How to backup and restore Windows (2024)

In today's cybercrime landscape,it's sensible to back up your computer regularly to avoid data loss due to human-causedevents or ransomware attacks. Backups also come in handy if your laptop isstolen or you somehow lose it. In addition, if your hard drive fails, you couldlose all data on it — depending on the damage.

However, you can counter all of theabove if you have an exact copy of your data stored safely in an externalstorage device or the cloud.

A reliable backup tool will help youprotect personal or business data to satisfy recovery point objectives andinitiate disaster recovery following primary data failures, human error, datacorruption, cyberattacks or other unplanned event that can lead to lost data.This way, you can restore business operations quickly, ensuring businesscontinuity and a steady revenue stream.

If you lack a reliable Windowsbackup, data lost due to uncontrollable events may never be recovered.

How to back up and restore data via Windows built-in tools

Windows offers two native backup anddata recovery tools — File History and Backup and Restore.

File History automatically saves specificDirectories to a chosen storage device and allows easy data restoration of aprevious file version (This means you can recover a file as it was at anearlier point).

In Windows 10, the feature isrelatively easy to set up and use, whereasWindows 11can be a bit more challenging. Worry not, though, aswe shall discuss how to properly use File History on both operating systemversions.

As mentioned, in Windows 10 and 11,File History can back up only the data in specific, predetermined folders —Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos, Desktop, and any offline OneDrive datastored on your computer. You can use the utility to keep essential data on aseparate medium to protect it against accidental deletion, weather-relatedevents and malicious attacks. Microsoft recommends placing all data you need toback up in one of the default folders.

Preparation for data backup via File History

Firstly, you must ensure a viablestorage drive accessible from your PC. You can use a media carrier dependent onphysical or wireless connection — a tape drive, a USB stick, network-attachedstorage devices or other network locations.

While plug-in devices only need tobe physically connected to your computer, wireless options must be connected topower and go through proper mapping.

When setup is complete, File Historywill initiate regular backups, so the external drive must remain connected toyour PC.

Data backup in Windows 10

Now that you have an operationalexternal storage device, let's review the steps to use File History.

Click on theStart button→go to Settings→Update & Security→Backup.
There, you'll find the option "Back up using File History"; below the option, you'll see a line labeled "Add a drive"; if you have correctly connected at least one external storage device, Windows will display a list of all available storage destinations.
From the displayed list, select the desired target drive.
Once you choose a storage device, File History is enabled; however, it's not yet backing up any data; you'd want to click on "More options" to set it up further.
Here, you can choose frequency settings via the "Back up my files" option — the choices vary from "every 10 minutes" to "daily."
Afterward, you can set up retention rates from the "Keep my backups" drop-down menu — the choices here vary from "Until space is needed" to "Forever."

Keep in mind, File History willcreate a continuous backup by default; this means it will back up data from alldefault folders on your PC: Desktop, Documents, Downloads, etc. Nevertheless,you can exclude any folder you don't want to back up.

Exclude folders from the File History data backup

Scroll down the "Backup options" window → review the list of default folders set → select any folder (or folders) you wish to exclude from the backup copies → click "Remove" to exclude them.
If you can't find the folder you want to exclude, click on the "Add a folder" button under "Exclude these folders" → select the folders you want to exclude via File Explorer.
Once you're done with the setup, click on the "Back up now" button at the top of the screen; Windows will start backing up the directories you've specified.
After completion, Windows will display the total size, date and time of the backup.

If you want to switch the storagedestination, you must stop using your current storage drive. To do so:

Create a system image backup in Windows 10 (Backup andrestore)

A full image backup creates acomplete copy of system settings, applications, documents, folders, log files,database information, etc., to ensure reliable recovery in a data disasterevent. It's best to store the image backup in a remote location, away from theoriginal data. Otherwise, backed-up data in the same location as your primarysystem can be affected by a locally-based data loss event, leaving you withouta viable source to initiate disaster recovery.

Type "Backup settings" in the Windows search bar and open the menu.
Click "Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7)."
Navigate the left panel side and click "Create a system image."
Select where to store the data backup — HDD, DVD, USB, network location, etc. → click "Next."
On the next menu window, choose which drives to include in the image backup → click "Next."
Confirm the settings and click "Start backup."

Data backup in Windows 11

In Windows 11, File History islocated in the Control Panel instead of the Settings screen. To find it, clickon the Search icon on the taskbar and search for "File History," thenselect the result for the search.

