How to Back Up an External Hard Drive to Another External Hard Drive in Windows 10

• ✅Each hard drive has a limited lifespan, and after this period, it may start to fail or experience performance issues due to natural wear and tear.
• ✅Before backing up your files, ensure that the new external hard drive uses Microsoft's latest "New Technology File System" (NTFS) file system.
• ✅Todo Backup is an award-winning free backup software that lets you easily back up your external hard drive to another drive with just a few clicks on Windows 11/10/8/7.

When your external hard drive fails, runs out of space, or slows down, you might get a new, larger, and better-performing external hard drive. When upgrading to the new drive, you may also want to save the data from the old drive to the new one. But how do you back up an entire hard drive to another external hard drive in Windows 10?

This tool blog has got you covered with a simple and effective solution. Read on to learn how to easily back up an external hard drive to another external hard drive on Windows 10.

Format the external hard drive before backing up

All hard drives have a lifespan, and they start to fail or underperform once they reach it. If your hard drive is old and you want to back up all of your files to a new drive in case it fails, the process is straightforward. Before you begin copying your files, though, make sure that your new external drive uses Microsoft's latest New Technology File System (NTFS) file system.

If your hard drive is formatted with the FAT32 file system, you will need to convert it to NTFS. FAT32 can store files under 4 GB, but anything larger will not work. FAT32 is an older file system developed by Microsoft. NTFS is Microsoft's next generation file system which improves on disk space management and read/write speeds over its predecessor.

Here are the steps to convert a file system running on FAT32 to NTFS:

Step 1: Press the 【Win+R】keys, type diskmgmt.msc, and then click the 【OK】button to open the【Disk Management】.

Access the Disk Management via Run

Step 2: Right-click the new drive and select Format.

Step 3: Type a name for the volume, and then choose NTFS from the File system drop-down menu.

<4> Click the OK button to format the disk as NTFS.

Not only will you be able to store larger files on your external hard drive after converting the file system to NTFS, but read and write speeds will also be improved.

So, how to back up an external hard drive to another external hard drive in Windows 10? We decided to save you time and narrow it down to the three best ways to backup all your files from one external hard drive to another.

How to Back Up an External Hard Drive to Another External Hard Drive in Windows 10

If you're wondering how to back up an external hard drive to another external hard drive on Windows 10, we have three excellent solutions to help you transfer all your files to the new disk.

• Method 1. Backing Up External Hard Drive with Todo Backup Tool
• Method 2. Backing Up External Hard Drive by Copying Data
• Method 3. Backing Up External Hard Drive with Windows Easy Transfer

Method 1️⃣: How to easily backup an external hard drive to another hard drive using Todo Backup?

If you back up your data regularly or the data is important to you and you don't want to lose it, then the free backup software – Tools Todo Backup is the best program to back up your data. Tools Todo Backup is also one of the best free backup software for Windows 11, and it's not just for backing up data. With this tool, you can create a bootable rescue media, store files in the cloud, protect files from ransomware attacks, back up an external hard drive to another external hard drive on Windows 10 or earlier, schedule backups, and more. Download it and follow the steps below to back up an external hard drive to another HDD.

Please download and follow the step-by-step guide below to use this free backup tool to back up an external hard drive.

Step 1: Choose What to Back Up

Step 2: There are four backup categories: Files, Disks, System, and Mail. Click on Disks.

Step 3: You can choose to back up the entire disk or a specific partition. Select your preferred option and click “OK.”

Step 4. Choose where you want to save your backup.

Step 5. For disk/partition backup, you can choose to save the backup to a local drive or a NAS.

Step 6: Once the backup is complete, your task will appear on the left. Right-click any task to manage your backups further – for example, to restore a backup or create an incremental backup.

?Related Article: How to Backup Hard Drive to Another Hard Drive

Method 2️⃣: By duplicating the data backup from one external hard drive to another

The simplest way to back up your files is to copy and paste them from your old hard drive to the new one. This is a good option when you have only a few files on your external drive, but it can get bogged down when transferring large amounts of data, and it will be very time-consuming if you have a lot of data on your external drive.

Here is how it could work:

Step one: Connect both the old and new hard drives to your computer.

Step 2: Open two windows for your external hard drives and arrange them side by side.

Step 3: Select the files you want to copy/move from the old hard drive and press Ctrl+C to copy or Ctrl+X to cut them.

Step 4: Click on the window of the external drive to which you want to paste the files, and then press Ctrl+V to paste them.

Depending on the size of the files and the physical read-write speeds of the two hard drives, this process of copying or moving the files from your old external drive to the new one could take some time.

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Method 3️⃣: Back Up with Windows Easy Transfer to an External Hard Drive

If you're running Windows 7/8/8.1, you can use the built-in Windows Easy Transfer to back up your files and settings from one computer to another, or to move them from one external hard drive to another. This makes it easy to transfer all of your data from the old drive to the new one.

