Backup software reports success. That initially means its job completed according to its own rules. Whether you can later find, decrypt, and open the needed file is established by restoration. A small test can do this without endangering current work. Use a separate destination and a sample more representative than an arbitrary empty text file.
Choose a useful scenario
Select a current document, an older file, and perhaps a photograph or project with dependencies. Record the version you expect. Restoring the latest version does not answer whether an older correct state remains available after an unnoticed editing mistake.
Do not restore confidential material into an unprotected test location. If the backup is encrypted, successful decryption is part of the exercise. Also check whether required credentials would be accessible without the original device. Otherwise, the test works only under easier conditions than the failure you are preparing for.
Restore to a separate destination
Choose a new test folder and read the restoration options carefully. Do not overwrite the active working file. Some applications default to the original location; others offer an alternative destination. Check the actual selection before starting.
Wait for completion and inspect reported exceptions. A partially successful restoration is not a complete success. Record missing files and errors so their cause can be investigated. If recovery involves several stages, complete the stages required for the chosen file.
Inspect contents, not just names
Open the restored document in a suitable application. Inspect a known paragraph, distinctive image, or specific spreadsheet cell. For photographs, check dimensions and visible contents; for video, play several positions. A correct-looking name can belong to the wrong or incomplete file.
When an unchanged file is expected, compare its content hash with a known reference. For an older version, the current working file is not automatically the right comparison. Define the expected result first, or necessary differences may be mistaken for errors and real errors dismissed as version changes.
Use the result to improve the process
Briefly record the date, selected files, time required, and result. Fix gaps in coverage or access and repeat the affected checks. A missing project folder must be added to the backup scope; another green status without that change does not solve the problem.
Remove test copies according to their confidentiality and leave working files unchanged. Repeat relevant tests after introducing devices, moving storage locations, or changing the backup method. A previous successful exercise remains useful evidence, but it does not permanently validate an environment that has since changed.