Once you locate File History, you'll see that the feature searches for any compatible storage drives available to your PC and picks one by default; if you don't want to use the default choice, you can select a new drive via the "Select drive" link, find the specific drive and click "OK."
As with Windows 10, if you wish to exclude any folders from the default set, click "Exclude folders" in Windows 11; however, you won't see a pre-built list of folders waiting to be excluded. Instead, you can manually add folders to the exclusion list; to do so, click "Add" and proceed to select any folder you don't want to include in the backup. When you're done, hit "Save changes."
Afterward, go for the "Advanced settings" option from the File History screen → click on the drop-down menu for "Save copies of files" to set the frequency; again, the options vary from "every 10 minutes" to "daily."
Click on the "Keep saved versions" menu to determine retention timeframes; the options here range from "Until space is needed" to "Forever", just like in Windows 10 → when done, click "Save changes."
From the "File History" screen, select the "Turn on" button to initiate the first backup.

If you want to switch the storagedestination, follow the steps below.

Click on the "Select drive" link → choose a new storage drive → click "OK."
Windows will ask if you wish to move all previous backups to the new location; if you want to do exactly that, click "Yes" to initiate the move.

If you want to stop using FileHistory, return to the feature's page and click the "Turn off"button.

Restore data in Windows 10 and Windows 11

Now that you know how to back up viaFile History, it's time to learn how to restore data with it.

Restoredata in Windows 10

Go to Settings →Update & Security→Backup→ click on the “More options” link.
Scroll down on the "File History" window until you reach the bottom → click "Restore files from a current backup."
Windows will now display all folders available for recovery from File History → double-click to view them, and proceed to restore them if they are the ones you need; you can initiate recovery via the green button at the bottom of the window (placed in the middle of the screen).
If the original file or folder is completely gone, Windows will automatically restore the backed-up copy to its previous location; if the file still exists in the original location, Windows will ask you if you wish to replace it, keep the original file as it is, or compare both items before choosing an option.

Restoredata in Windows 11

Go to the "File History" screen in the Control Panel → click on the "Restore personal files" link.
You'll see a list of backed-up folders → select the folder containing the file you need to recover.
Then, locate the file you wish to restore and click on it → click the "Restore" button.
Again, if the original file is still in its original location, Windows will prompt you to choose one of three options — replace the file, skip the file or compare both versions before choosing an option; if the original file is gone from the primary location, Windows will restore the copy to its previous location.

Data backup and recovery via cloud storage

Numerous third-party cloud servicesare available to store your backups. You can choose a free option — Dropbox,Google Drive, OneDrive, iCloud, etc. You can also opt for a paid cloud backupand recovery solution.

The biggest pros of cloud backup areautomation and free space customizable options. Also, the cloud is "deviceagnostic" — it doesn't care where the backups are coming from as long asyou maintain a steady internet connection and the proper settings.

As for using free cloud services,the companies offering them aren't obligated to keep the platforms forever tobe used by anyone. In addition, free cloud storage providers commonly lackenhanced cybersecurity tools, so data breaches can happen unexpectedly. If sucha scenario occurs, they can't be held accountable for the loss or corruption ofyour data.

With dedicated cloud backup, userscan expect many advantages compared to free platforms: high-tier cybersecurityfeatures, automation, top-tier encryption and added options to customize totheir preferences. In addition, robust solutions come with a user-friendlyinterface, so even a non-tech-savvy user can set them up with minimal effort.

Moreover, if you're a businessowner, cloud backup solutions may be the only choice, depending on the datavolumes you need to store securely. If you operate more significant amounts ofdata than the casual user, USBs and external HDDs won't do the job asefficiently.

Windows backup and recovery with Acronis Cyber Protect(formerly Acronis Cyber Backup)

Accessingthe console

Install and open the Acronis Cyber Protect web console on the system you want to back up.

Addingyour System

Click "All machines" → "Add."
Click "Windows."
Specify the name or IP address of the machine or browse your network.
Enter the credentials of an account with administrative privileges on that machine.
Click "ADD."

Now you will see your machine in thelist of all machines.

Scheduleyour backup

Select the desired machine in the list and click "Backup."
Modify the backup plan name to make it easier to understand logs and notifications in the future.
Specify the backup type and retention frames.
For additional security, enable "Encryption." All your backups, including metadata, are encrypted with strong AES-256, AES-192, or AES-128 encryption with the password you define. Nobody (including yourself) can restore your backups if the correct password is not provided.
If needed, set up additional options described in theAcronis Cyber Backup Online Help.
Click "Apply." Your backup has been scheduled.

