Built-In Backup Tools in Windows
File History
File History was first introduced in Windows 8 and continues to be the primary built-in backup solution in Windows 10. File History doesn’t create a full backup of your entire PC. Rather, it focuses on making sure that your personal files are backed up. You set up File History to back up all your files to an external drive and then you really can just let it do its job. It not only regularly backs up files, it also retains previous versions of files that you can easily restore.
By default, File History backs up important folders in your user folder—stuff like Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos, and parts of the AppData folder. You can exclude folders you don’t want backed up and add folders from elsewhere on your PC that you do want backed up.
When you need to recover files, you can browse through the whole collection of backed up files and folders.
Or you can restore previous versions of files from right within File Explorer.
File History gives you a pretty reliable way to make sure your personal files are regularly backed up.
Backup and Restore (Windows 7)
Microsoft also kept the old Backup and Restore feature from Windows 7 around. It was available in Windows 8, removed in Windows 8.1, and is back in Windows 10. The Backup and Restore (Windows 7) tool allows you to restore any of your old Windows 7 backups onto your Windows 10 computer—likely why the tool is still around—but you can also use it to back up your Windows 10 PC in the exact same way you’d back up a Windows 7 PC.
Unlike the newer File History backup solution, you can use Backup and Restore to more easily create a backup of practically everything on your hard drive. However, it also does not feature File History’s ability to maintain older versions of your files.
You can find the tool by hitting Start, typing “backup,” and then selecting “Backup and Restore (Windows 7).”
Setting up the backup is pretty straightforward. You’ll choose an external drive (or network location), pick the folders you want to backup, and set a schedule. After that, everything’s automatic.
System Image Backups
Also available in the Backup and Recovery (Windows 7) tool, you’ll find an option for creating a full system image backup rather than just creating a backup of select folders.
This tool creates an image snapshot of your entire system—personal files, installed apps, operating system files, and everything else. The advantage of using an image backup lies in the recovery. Should your hard drive fail, you simply have to replace it and then restore the image. You’ll be right where you left off, without having to reinstall Windows, all your applications, and then copy your backed up files over.
While they sound great—and they mostly are—there are a few downsides to using an image backup. The backup process itself is a little slower, though still should happen easily overnight. Since you’re backing up everything, you will need a bigger drive on which to store the backups. And should you need to recover anything that you’ve backed up, you can’t reliably get individual folders or files from the backup. It’s more an all-or-none situation.
Also, image backups aren’t quite as necessary in Windows 8 and 10 as they used to be. You can get your computer’s operating system back to its initial state using the Reset your PC feature (which we’ll talk about later in this article). You then just need to reinstall apps and restore individual files. So, it’s really up to you to weigh the pros and cons and decide what works best for you.
If you do want to use the image backup feature, you’ll find it in the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) control panel. Just click “Create a system image” at the left side of the window.
You’ll choose where to store the backup—external hard drive, DVDs, or a network location—and what drives to include. After the backup is complete, you’ll also be prompted to create a system repair disc that you’ll be able to use to start a computer and then restore your image backup. Again, be sure to check out our full guide to creating a system image for more details.
OneDrive
We hear you. OneDrive isn’t really a backup solution. And you’re right—it’s not, at least in the traditional sense. However, OneDrive is now fully integrated into Windows. Files you store in OneDrive are stored locally, in the cloud, and also on any other devices you have synced to your OneDrive account. So, if you were to blow Windows away and restart from scratch, you’d just have to log in to OneDrive to get back any files you have store there.
So, while it isn’t a true backup solution, OneDrive can offer you some peace of mind in that at least you have your personal files stored in multiple locations.
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