Creo que merece la pena guardar una copia de todo.

Creo means I think / I believe, but if you want to add a full idea after it, Spanish usually uses que:

• Creo. = I think so / I believe that.
• Creo que merece la pena... = I think that it’s worth...

So que introduces the clause that follows: merece la pena guardar una copia de todo.

Merece is the third-person singular present of merecer (to deserve / to be worth).

Here, Spanish uses merecer la pena as a fixed expression meaning to be worth it. The thing that is “worth it” is the action guardar una copia de todo.

So the structure is basically:

• [Doing something] merece la pena = [Doing something] is worth it

Even though English often uses it’s worth saving..., Spanish says merece la pena guardar...

Literally, it means something like it deserves the effort/trouble.

• merecer = to deserve
• la pena here does not mean sadness; in this expression it refers to effort, trouble, inconvenience

So merece la pena is an idiom meaning:

• it’s worth it
• it’s worthwhile

Very common and natural in Spain.

After merece la pena, Spanish normally uses an infinitive when talking about an action in general.

So:

• merece la pena guardar una copia = it’s worth saving a copy
• not merece la pena guarda

This is similar to English it’s worth doing, where doing is the action in a non-conjugated form. In Spanish, that non-conjugated form is the infinitive: guardar.

The subject is the whole idea guardar una copia de todo.

In English, we often use a dummy subject:

• It is worth saving a copy of everything

In Spanish, the structure is more directly:

• Saving a copy of everything is worth it

So the infinitive phrase guardar una copia de todo functions like the subject, even though it comes after the verb.

Because creo que in an affirmative statement normally takes the indicative, not the subjunctive.

• Creo que merece la pena... = I think it’s worth it... → indicative
• No creo que merezca la pena... = I don’t think it’s worth it... → often subjunctive

So:

• creo que merece = normal
• no creo que merezca = also normal

That contrast is very common in Spanish.

Yes, and it would be understood. Both mean it’s worth it.

However, in Spain, merece la pena is generally the more typical and natural choice. Vale la pena is also correct, but many learners will hear it more often in Latin American Spanish.

So for Spain-focused Spanish, merece la pena is an excellent phrase to learn.

Una copia means a copy—just one copy, not a specific previously mentioned copy.

• guardar una copia = to save a copy
• guardar la copia = to save the copy (a specific one already known)

In this sentence, the speaker is making a general recommendation, so una copia is the natural choice.

Here de todo means of everything.

It goes with una copia:

• una copia de todo = a copy of everything

This de is the normal preposition used to show what the copy is a copy of.

Examples:

• una copia del documento = a copy of the document
• una copia de las fotos = a copy of the photos
• una copia de todo = a copy of everything

Because todo here means everything, as a singular neuter pronoun.

Compare:

• todo = everything
• todos = everyone / all of them / all (masculine or mixed plural)

So:

• una copia de todo = a copy of everything
• una copia de todos los archivos = a copy of all the files

Yes. Spanish allows some flexibility.

For example, you could also say:

• Creo que guardar una copia de todo merece la pena.

This is also correct and maybe slightly more transparent for English speakers, because the infinitive phrase comes first.

But Creo que merece la pena guardar una copia de todo is very natural and common. Spanish often puts merece la pena before the infinitive.

Yes, guardar is the natural everyday verb here.

Depending on context, guardar una copia can mean:

• to save a copy
• to keep a copy
• to store a copy

Other verbs are different:

• salvar usually means to save in the sense of rescue
• ahorrar means to save in the sense of save money / economize

So for files, documents, backups, records, etc., guardar is exactly the right verb.

Yes. Guardar una copia can refer to either:

• a physical copy
• a digital copy / backup

The exact meaning depends on context. In modern usage, many people would naturally understand it as saving a copy of files or information, especially if the conversation is about computers, documents, or data.

A common negative version would be:

• No creo que merezca la pena guardar una copia de todo.

Notice the change:

• Creo que merece... → indicative
• No creo que merezca... → subjunctive

This is a very useful pattern to learn:

• Creo que + indicative
• No creo que + subjunctive

It’s fairly neutral and natural. It works in both spoken and written Spanish.

• Creo que... sounds normal and conversational
• merece la pena is standard and widely used
• the whole sentence is neither especially formal nor especially slangy

So it would fit well in everyday conversation, advice, emails, articles, or general discussion.