft 365 Backup is only supported in Acronis Cyber Protect Backup Advanced edition, and it is available for online purchase in five seat-based packs. One license includes five seats, with one-, three- and five-year subscription terms, and comes with free, unlimited Acronis Cloud Storage.
  
  * Microsoft 365 seats that are subject to licensing: **Mailbox, Shared mailboxes, OneDrive, Public folder (mailbox)
  
  Microsoft 365 seat (mailbox and / or OneDrive) with access to backed up SharePoint sites and Microsoft Teams. Applicable to the seat licensed by Microsoft 365 and with the following types of access: full control, design, edit, contribute, read only.
  
  One seat refers to either a Microsoft 365 user or a shared mailbox. Please note that one seat for an O365 user covers all O365 apps they use. To back up SharePoint Online only, one seat is required.
  
  Examples:
  Five users of Exchange Online and OneDrive for Business + one shared mailbox = six seats.
  20 users of Exchange Online + one shared mailbox = 21 seats.
  100 users of Exchange Online, OneDrive for Business + 1 SharePoint Online site + 1 shared mailbox = 101 seats.
  
  Nonlicensed Microsoft 365 items:
  
  • Rooms and equipment
  • A user with access to backed-up SharePoint sites and Microsoft Teams, but without mailboxes and OneDrive, and not licensed by Microsoft 365.
  • External user(s) with access to backed-up SharePoint sites and Microsoft Teams.
  
  Note: A full list of all licensed Microsoft 365 seats with relevant licensing grounds is available for download via the Acronis Cyber Protect management console.
  
  • If a seat is backed up and has access to a backed-up SharePoint site and / or Microsoft Teams, it will be charged as one seat only.
  
  Google Workspace Backup
  
  Google Workspace Backup is only supported in the Acronis Cyber Protect Backup Advanced edition, and is available for online purchase in five seat-based packs. One license includes five seats, with one-, three- and five-year subscription terms, and comes with free, unlimited Acronis Cloud Storage.
  
  Email Archiving is offered as a separate license edition*,* and is available for online purchase in five seat-based packs. One license includes five seats, with one-, three- and five-year subscription terms, and comes with free, unlimited Acronis Cloud Storage.

• What is the difference between on-premises and cloud deployment?

  Cloud deployment means that the management server is located in one of the Acronis data centers. The benefit of this approach is that you do not need to maintain the management server in your local network. This type of deployment is available only for subscription licenses and at the moment does not include some features of the Advanced edition. This type of deployment is recommended if you have a Mac-only environment or a single Mac to back up (since Management Server cannot be installed on a Mac).

  On-premises deployment means that all of the product components are installed in your local network. You have to use this method if your machines are not connected to the Internet.

  You can find more detailed information here.

•  What license should I buy if I want to protect my on-premises installation?

  All Acronis Cyber Protect licenses work for both cloud and on-premises deployments, so you can choose the edition that best matches your needs.
  Please note that some features are available only in cloud deployment, including:
  
  • Microsoft 365 backup
  
  • Google Workspace backup
  
  • Email Archiving for Microsoft 365
  
  • EDR ( Endpoint detection and response )

     

• What is Acronis Cloud Storage and how is it licensed?

  Acronis Cloud Storage is a subscription-based storage option that lets you securely store backups in Acronis data centers. Pricing depends on the amount of storage capacity you need.

  You can back up an unlimited number of devices and workloads—including mobile devices—to the cloud. The purchased storage quota is shared across all devices registered to your Acronis account.

  Note: To use Acronis Cloud Storage, you must have at least one active Acronis Cyber Protect license.

• What payment methods can be used for online purchases?

  We offer a variety of payment options to suit your needs, including credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, etc.), wire transfers, direct debit, PayPal, SEPA transfers and ACH payments.

• When will I receive my product license after purchasing online?

  Your product license keys are delivered once payment is received by our e-commerce partner Cleverbridge.
  
  • Online payments (credit / debit card or PayPal): Your license keys are delivered immediately in the order confirmation email, and they’re also automatically registered in your Acronis Customer Portal.
  
  • Offline payments (wire transfer or ACH): Your license keys will be delivered and registered in your Acronis account after the payment is received.

• Can I get a custom invoice with my company details?

  As soon as your payment is received, an invoice is instantly generated and sent to your email address. Your invoice includes specific details like VAT numbers and your company’s name and billing address.

• Can I receive a pro-forma invoice without commitment to purchase immediately?

  Yes, we can provide a pro-forma invoice without any commitment to purchase. Simply add the licenses you wish to purchase to your cart, proceed to the checkout and select "Prepaid purchase order" as your payment method. This will generate a pro-forma invoice, which will be sent to you along with the order confirmation email.

• Can I use my VAT number to deduct taxes?

  Yes! If you provide a VAT ID, we will automatically validate it. For valid VAT IDs, taxes are immediately deducted, and you’ll receive an invoice without VAT.