Acronis backup email notifications

1. Turn on email notifications in Acronis

In Acronis Cyber Protect it takes two steps, both in the console: first the mail server, then the notifications.

• Under Settings, System settings, fill in “Email server” with your SMTP details. Without it no notification goes out.
• In the same section open “Email notifications”: in “Recipients’ email addresses” enter the mailbox Mail Monitor will read, ideally a dedicated one such as [email protected].
• Keep the [Device] and [Plan] variables in the subject: the machine and plan names are what your rules will look for.
• Tick the events you want: errors, warnings and, if your version offers it, successful backups too. The missing success email is what triggers the alert.

2. A different plan, or Acronis True Image

System settings apply to every plan. In a protection plan’s backup options you can instead set recipients and events for that plan only.

In Acronis True Image (Cyber Protect Home Office) on Windows open the backup, then Options, Notifications tab: turn on email notifications about the operation state, enter the SMTP details and choose to receive completed backups too. The exact labels change between versions: what matters is that both errors and successes are sent.

3. Create the check in Mail Monitor

One check per plan and machine: if one goes missing, you know which.

• Connect the mailbox over IMAP. We always open it read-only: nothing is moved or deleted.
• Sender: the address Acronis sends from. Subject contains: the plan or machine name.
• The exact success and error wording varies with product, version and console language: test the rules on the last 50 emails and pick the words that really appear in yours.
• Expected: the plan’s own schedule (daily, Mon–Fri, weekly) with a cut-off time and a tolerance.

4. What happens when something goes wrong

• The backup fails: the error email arrives and the check turns ERROR, with the rule that triggered it.
• The backup never starts, the agent is stopped or the machine is off: nothing arrives, and at the cut-off time the check turns MISSING.
• Either way an alert goes out: to you, right away or in the daily digest, and if you want to your customer, from your SMTP and with your logo.

5. If the console only sends errors

If your version cannot notify successful backups, the email alone cannot tell you the backup ran. On the Premium plan use an API check instead: in the backup options, “Pre/Post commands”, run a call to the check URL after the backup. If the backup does not run, the call never arrives and the check turns MISSING.

curl.exe -fsS -m 10 --retry 3 <check-URL>