Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a User File Backup Plan (UTF-8)

User files refer to the folders stored on a computer under a specific user account. Backing up these user files can provide an extra layer of protection for your data in case something goes wrong with your computer. Scheduled automatic backups also eliminate the hassle of doing it manually. This article covers three available methods to create a backup plan for your user files. Read on and find the method that suits you best.

The Importance of Backing Up User Files

A user folder is a folder used to store the files for a specific user account on a computer. It contains all the user's specific settings, preferences, and application data. In other words, it's everything you need to create a user profile on a computer.

On Windows, user files are typically stored in the C:\Users\(username) folder, which can be affected by computer failures. If your PC gets hit with a virus or you have other problems that require a reinstall of Windows, all of your user files will be deleted. Backing up your user files creates an extra layer of protection for your data.

There are several benefits to scheduling backups of your user files:

1. Scheduled backups save you the trouble of having to do them manually.
2. Automating backups saves time and effort.
3. Scheduled backups are more secure, since the data won't be accessed.

Comparing Three Options for Backing Up Your Files

Windows offers two built-in backup features: Backup and Restore and File History. Both allow you to create scheduled backups of your user files. However, they differ in certain aspects and have limitations. For a more flexible approach to scheduling backups of your user files, we recommend trying the third-party tool Todo Backup.

The table below summarizes their performance on these indicators.

Here are some other features of tools Todo Backup:

Create backups: 1. **Scheduled Backups**: Automatically perform full/incremental/differential backups at specified times. 2. **Image Creation**: Save a designated partition or **hard disk image** as an image file to a secure location. 3. **Disk or Partition Cloning**: Upgrade your system disk, **migrate the OS to an SSD**, or copy data from one disk to another without reinstalling Windows. 4. **Create Rescue Media**: Produce a bootable Todo Backup CD/DVD for system or data recovery when your computer fails to start. 5. **Create WinPE Bootable Media**: Create a bootable WinPE environment on a USB or CD/DVD for system/data recovery in case of unbootable computers. 6. **Secure Zone Backup**: Store backup files in a separate partition (Secure Zone) to protect them from malware or ransomware attacks. 7. **250 GB Free Cloud Storage**: tools offers 250 GB of free cloud storage. You can store backup files in the cloud for added security compared to local backups.

Create a backup plan for your user files incrementally

Method 1: Back Up User Files with Todo Backup

Applicable Systems: Windows 7/8/10/11

**Step 1:** When you first use Todo Backup to back up files, click “Create Backup” on the main interface and then click the big question mark to **select what to backup**.

**Step 2.** Since you're backing up folders and files from your computer, choose the "Files" backup mode, and then you can select images, videos, documents, and all other types of files to back up.

3. Navigate to the files, folders, or directories you wish to back up along the path, select them, and click “OK.”

**Step 4:** You'll now need to choose a location to save and keep the backup.

**Step 5.** With AnyBackup Family 7, you can save your backup files to any device that is convenient for you to access, including a local hard drive, external USB device, SD card, network drive, NAS storage, or AhsayCBS cloud storage. We recommend that users prioritize saving important data to cloud storage, as it is more convenient, flexible, and secure.

All you need to do is register and log in with an email account to access Aliyun.

6. If you want to set up an automatic and intelligent backup schedule for future file backups, proceed with the "Options." Here, you can encrypt your sensitive files for backup, compress the backup image size, or customize a backup scheme to tell the software when to start the next backup.

Here, you can customize advanced and automatic backup tasks:

Step 7. Click “Back Up Now” to start the backup process. When finished, the backed-up file will appear as a card in the left pane.

2. Create a backup schedule for user files using the Backup and Restore feature.

Applicable Systems: Windows 7/10/11

Step 1. Click the “Start” menu, type “backup,” and then select “Backup and Restore” from the list. Or go to the Control Panel and find “Backup and Restore.”

Step 2: Tap “Set up Backup.”

Click “Set up backup” .

**Step 3:** Choose where you want to save your backup, then tap **Next**.

Select where you want to save the backup

Step 4: Select "Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer" and click "Next".

<img src="/images/en/screenshot/todo-backup/guide/let-me-choose.png" width="500" height="436" alt="Click Let me choose">

5. Locate and select the user files you want to back up, then click Next.

Select the files to back up:

**Step 6.** Click on **Change schedule** and customize your backup schedule as needed.

Here, you can set the frequency, day, and time for backups.

Method 3: Back Up User Files with File History

Applicable Systems: Windows 8/10/11

1. To turn on File History, follow these steps: Settings > Storage > Backup options.

**Step 2:** Click on the “Add Drive” button to choose where you want to save your backup files. The switch should be turned on.

Click “Add Drive” .

Auto Backup files

Step 3: Click the “More Options” button, then click “Add Folder” to select the files you want to back up.

Closing out

This article will guide you to successfully use AOMEI Backupper to create user file backup schedule with its Backup and Restore, File History feature. We recommend you use AOMEI Backupper as it is more comprehensive and flexible, not only for backup, but also supports cloning, creating rescue media, building a bootable WinPE environment, and more.

Please feel free to contact us should you have any other questions or suggestions.

Create a backup plan for user files FAQ

How do I use the Task Scheduler to back up files?

Create a new task in the Task Scheduler and name it. Then, specify how often you want the task to run. Next, create an action to use the Copy command line or Xcopy to back up your files. Finally, create another action to delete the original files.

2. When is the best time to back up data?

There's no one-size-fits-all answer to this. It depends on your needs and usage. But as a general guideline, we recommend that you follow this backup schedule:

1. Back up frequently changed files daily 2. Back up infrequently changed files weekly 3. Back up seldom changed files monthly

3. Does Windows 10 have an automatic backup feature?

Yes, Windows 10 has two built-in backup tools, Backup and Restore and File History. You can use them to set up a scheduled task to automatically back up your files. For more detailed instructions, refer to the step-by-step guide above.

What is the 3-2-1 backup rule?

The 3-2-1 rule is a general guideline for backing up data, which suggests keeping at least three copies of your data on two different media, with one copy stored offsite. For instance, you might keep one copy on your computer's hard drive, another on an external hard drive, and a third in the cloud. If one copy is lost or damaged, you have two others to fall back on.