It would transmit the following data:

• ✅Windows Settings
• ✅User Accounts
• ✅Desktop
• ✅Taskbar Options
• ✅Email
• ✅Documents
• ✅Pictures

Here's how to use “Windows Easy Transfer” to back up an external hard drive to another external hard drive:

Step 1: Connect both external hard drives to your computer.

Step 2: On the Start screen, type Windows Easy Transfer, tap Windows Easy Transfer, and then tap Next.

Click “Next” to use Windows Easy Transfer to back up your data.

Step 3: Make sure your new external hard drive is connected, then choose External Hard Drive or USB Flash Drive.

Select the “External hard disk or USB flash drive” option.

Step 4: Click This is my old computer.

Step five: Wait while the computer scans the file and estimates its size.

Step 6: Click Next, enter your Windows password, and click Save.

Step Seven: Then save the files to the new external drive.

Recommended Reading: Clone External Hard Drive to Another External Hard Drive

You can use Windows Easy Transfer to restore your data after you back up your files to the new disk.

Here's how it would work:

Step 1: Open the Windows Update Assistant.

Step 2: Click Next, then choose External hard drive or USB flash drive.

Step 3: Then choose This is my new device, and click Continue.

Step 4: Navigate to the hard drive where you saved the file, and choose Open.

Step 5: Your data should now be restored.

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Final Judgment

Todo Backup is an all-in-one backup solution for all your backup needs and Windows 11 disk cloning. Instead of copying and pasting or using outdated options like Windows Easy Transfer for newer versions of Windows, you can use professional backup tools like Todo Backup to back up SD cards, disk backup, backup hard drives, and even create rescue media disks.

With the Todo Backup tool, you can schedule automatic backups of your entire hard drive, specific folders, or files, and easily restore them when needed. You can also encrypt your backups and store them on the cloud, a hard drive, or an external device.

The free version of Todo Backup comes with plenty of tools, and also offers a free trial period during which you can use all the advanced features for a limited time.

Here are some common questions and answers about how to back up an external hard drive to another external hard drive in Windows 10: 1. **Q: What tools do I need for backing up an external hard drive?** **A:** In Windows 10, you can use the built-in "File History" feature or the "Create a System Image" tool. Alternatively, you can opt for third-party backup software like tools Todo Backup or Acronis True Image. 2. **Q: How do I use the "File History" feature?** **A:** First, make sure both external hard drives are connected to your computer. Then, go to "Settings" > "Update & Security" > "Backup" > "Add a drive," select the source drive you want to back up, and choose the target drive as the backup location. 3. **Q: How do I use the "Create System Image" feature?** **A:** Access "Control Panel" > "System" > "System Protection" > "Create a System Image." Choose your source hard drive and specify the target backup drive. Follow the prompts to finish the process. 4. **Q: Will data be lost during the backup process?** **A:** Normally, the backup process won't affect data on the source drive. However, if you write to the source drive while backing up, it might result in an incomplete or incorrect backup. 5. **Q: How do I recover data after the backup is complete?** **A:** For "File History," you can browse and restore files within the "File History" interface. For "System Image," you'll need to use a recovery drive at startup or use the "System Restore" option in the "Control Panel." 6. **Q: How long does the backup process take?** **A:** It depends on the size of the source drive and your computer's performance. Generally, larger drives and slower interfaces (like USB 2.0) will result in longer backup times. 7. **Q: Can I schedule automatic backups?** **A:** Yes. In "File History" settings, you can enable automatic backups and set the frequency. For "System Image," you may need to use Task Scheduler or third-party software for automated backups. 8. **Q: Does the backup take up a lot of space?** **A:** Yes, backups usually occupy the same or nearly the same amount of space as the source drive. Make sure the target drive has enough space to hold the entire backup. 9. **Q: Is the backup encrypted?** **A:** Windows 10's built-in backup features don't include encryption. If needed, consider using BitLocker or a third-party encryption tool. 10. **Q: Does my computer need to stay on during the backup process?** **A:** Yes, your computer should remain on and plugged in to avoid unexpected power loss that could lead to a failed backup.

1. Can a hard drive be cloned to an external hard drive?

Yes, you can clone a hard drive to an external one by creating an image of your computer's system.

How do I back up my Dell computer to a flash drive?

Step 1: Click the “Windows” button and open “Control Panel.”

Step 2: Click on “System and Security,” and then click on “Backup and Restore (Windows 7).”

Step 3: In the left pane, click “Create a system image.”

Step 4. Select your external hard drive and click “Next,” then “Start Backup” to back up your Dell to the flash drive.

How do I transfer files from my old Dell computer to my new Dell computer?

You can transfer files from your old Dell computer to the new Dell computer using any of the three methods we mentioned above.