Windows File History Alternatives [2024 Options Worth Trying]

Many Windows users rely on the built-in backup app "File History" to back up their files from the Documents, Music, Videos, Pictures, and Desktop folders, as well as their OneDrive assets saved on the computer. However, this program has limitations, and users might encounter issues like "File History not working," "File History didn't back up all data," or lose their backup files. As a result, numerous Windows users are searching for alternatives to File History to ensure the safety of their data.

This article will introduce you to five great Windows File History alternatives for Windows 11/10/8/7. We'll evaluate them based on their main features, pros, and cons. Keep reading to find the one that suits you best.

Quick Guide to the Five Best File History Alternatives

1. Free Todo Backup Tools ? 2. Duplicati 3. Perfect Backup 4. Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office 5. Macrium Reflect

File History Overview: Pros and Cons

File History is a built-in utility in Windows 11/10/8/8.1 that automatically backs up your files and folders to an external hard drive or network location. Users can utilize the File History feature to retrieve lost data or earlier versions of files that have been updated, corrupted, or accidentally deleted. This service is particularly convenient for those who deal with critical documents or personal photos that they cannot afford to lose.

File History is a flexible feature that lets users choose which files and folders to back up and how often to do it. Users can also restore files to their original or a new location, making it easy to retrieve data in case of system or hardware failures. It also keeps multiple versions of files, allowing users to revert to earlier document versions if needed.

Overall, File History is a valuable tool that helps users keep their data safe and ensures important files are backed up and can be restored immediately. However, it has its downsides, which might not meet the requirements of some advanced users. Below are the pros and cons of File History.

Advantages

• Automatically save files and folders
• Built-in tools, no need to download software
• Allow users to customize backup frequency and location
• Multiple version backups of files
• User-friendly interface

Disadvantages

• Backs up only files, not systems, disks, or partitions.
• Backup process may slow down your computer, especially for large files.
• Lacks advanced backup features like incremental and differential backups, encrypted backups, or compressed backups.

As you can see, File History fails to meet custom and advanced backup needs in several ways. To further safeguard your Windows computer, you should look for a more powerful backup program. Read on to discover five alternatives to File History.

5 Top Alternatives to File History in Windows 11/10/8/7

Before narrowing down the list to the top five, we evaluated and reviewed more than a dozen backup programs, considering factors such as speed, features, effectiveness, ease of use, and recovery time. Here are the results of our testing and assessment.

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1. Free Todo Backup tool

Compatibility: Windows 11/10/8/7

When it comes to the best backup software, Todo Backup definitely deserves a spot on the list. It is a powerful and reliable backup application that enables users to back up data, operating systems, application data, and entire hard disks. Todo Backup offers various backup options, including full backup, incremental backup, and differential backup, to cater to different user needs. Whether you're a home user or a business owner, Todo Backup can help safeguard your data and ensure that important files are always backed up and easily recoverable.

Advantages

• Free to use with an intuitive user interface
• Backup files/folders/disks/system/app data/Outlook
• Back up game saves easily with simple operations (link)
• Fast backup and recovery speed
• Create system images and clone systems/disks with ease
• Save backups to various locations like hard drives, USB, NAS, cloud services
• Compress backups and encrypt them for enhanced security and space-saving
• Easily transfer the Windows operating system to another computer (link) without reinstalling
• Create a WinPE bootable USB to fix unbootable computers

• Premium backup features require a paid subscription
• Incompatible with macOS

2. Duplicati

Compatibility: Windows, macOS, Linux

Duplicati is a free and open-source backup application that offers various features to help users protect their data. With Duplicati, users can back up their files and folders to multiple cloud storage providers, including Google Drive, Dropbox, and Amazon S3.

Easy to use but with many advanced features, including encryption, incremental backups, and block-level deduplication, Duplicati is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux, making it a versatile, cross-platform solution.