How to restore your Windows with Acronis Cyber Backup

Once your backup runs, you will seeit in the list of backups in the console. To see recovery and restore options, either:

Select a storage location, then the backup, and you will see recovery options.
You can select a machine in the list of devices and click "Recovery".

Recoveringthe “Entire Machine”

If your target machine is operational, select "Entire Machine," select all necessary options, and click "Start Recovery."
If your target machine is empty — bare metal — boot it with Acronis Bootable Media and proceed with the recovery.
You can also restore to a new virtual machine (VM) or overwrite the existing VM.

You can find more details on fullsystem recovery in theAcronis Cyber BackupOnline Help.

Partialrecovery

Click "Recovery" and select "Files/Folders."
Browse and select the drive, folder or file you want to recover.
Click "Recover" to restore the file to the original machine or "Download" to download a file via your browser.

You can find more details on fileand folder recovery in theAcronis Cyber BackupOnline Help.

Running the machine as a VM

Suppose you have a virtualenvironment running VMware vSphere or MicrosoftHyper-V. In that case, youcan use Acronis Instant Restore to run a copy of your backup as a virtualmachine directly from the backup storage without any data movement! Thisprocess is extremely fast — your system can start in 15 seconds or less. To doso, click "Run as VM" in the recovery view, provide options, andclick "Run Now."

You can run backups of your physicalsystems and virtual machines that are running Windows or Linux.

You can find more details on AcronisInstant Restore in theAcronis Cyber BackupOnline Help.

The three primary data backup types

When backing up data, you can optfor three major approaches.

Fullbackup

Full backups take all the data on adevice or a system, copy it, and store it safely in protected storage. Wheninitiating a full backup, users would get every bit of data on their device,server, database or virtual machine (VM) into an encrypted backup.

Full backups can take up to a fewhours for individual users, depending on the data load being copied. For SMBs,the process can take a bit more, depending on the data you wish to back up andplace in storage. As for enterprises, it can take days and sometimes even weeksto back up extensive data volumes.

Nevertheless, modern solutions havea way of cutting down on backup timers. Most robust solutions would only addnew data to the complete backup. Additionally, you can speed up the processdepending on the storage option and the chosen backup solution.

For example, transferring an entiredatabase to local storage (external HDDs) usually take less time than thecloud. However, cloud-based storage allows for restoration to any device,regardless of its physical location. It also presents an extra layer ofprotection, as your primary device data and the backups aren't stored in thesame physical location.

Incrementalbackup

Incremental backups serve to quickenthe backup process and optimize your storage capacity. They only add new datasince the last full or incremental backup to the existing data copy. Keep inmind, you'd need to perform at least one full backup before you can initiate anincremental.

Once that's done, an automatedsolution regularly creates incremental data copies and optimizes the completebackup to hold all critical data in storage.

Differentialbackup

Differential backups use the lastperformed full system backup to determine new data eligible for storage.

Example: You've created a fullbackup, followed by three daily differential copies. On the fourth day, youcreate another one. Your most recent differential backup will still back updata according to changes made since your last full backup.

Why are data backup and recovery important?

Reliable backup and recovery arecritical to satisfy recovery time objectives and ensure business continuity.Companies must store business data on an alternate medium, retaining multiplecopies in several locations — on-premises tape copies, an off-site server andthe cloud — to guarantee the maximum amount of data protection andavailability. With the right solution, you can design and implement a stellardisaster recovery strategy to avoid corrupted data and hindered businessprocesses and minimize downtime to stay ahead of power outages and pesky cyberthreats.

Try Acronis Cyber Protect (formerly Acronis Cyber Backup)

Acronis Cyber Protect (formerly Acronis CyberBackup)offerscomplete, flexible, yet easy-to-use options to back up any of your Windowsmachines and restore the entire systems to the same or dissimilar hardware,restore individual files and folders, and run backups as VMs.

Whether you run a small business oran international enterprise, with Acronis Cyber Protect, you can protect allyour Windows systems, whether on-premises, in remote locations, or inprivate and public clouds. Moreover, you can back up multidevicenetworks as we support iOS and Android backup.

The solution can optimize yourrecovery point objective (RPO) and recovery time objective (RTO), encrypt andsecure backups stored off-site, provide multiple restore methods and easyaccess to individual backup directories, and streamline the entire restoreprocess, regardless of your chosen storage media and data volumes.

Try Now!