Configure Déjà Dup Backup Tool to do it's business

1. From the desktop, select: Applications > System Tools > Déjà Dup Backup Tool. The Déjà Dup window will display.
2. Select: Edit > Preferences. Déjà Dup Preferences will display.
3. If you are backing up to an external drive, ensure that this drive is connected now. To define a backup location (i.e. where you want your backup files stored), click: Edit. Note: You may also choose to backup to other external resources via the Connect to Server button. Though for now, we will assume you are using an external hard drive.
4. From the Backup Location dropdown list, select the desired external drive.
5. Include files in folders: Next you will add the folders to be backed up. Click: Add then select the desired folder. To select additional folders, simply repeat this step.
6. Exclude files in folders: Here you may define the sub-folders (i.e. the folders inside the ones you added in the previous step) that you do not want Déjà Dup to backup. For example, you may not necessarily care to waste time and storage space by creating a backup of your Trash directory. As before, you simply click: Add then select the desired folder(s).
7. To encrypt your backups, click: Encrypt backup files. You may also schedule recurring backups by clicking: Automatically backup on a regular schedule and defining the frequency with the How often to backup dropdown.
8. After configuring the remaining Keep backups option, click: Close and you will be returned to the main Déjà Dup window.
9. Pretty self-explanitory from here. To perform a manual backup, simply ensure that your external drive is still connected then click: Backup followed by Backup again. A restore of your backed up data is done with ...wait for it ...Restore.