How to Backup Specific Folders in Windows 10 (Quick and Easy)

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Folders on our Windows computers store these personal files, and you might want to back up those folders periodically to protect them. If you're looking for a quick and easy way to back up specific folders in Windows 10, you've come to the right place. This article aims to provide a step-by-step guide on how to backup your files effortlessly.

Why is it necessary to back up specific folders?

As a Windows user, you rely on your computer for work, school, and entertainment. Your PC might contain important personal files, such as cherished photos of loved ones, videos that capture happy memories, or documents related to your job. You certainly don't want to lose any of this data due to a hardware malfunction or a malware attack.

That's why it's essential to back up these important files regularly. When you have backups of specific files and folders, you can recover deleted files when your device fails or gets damaged. If you keep your backups with you, you can also access them on other devices. Backups protect your crucial files from malware and virus attacks.

You might also be interested in: How to Automatically Backup Folders to a Network Drive in Windows 10

Two Ways to Quickly Back Up Specific Folders in Windows 10

In Windows 10, you can back up specific folders in several ways, such as simple copy and paste, File History, Backup and Restore (Windows 7), OneDrive, or third-party utilities. We're not going to cover all backup methods here. Instead, we'll focus on two quick, easy, and efficient ways to back up folders in Windows 10, including File History and file backup software.

We have compared the ease of each approach, and the chart is meant to inform your final decision.

Of course, more can and should be done.

Method 1: Back Up Specific Folders with Todo Backup

Todo Backup is a free backup and recovery tool that can create backups of files, folders, partitions, or your entire system.

It is one of the best backup software for Windows 11/10/8/7. It supports various backup types, such as scheduled backup, full backup, incremental backup, and differential backup. You can use it to back up specific folders to a local or external hard drive, NAS, tools Cloud, and so on.

File Backup is free to use. Download it now and set up a personalized backup schedule to your liking.

Follow the steps below to create a backup of specific folders using the Todo Backup tool for Windows 11/10/8/7:

Step 1: To start the backup, tap “Choose what to back up.”

Step 2. There are four categories of data to back up: Files, Disks, Operating System, and Mail. Click on Files.

Step 3: On the left, you'll see all folders on your computer and those shared on the network. Expand the directories to find the backup.

Step 4. Follow the on-screen instructions and choose where you want to save your backup.

Click on Options, set a password for encrypted backups under Backup Options, then click Backup Schedule to specify when the backup should occur and initiate backups at specific events. You can also select additional options to customize the backup process according to your needs.

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

Step 6. Todo Backup also lets customers back up data to third-party cloud storage services as well as its own.

If you want to back up to a cloud service provided by a third party, choose “Local Disk,” scroll down to add a “Cloud Device,” and then add and sign in to your account.

You can also choose to back up to cloud storage. Register a free AOMEI account and then click "AOMEI Cloud" to log in.

Step 7. Click Backup Now to start the backup process. When it's done, the backup job appears as a card on the left pane. Right-click the backup job for further handling.

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Method 2: Back Up Specific Folders with File History

File History is a free, built-in backup tool on Windows 8, 10, and 11 computers that specifically backs up files, documents, and pictures stored on the desktop.

You can use File History to back up specific folders to an external hard drive, USB flash drive, or a NAS device. However, according to user reports, they've encountered issues like File History not backing up all files and File History not working in Windows. If you're alright with these errors, you can proceed with backing up your files by following the steps.

Here's how to back up specific folders using the File History feature in Windows 10:

Step 1: Press the Windows logo key + I on your keyboard to open Settings.

Step 2: Click Storage > Backup Options > Add a Drive. Select an external hard drive or network location for your backup destination.

Step 3: To back up additional folders, tap “More options” and turn on the switch for each folder you want to back up.

Click More Options

Click Backup Now to start the backup of the folder you chose.

Conclusions

You can use either of these two quick methods to back up specific folders in Windows 10, and both will work. However, File History has some limitations. It only supports backing up to an external hard drive or a network location. Some users also report running into issues while using it, such as it not automatically backing up or failing to back up some files. Additionally, you have to restore those backups from File History if you want to use them.

With Todo Backup, there are no such limitations – you can back up folders to your local or external hard drive, NAS, tools Cloud, and so on.

If your backups are stored in the cloud, you can use them directly without having to restore anything. Plus, it offers a higher success rate and more backup options than File History.

Therefore, we recommend using the Todo Backup tool to create a backup of your personal folders. This is a must-have utility.

Here are the main features of Todo Backup:

FAQs About Backing Up Specific Folders in Windows 10

How can I automatically back up a folder?

You can create automatic backups using the Todo Backup tool. While backing up, click Options > Backup Schedule, and then choose the backup frequency as per your requirement.

How often should I back up my folders?

There is no definitive answer to this. It depends on how often you create or modify files in the folder. If you do so frequently, you might want to back up the folder more regularly, perhaps daily or weekly.

Yes, you can back up specific folders to OneDrive.

Yes, you can back up specific folders to OneDrive, which is a cloud backup service provided by Microsoft. Follow these steps: 1. First, ensure that you have the OneDrive client installed and logged in. 2. Open OneDrive settings: - On Windows, find the OneDrive icon in the taskbar notification area, click it, and then choose "Open OneDrive." - On Mac, locate and launch OneDrive from the Applications menu. 3. In the OneDrive settings window, select the "Settings" tab. 4. In the "Backup" section, if it's not already enabled, click "Manage backup." 5. In the "Backup management" window, you'll see the "Folder backup" option. Click "Add folder" or "Add desktop." 6. Browse your file system, select the specific folder you want to back up, and then click "Choose folder" or "Add." 7. Once you've selected the folder, click "Start backup." OneDrive will begin syncing the chosen folder and automatically backing it up in the background. 8. You can always return to the OneDrive settings to manage backed-up folders, adding or removing folders as needed. Now, your specific folder will be safely backed up to OneDrive's cloud, and you can access them from any device at any time. Make sure the OneDrive client is running and connected to the internet to keep your files synced.

1. Open Settings, and then click Update & Security > Backup. 2. Click Add a drive, and then select OneDrive as your backup location. 3. To include additional folders, click More options, and then turn on the switch next to each folder you want to back up. 4. Click Back up now to start backing up your selected folders to OneDrive.

How do I add a folder to File History backup?

You can back up specific folders in Windows 10 using the File History feature by following these steps:

1. Hold down the "Windows logo key + I" on your keyboard to open Settings. 2. Click on "Update & Security" > "Backup." 3. To include additional folders, click "More options" and turn on the toggle for each folder you want to back up. 4. Click "Back up now" to start backing up the folders you've chosen.

5. Where are my backup files stored?

File History creates backup copies of files in a subfolder of the following path:

C:\Users\(Username)\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\(Target Name).

For example, if your user name is John and you back up to an external drive with the letter E, the backup files are stored in: C:\Users\John\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\E.