Is Windows 10 Backup Any Good? Find Out Here

What About Windows 10 Backup?

1. File History
2. Backup and Restore

If you're searching for a simple Windows 10 backup utility to save some crucial files locally, you don't need to look far. By default, Windows comes with a built-in Windows Backup utility pre-installed on your computer. Furthermore, many editions of Windows have featured backup tools for years, allowing users to create backups of vital files and folders.

Windows 10 backup provides two options for creating backups: File History and Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

File History

Since Windows 8, Microsoft has introduced a new backup utility known as File History. This feature periodically backs up various versions of your files in documents, music, videos, pictures, desktop folders, and so on. Consequently, over time, you can accumulate a comprehensive history of your files. Moreover, if the original files are lost, corrupted, or accidentally deleted, you can effortlessly restore them using File History.

Guide: How to Create Backups for Windows 10 Using This Tool

Here are the step-by-step instructions for creating backups of Windows 10 computers using File History: 1. **Enable File History:** - Click on the Start menu and type "Control Panel" in the search bar. - Open Control Panel, then select "System and Security." - Within "System and Security," click on "Backup and Restore." - On the left-hand side, choose "Turn on File History." 2. **Select Backup Drive:** - Connect an external hard drive or a USB drive to your Windows 10 computer. - In the File History window, click on "Select a drive." - Choose the connected drive from the list and click "Select Folder" to proceed. 3. **Configure Backup Settings:** - You can customize your backup settings by clicking on "More options." - Here, you can choose how often to back up, how long to keep backups, and if you want to include network locations. - Once done with the configurations, click "Save Settings and Exit." 4. **Start Backup Process:** - Back on the File History main screen, ensure your chosen settings are correct. - Click on "Turn on" to initiate the initial backup process. This may take some time depending on the amount of data. 5. **Monitor Backup Progress:** - A progress bar will appear, indicating the status of the backup. - Wait until the backup is complete. Do not disconnect the external drive during this process. 6. **Scheduled Backups:** - File History will now automatically create backups at the interval you specified. - To check or change these settings later, simply repeat steps 1-3. 7. **Restore Files:** - In case you need to restore files, go to "File History" in the Control Panel, and then click "Restore my files." - Browse through the saved versions of your files, select the one you want, and click "Restore" to save it back to its original location. That's it! Your Windows 10 computer is now set up to use File History for regular backups.

Step 1: Firstly, connect an external hard drive to your computer. Next, navigate to System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Backup Options. Here, you will find the "Back up using File History" option.

Step 2: Click on "On" under "Automatically back up my files."

Step 3: Click on "More options" to customize your backup preferences.

Step 4: Click on "Back Up Now." This will initiate the backup process, saving your files to the external drive connected to your computer.

Backup and Restore

< a href="/backup-recovery/how-to-use-backup-and-restore-windows-7.html">Backup and Restore< /a> was first introduced in Windows 7. Since then, it has become one of the most commonly used backup utilities for computer users to safeguard their data. Windows Backup and Restore allows you to create a snapshot of the data on your hard drive and generate an image of it. This image file serves as a safeguard for data recovery in the event of data loss. Additionally, Backup and Restore supports backing up data on both local and external drives.

Guide: How to Create Windows 10 Backups using Backup and Restore

Specific steps are listed below, so you can follow the guide to create file backups.

Step 1: In the search box located on the taskbar, type "Control Panel." Afterward, navigate to Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 2: Next, you will navigate to Backup and Restore and tap on Set up backup.

Note: In this step, you can connect an external hard drive to your computer to use as the backup storage device.

Step 3: Windows will scan and display a list of available drives on your computer. Select the location where you want to save the backup. You also have the option to choose a network drive as your backup destination.

Step 4: Choose what you want to back up.

Note: By default, Windows will select files stored in libraries and Windows folders for backup. Additionally, it will also create a system image automatically.

Step 5: Review and confirm the backup settings, then initiate the backup process.

Direct Answer to "Windows 10 Backup, Good or Not."

Now that we have an in-depth understanding of Windows 10 backup, let's address the question: is Windows 10 backup reliable? The concise answer is yes. Windows 10 includes two built-in backup utilities that can cater to your basic backup requirements.

However, the two backup utilities might not have all the features you desire. There are a few points to consider:

First, upon launching Backup and Restore, the configuration backup options are quite restricted. Backup and Restore offers two backup choices: "Let Windows Choose" and "Let Me Choose." If you opt to select files and folders manually, Windows does not permit creating backups of the following:

< li > Files in the Recycle Bin. < /li > < li > Files in Windows System folders. < /li > < li > Files stored on hard drives formatted with the FAT file system. < /li > < li > Disks and partitions without drive letters. & nbsp ; < /li >

Secondly, File History is quite distinct from Backup and Restore. This is because its main objective is to enable you to back up individual files, as opposed to creating a full system image. Furthermore, it doesn't permit the creation of a comprehensive system backup.

