How to Perform a System Backup on Windows 10 [2024 New Guide]

It's fairly certain that you've lost important files on Windows 10 before, maybe due to a system crash or some other reason. If you don't regularly create full backups, you risk losing all the time you spent setting up your documents, precious photos, and installed programs.

If you're on Windows 10, you can create a backup in several ways. You could use a third-party solution to back up your entire system, manually transfer your data to an external hard drive, or upload it to a cloud storage service like OneDrive. You could also use a combination of all three.

On the other hand, if you don't like using manual methods or third-party apps, you can always choose to create a full backup with the classic built-in system tool, in case you didn't pick any of the above options. However, we have an even better tool that will guide you through the process of performing a <b>system backup on Windows 10</b>.

# What does backup system mean? What is a system backup in Windows 10?

A system image backs up your Windows installation and other important software. If you have the storage space, creating a system image can help you get up and running again in the event of a disaster with your device.

If your laptop's software or hardware fails, you can still access your data with this backup. You can create a system image to back up your Windows 10 installation, along with all essential files. A full system image allows you to roll back your information to a previous version.

Why should you back up your system on Windows 10?

Here are some of the best reasons to back up your system in Windows 10:

• Windows Backup is free to use, and there are no additional costs associated with its backup features.
• This is a reliable and authentic source for data storage and retrieval.
• It offers customizable backup solutions, allowing you to include or exclude specific files from your backups selectively.
• Your data backups automatically update to reflect any changes made.
• The service provides secure offline data recovery and backup options.
• When backing up data, this backup program saves the entire operating system, including all files, applications, and the data itself.
• Recovering lost data is both simple and quick. You can restore your data to a local disk or a remote shared folder, both of which are viable options.

How do I back up my system on Windows 10?

Backing up your entire operating system is much more complicated than backing up a folder with vacation photos. Let's look at what might be best for you.

Method 1: How to Backup System on Windows 10 with Windows Backup Software

Method 2: How to Create a System Backup in Windows 10 Using Restore Points?

Method 3: How to Create a Windows 10 System Backup with System Image?

To its credit, Microsoft's Windows 10 includes various tools for backing up the operating system.

Perhaps the most familiar chart is this one:

Method 1: Create a System Backup in Windows 10 with the Windows Backup Software

The best way to go about system backup is with the help of a dedicated backup software. Tools like Todo Backup Home (not to be confused with the equally-named business product) offer more features than most home users will ever need, letting you schedule, manual or automated, full system, disk/partition, and file backups.

You can create a full, incremental, or differential backup of your data. If you want more control over your backups, download the free Windows Backup software and create a full backup. You can download the program from Microsoft's website.

Main features of Todo Backup

1. Offers flexible backup content, including support for folders not covered by File History. 2. Provides each user with 250GB of free cloud storage space from the tools. 3. Expands backup destination options to include local, cloud, and Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices. 4. Adds options for data backup, such as incremental backups and backups triggered by specific conditions.

Here are the steps you should follow:

Step 1: Launch Todo Backup, click "Create Backup" on the main interface and then click the big question mark to select backup content.

2. To back up your Windows operating system, click Operating System to begin the backup.

Step 3: System information and all system-related files and partitions will be selected automatically; you don't need to make any manual selections. Then, click in the highlighted area to specify where you want to save the system image backup.

**Step 4.** You can choose another local drive on your computer, an external hard drive, a network, cloud storage, or a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device as the backup location. Typically, we recommend using a physical external drive or the cloud to save your system image files.

5. If you're interested, you can customize settings like enabling daily, weekly, monthly, or event-triggered automatic backups, as well as differential and incremental backups. Click "Options," then click "Backup Now" for the Windows backup process to begin. The completed backup task will appear as a card on the left.

Method 2: How to Create a System Backup in Windows 10 Using Restore Points?

A System Restore Point is the quickest and easiest way to fix errors caused by faulty updates or changes to the registry, and it's also the simplest way to back up important system files in Windows 10. Here's how to create one:

Step 1: Type "Create a restore point" in the search box on the taskbar, click here, and then select the option from the list of results.

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**Step 2:** From the System Properties dialog box, select the System Protection tab and then click Configure.

Step 3: Click the button to activate System Protection.

Step 4: Go back to the System Protection tab and click Create.

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5. Type a description for the recovery point, and then click Create > OK.

Method 3: How to Create a System Backup on Windows 10 with a System Image?

System Restore is a tool in Windows 10 that can help fix a corrupted installation by reverting certain system files and registry settings to a point in time before the issues occurred. It accomplishes this by accessing backups of system files and registry entries created before the problems arose.

Each drive has a “System Volume Information” folder where the restore points are saved, at the root directory. Creating a restore point doesn't change your system, but restoring to one does. We'll cover Windows 11 and Windows 10 since the steps are the same in both versions.

Step 1: In Windows, you can create a system-image backup in the “System Protection” section of the “Settings” menu.

Create a system image

Step 2: Move your mouse cursor over the "Create a system image" option on the left side of the window, and click it.

Step 3: Your backup drive should appear here now. If it doesn't, make sure that it's inserted and formatted correctly.

Click on Start.

Step 4: Once you have selected the drive to back up, click “Next” to begin the backup process.

Initiate the backup process:

5. Once the data copying is done, you can choose to create a System Repair Disc. This is optional, but if you can't boot into Windows and don't have a install disc, it gives you a way to recover.

Final Award

Data backups are like health insurance: you do not appreciate their value until it is too late.

And you might think that data security is someone else's problem. But, as with physical health, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

As for how to backup Windows 10, we recommend you try Todo Backup, which will make backup and recovery easy!

Frequently Asked Questions About Windows 10 System Backup

How long does it take to backup the system on Windows 10?

What you are backing up matters a lot: while transferring a small file should take just a few seconds, a large one (over 1 gigabyte) might take five minutes or more. If you are copying everything on your hard drive, the process could take hours.

2. How does backup work in Windows 10?

To set up backup options for Windows 10, click the “Start” menu, then choose “Settings,” and then “Update & Security.” Navigate to the “File History” tab and click “Add Drive.” If you have an available backup device connected, Windows will display it in the list. It's time to choose a storage location for your data copy.

3. Is the current Windows 10 backup system adequate?

More precisely, Microsoft's own backup service has long been underwhelming. As in Windows 7 and 8, the backup in Windows 10 is merely “better than nothing.” The good news is that this is an improvement over earlier versions of Windows.