How to Backup Files in Windows 11/10/8/7 Using 3 Free Methods

What is file backup?

File backup refers to the process of copying all or part of your files or folders from a disk to another storage medium, as a precaution against file loss due to system malfunctions or errors. As long as you have backed up your files and stored the backup on a separate storage device, you can restore your files, or even an entire hard drive, in case of data loss.

It is essential to store copies of backup files on a storage medium as a safeguard against loss of the primary file. This secondary storage can be an external hard drive, a USB drive, or a larger storage system, such as a disk array or a cloud storage container.

Three Ways to Back Up Your Computer Files

1. Option 1: Backup Files with File Backup Software 2. Option 2: Backup Files Using File History Feature 3. Option 3: Backup Files with Cloud Storage Services

Everyone knows they should back up their computer files regularly. Few do. Here are three ways to back up your files and folders.

Option 1: Backup All Files - Download Free File Backup Software

This free backup software is very powerful in terms of backup capabilities. It is a comprehensive and user-friendly backup tool that allows you to back up various types of files, including images, videos, documents, audio, and more.

And, even if you aren't computer-savvy, it will help you create system backups or disk backups. It can even back up your files in Safe Mode. The free tool has other features, too:

It boasts powerful capabilities to back up everything on your computer, including the operating system (OS), installed applications, files, and partitions. It supports multiple backup modes. With this software, you can create different types of backups, such as full backup, incremental backup, and differential backup. More storage options: It lets you save backup files to multiple locations. You can store your backups on local drives, NAS devices, secure areas, and in the cloud.

Guide: How to Backup Files Using Tools (UTF-8)

Here are the detailed steps on how to back up your files, so you can create a file backup following this guide.

**Step 1.** Click the **Select Backup Content** button to begin the backup process.

Step 2: There are four backup categories, Files, Disk, OS and Mail. Please click on “Files”.

Step 3: A list of local and network files will appear on the left. Expand folders to select the files you want to back up.

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

Click the "Options" button to set an encryption password under "Backup Options," schedule your backup task, and choose event-based triggering in "Backup Scheme." Feel free to explore and customize more options as needed.

5. You can store the backup on a local drive, tools cloud service, or NAS.

Step 6: Todo Backup lets you back up data to third-party cloud storage and your own cloud storage.

To back up your data to a third-party cloud drive, select Local Disk, scroll down to Add Cloud Device, and then add and sign in to your account.

You can also choose to use Edo's own cloud space. Click “Edo Cloud,” and log in with your Edo account.

**Step 7:** Click “Back Up Now” to start the backup process. When it's done, it will display as a card on the left panel for further management. Right-click on the backup task for more options.

Solution 2: Use only File History in Windows 8.1/10/11 to back up specific files

File History will back up files in your Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, and Desktop folders. Over time, you'll have a complete history of your files. If the original files get lost, corrupted, or deleted, you can use this tool to restore them. However, File History is mainly meant for backing up files on your C drive and specific files and folders.

Note: File History is available in Windows 8 or later. If you're using Windows 7, use Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Guide: How to Use the Windows File History Feature

**Step 1.** First, connect your removable storage device to the computer. Go to **Settings** > **System** > **Storage** > **Advanced storage settings** > **Backup options**. Here, you will see **Use File History for backup.**

<Image> How to Use File History Step 1 </Image>

Step 2: Check the box next to “Automatically back up my files.”

Step 3: Click “More options” to customize.

**Step 4** Click **Backup Now**. This will back up your files to the storage drive that's connected to your computer.

Option 3: Backup or Sync Files with Cloud Storage Services

Cloud-backup services have been available for years, but few people use them. Cloud storage, by contrast, makes backups automatic and keeps all of them in sync. Moreover, you no longer need to worry about hardware failures, because your files are backed up and stored in the cloud, where you can access them from anywhere.

Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox can be used to back up files on your computer. However, these three cloud backup tools mainly focus on file backups. You can also use third-party cloud services to back up your files or folders.

Here, I'll show you how to use OneDrive to back up your files. OneDrive comes with 5 GB of free storage for keeping, sharing, and syncing your files.

Guide: How to Backup Files to OneDrive

The following steps walk you through creating a file backup using the wizard.

Step 1. Type OneDrive in the search box on the taskbar.

Step 2: Log in to your account. If you don't have one, you can apply for it.

**Step 3:** Once you've gone through these wizards, you're ready to start using OneDrive.

3. Todo Backup Free – A great tool for creating file backups

With these three backup utilities, backing up your computer will be a breeze. Undoubtedly, Todo Backup Free stands out among the three and is our top recommendation for a backup program.

tools Todo Backup Free can not only back up files, disks, and partitions but also create an image backup for SSD. More importantly, it offers a cloud backup feature with 250 GB of free cloud storage space, sufficient to cater to the needs of various users, whether they are home users, free users, or business users.

All in all, Todo Backup Free is a simpler file backup option. You can use this backup tool for various tasks.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the point of backups?

Safeguarding files or data is essential when it comes to protecting and preserving them. Having a secure and reliable backup strategy is crucial in this process.

Help reduce management costs. Good backup and recovery software can cut personnel expenses.

It doesn't slow down your computer at all. The backup runs in the background, so your computer stays responsive.

What is a file system backup?

A full file system backup includes the entire system directory. It backs up all data stored on your computer.

What's the difference between file backup and system backup?

File backup refers to having a copy of files that can be restored in case of data loss. System backup, on the other hand, involves backing up the operating system, files, and useful data specific to the system.