Generally speaking, Windows 10 backup is reliable, but it's not without flaws. Hence, having some complementary measures in place is advisable. In this context, using professional backup software appears to be a wise choice.

For Everyone: Use a Windows 10 Computer with Backup Software

Professional backup software, such as Todo Backup Free, can overcome the limitations of Windows' built-in backup utilities. These advanced applications support various storage media types, offer improved automation and scheduling options, and enable backups to be saved to the cloud.

Todo Backup Free is a free backup software that enables you to automate system backups, disk backups, and file backups. It also allows you to create backups of various file types and back up SSD to an image. Furthermore, it supports cloud storage and provides 250 GB of complimentary cloud storage space. Below are some notable features of this handy free backup utility:

• High compatibility. It supports Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, XP, and Vista.
• User-friendly backup utility. It enables you to complete a backup with just a few clicks.
• More storage choices. It lets you save backups to local drives, secure zones, NAS devices, and the cloud.
• Diverse backup modes. It allows you to perform various backup types, including full, incremental, and differential backups.

Guide: How to Create a Windows 10 File Backup Using a Free Backup Utility

The steps for creating file backups for Windows 10 are as follows. Hence, you can refer to this guide to create a Windows 10 backup using the tool Todo Backup Free.

Step 1. To start a backup, click the "Select backup contents" option.

Step 2. There are four data backup categories: File, Disk, OS, and Mail. Click on File.

Step 3. On the left, both local and network files will be displayed. You can expand the directory to select the backup files.

Step 4. Follow the on-screen prompts and select a location to save the backup.

Click Options to encrypt the backup with a password in Backup Options, then click Backup Scheme to set the backup schedule and initiate the backup upon a specific event. You can also choose from additional options to customize the backup process according to your needs.

Step 5. The backup can be stored on a local disk, the tool's online service, or a NAS.

Step 6. Todo Backup allows users to back up data to a third-party cloud service as well as its own cloud storage.

If you want to back up data to a cloud drive provided by a third party, select Local Drive, scroll down to add Cloud Device, and then add and log in to your account.

You can also opt for the Tools cloud drive. Create a Tools account, then click on Tools Cloud and log in.

Step 7. Click Backup Now to initiate the backup process. Once completed, the backup job will appear as a card on the left side of the panel. Right-click the backup job to perform additional actions on it.

Conclusion: Better to Use a Windows 10 Computer with a Backup Application

Windows 10's backup feature is adequate, but it may not be sufficient. Hence, it is advisable to complement it with third-party backup utilities like Todo Backup Free to ensure a more comprehensive backup of your Windows computer and prevent data loss.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Should I use Windows 10 backup?

Creating a backup is one of the most effective strategies to safeguard your documents, pictures, videos, and Windows 10 files from software issues, hacker attacks, hardware failures, system failures, and malware.

2. How do I clean up my Windows backup files? To clean up your Windows backup files, follow these steps: 1. **Open Control Panel**: Click on the Start menu, type "Control Panel" in the search bar, and select the app from the results. 2. **Access Backup and Restore**: In the Control Panel, search for "Backup and Restore" or click on "System and Security" > "Backup and Restore." 3. **Select "Manage space used by system images"**: In the Backup and Restore window, click on "More options" and then choose "Clean up system images." 4. **Review available backups**: The following screen will show you a list of available backups. You can see the date and size of each backup. 5. **Choose which backups to delete**: Select the backups you want to remove, keeping in mind that deleting a backup may remove restore points as well. Click "OK" to proceed. 6. **Confirm deletion**: A warning message will appear, asking you to confirm your decision. If you're sure you want to delete the selected backups, click "Delete" to free up space. 7. **Wait for the process to complete**: The cleanup process may take some time, depending on the size of the backups being deleted. 8. **Close Backup and Restore**: Once the cleanup is finished, close the Backup and Restore window. Remember, cleaning up old backups regularly helps free up disk space, but ensure you have at least one recent backup before deleting older ones, as they serve as a safety net in case of system failures.

There's also an option to delete all file backups while keeping the most recent ones. To do this, run PowerShell as an administrator, and then type in the following command: `fhmanagew.exe -cleanup 0` and press Enter. This command will clean up the backups while preserving the latest ones. Backup and Restore and File History typically target a separate or external drive. Now, it's time to free up space on your local drive.

3. Does Windows 10 overwrite old backups when performing a backup?

By default, Windows 10 File History will save all backup versions indefinitely, so your Windows 10 backup drive will eventually run out of space. However, you can easily modify the setting to automatically delete older versions.