Advantages

• Open-source and totally free to use
• Features advanced AES-256 encryption
• A web-based user interface that runs on any browser, granting access from anywhere
• Seamless integration with cloud services
• Equipped with a powerful, schedule-based backup engine
• Flexible and customizable backup destinations for effortless data recovery

Drawbacks

• No smartphone app available
• Setup and learning curve can be challenging

III. The Perfect Backup

Compatibility: Windows 11/10/8/7

Perfect Backup is a cloud-based backup and disaster recovery system that offers users a reliable and secure method for data protection. It enables users to back up their files and folders to remote data centers, ensuring data remains accessible and can be promptly restored in the event of a disaster. The software is user-friendly and comes equipped with advanced features such as continuous data protection, block-level backup, and multi-site replication. Perfect Backup adheres to industry standards like HIPAA and PCI DSS, making it suitable for enterprises in regulated industries.

Advantages

• Saves backups to any storage location, including cloud services, USB, (external) hard drives, network folders, and more.
• Supports all backup types: full backup, differential backup, incremental backup, and mirror backup.
• Accurate recovery, allowing you to retrieve backup data at any time.
• FTP support included.

Drawbacks

• The user interface appears somewhat complex and may not be very beginner-friendly
• There is no image backup feature available

4. Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office

Compatibility: Windows, macOS, Linux

Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office is a comprehensive solution that combines backup, cybersecurity, and anti-virus functionalities, offering users a variety of options to safeguard their digital life. With True Image, users can back up files, images, and operating systems to local drives, external drives, or cloud storage providers. Advanced cybersecurity features include anti-malware and ransomware protection, vulnerability assessment, and patch management. User-friendly, Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office is the perfect choice for home users, remote workers, and small businesses.

Advantages

• Offers virtually all advanced backup options
• Supports backing up data to both local drives and cloud services
• Includes file synchronization capabilities
• Combines backup and anti-malware features, reducing the cost and complexity of managing multiple tools
• Features a user-friendly interface that is intuitive and accessible anytime, anywhere

Drawbacks

• Pricier than other options
• According to user feedback, poor spam filtering and mediocre malware blocking

5. Macrium Reflect

Compatibility: Windows operating system

Macrium Reflect is a powerful backup and disk imaging software primarily designed for home users. It enables users to create a full system backup or selective backups of specific files and folders. Users can schedule automatic backups, encrypt data, and even utilize its advanced features to restore their system to a previous state in case of failures. Compatible with all versions of Windows, Macrium Reflect is an essential tool for anyone looking to protect their data and ensure system security. Whether you're a home user or a small business owner, Macrium Reflect is an excellent solution for your backup and disk imaging needs.

Advantages

• 30-day free trial
• Powerful encryption protection
• Create images of running Windows operating systems
• Email technical support during the trial period

< strong >Disadvantages</strong >

• Supports only Windows operating system
• No cloud backup option available
• Does not support file backup or synchronization

wrapping up

There are numerous Windows File History alternatives available, each with its unique features and advantages. When selecting the right substitute, factors such as user-friendliness, speed, storage capacity, and security are crucial to consider. Whether you opt for cloud-based backup or local backup, choosing a reliable Windows File History alternative will give you peace of mind and ensure your data remains safe and accessible at all times.

Todo Backup is one of the most recommended alternatives to Windows File History and is also one of the most reliable and efficient backup and recovery tools available on the market. It offers a comprehensive backup solution, including advanced features like disk cloning and system migration. Users can easily create backups and restore data with just a few clicks through its user-friendly interface.

Frequently Asked Questions About Alternatives to Windows File History

1. Is there anything better than Windows File History?

As a Windows file backup tool, File History has several alternatives. Todo Backup is a professional backup and recovery software that can fully replace File History. It incorporates all the functionalities of File History while also offering advanced features such as system image creation, disk cloning, and application data backup, making it one of the top choices for data protection.

2. Is File History still supported in Windows 10?

Yes, Microsoft still supports the File History feature in Windows 10, and it is an integrated aspect of the operating system. The company continually updates and improves this feature, allowing users to back up their files and folders.

However, Microsoft has included with Windows 10 a new tool called Backup and Restore (Windows 7), whose backup options are more comprehensive than File History's, including system image backups and the creation of a recovery drive.

What's the difference between WD Backup and Windows File History?

The main difference between WD Backup and Windows File History lies in where the backups are stored. WD Backup is a software tool designed to back up data to an external hard drive from Western Digital. In contrast, Windows File History is a built-in feature of Windows 10 that allows users to back up their data to an external hard drive, network device, or even the OneDrive cloud storage service.