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How to back up a Windows PC: Windows Backup, File History and system images

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Every hard drive and SSD fails eventually, laptops get stolen, and ransomware encrypts whatever it can reach. A backup you set up once and test now and then turns any of those from a disaster into an inconvenience. Here are the options built into Windows and how to combine them.

The 3-2-1 rule

A simple standard for important data:
  • 3 copies of your data: the original plus two backups
  • 2 different types of storage, such as an external drive and the cloud
  • 1 copy off site, so a fire, flood or burglary does not take everything
For most home users, that means: files on the PC, a copy on an external drive, and a copy in the cloud.

Windows Backup (Windows 11)

Windows 11 includes an app called Windows Backup, also reached through Settings > Accounts > Windows backup. It uses your Microsoft account and OneDrive to back up:
  • your Desktop, Documents, Pictures and other folders, through OneDrive folder backup
  • many of your settings and preferences, the Wi-Fi networks you remember, and a list of installed apps
Its main purpose is moving to a new PC: sign in on the new machine and your files and settings come back. It is not a full copy of the system, and it depends on having enough OneDrive storage. The free allowance is small, so large photo libraries usually need a paid plan or another backup. One thing to know: OneDrive sync is not the same as a backup. If a file is deleted or encrypted on the PC, that change syncs to the cloud. OneDrive does keep a recycle bin and version history for a while, which helps, but it is not a separate archive.

File History (to an external drive)

File History keeps copies of your personal folders on an external drive or network location, with older versions of each file, so you can go back to yesterday's or last month's copy. In Windows 11 it is found in the Control Panel (search for "File History"). Plug in a drive, turn it on, and choose how often it saves. It is an older feature and Microsoft now steers people towards Windows Backup, but it still works and is useful for versioned local copies. Check now and then that the "last backup" time is recent: in September 2026 Microsoft confirmed that a Windows update had stopped File History working on some machines, and a backup that silently stopped is the worst kind.

A full system image

A system image is a copy of the whole drive, Windows, apps and all, that can be restored onto a new or wiped drive. Windows 11 still includes the old "Backup and Restore (Windows 7)" tool in the Control Panel, which can create one, but Microsoft treats it as deprecated. Many people use third-party imaging software instead, including free tools from some drive manufacturers. Also create a recovery drive (search "Create a recovery drive") on a USB stick, so you can start the PC if Windows will not boot.

A sensible setup

  1. Turn on OneDrive folder backup through Windows Backup for documents and photos, or another cloud backup service.
  2. Use File History or your backup software to copy the same folders to an external drive.
  3. Make a system image occasionally, and after big changes.
  4. Unplug the external drive when it is not backing up, so ransomware cannot reach it.
  5. Keep important passwords, such as your Microsoft account and the BitLocker recovery key, somewhere other than the PC. If the drive is encrypted, you cannot restore without the key.

Test your restores

A backup you have never restored from is a hope, not a backup. Every few months:
  • Restore one file from File History and open it.
  • Open a file from OneDrive on another device or on the web.
  • Check the system image exists and the drive with it still works.
Microsoft's support site and the Windows release health page are the places to check for current instructions and known issues. What does your backup setup look like, or what went wrong when you needed it? Ask or share in the comments.

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