The following article addresses the differences between Toolkit and Dashboard backup software. Toolkit has many features, but for the purpose of this article, we will be focusing on the Backup feature.
About Toolkit and Dashboard
- Toolkit is the current generation of backup software shipping with most Seagate external drives. The shipping timeline for Toolkit is 2018 to present
- Seagate Dashboard is the previous generation of backup software that shipped with most Seagate external drives. The shipping timeline for Seagate Dashboard was 2012 to 2017
Software User Manuals
Do Toolkit and Dashboard support the same devices?
- No, for example: Toolkit does not support the Seagate Central or Personal Cloud
- Dashboard does not support LaCie drives
What operating systems and devices do each support?
- Toolkit supported Devices and Features - click here for more details
- Dashboard Supported Devices and Features - click here for more details
Are Toolkit and Dashboard different types of backups?
- No, both are data only backups
- Neither back up system files or programs/applications
- Both only back up data that is new or changed since the last backup
- Both offer continuous, scheduled, and manual (Snapshot) backup options
NOTE: The manual backup (Snapshot) option on Dashboard does a full back up each time
Are Toolkit and Dashboard restore processes the same?
- Yes, the restoring data from within the software is the same
- Toolkit data can be manually restored without software easily
- Dashboard can be manually restored without software but the process is difficult
I have both Toolkit and Dashboard installed, what should I do?
- Ideally, you would only use Toolkit unless your drive is not supported by Toolkit
- If having both installed is required, try to make sure that Dashboard and Toolkit aren’t running at the same time to save system resources
- Check the ‘Can I switch from Dashboard to Toolkit?’ question for how to best handle transition from Dashboard to Toolkit
Can I switch from Dashboard to Toolkit?
- Some drives are supported by both Dashboard and Toolkit making it possible to switch from Dashboard to Toolkit
- Prior to switching from Dashboard to Toolkit, make sure your drive is supported by Toolkit
- Toolkit supported Devices and Features - click here for more details
- If your drive is supported then you will want to remove any old Dashboard backups on your drive to prevent the drive from getting full or causing other possible issues in the future. Reformatting the external drive is the easiest way to do this. This will DELETE ALL DATA on the drive
- Then uninstall Dashboard
- Install Toolkit and set up a backup
What if I want to keep my old Dashboard backups?
- You can keep them if you want but reformatting the drive is the best option - This will DELETE ALL DATA on the drive so make sure you have everything you need before formatting.
- If you do choose to keep the old backups, then the drive will likely get full, causing the Toolkit backup to fail. This may cause other issues so it is best to start over from the beginning
- Dashboard backups are difficult to restore without the software which is another reason it is best to start over when transitioning from Dashboard to Toolkit
What if Dashboard isn't working and I can’t switch to Toolkit?
- Since Dashboard is no longer receiving updates then the following is recommended
NOTE: You may want to delete the Dashboard data prior to setting up a Windows backup to prevent your drive from filling up - If Dashboard isn’t working and you can’t switch to Toolkit, then try using the built-in backup software in your operating system
- For Windows 10 use File History – click here for more details
- For Windows 8/8.1 use File History – click here for more details
- For Windows 7 use Windows backup and restore – see method 3 - click here for more details
- For macOS use Time Machine – click here for more details
