What's the Best Way to Backup Windows 10? [Follow Five Ideas]

Are you looking for the best ways to backup Windows 10? We have compiled a guide to cater to your individual and business data backup needs. Keep reading to know more!

It is necessary to create backups of your data. If your computer experiences a malfunction or is infected with a virus, having a backup copy of your data can ensure that the data you lose is limited and that you can resume normal operations in a short amount of time. What helpful applications and functions are at your disposal, given that you use Windows?

To keep your files and Windows 10 installation safe, you should always create a comprehensive backup. This guide will walk you through the necessary and the best way to backup Windows 10 using the relevant procedures.

🚩Related Reading: How to Backup Windows 10 | Backup Drivers Windows 10

About Windows 10 Backup: What Data Matters

Backup and synchronization tools can be used to create a copy of your data in your chosen location. This lets you backup only important files. Where can we find essential files? You should backup the files you made. System files, Windows OS folder, installed programs, and temporary files are not backed up. Here's a collection of often backed-up data files.

• 🗂️Your User folder (C:\User\Username\). Most of your files are at C: UsersUSERNAME on a modern Windows PC. This is your user account's default data directory. Documents, Pictures, Downloads, Desktop, Music, and Video. Other significant subfolders include OneDrive, Dropbox, and Google Drive folders.

• 🪁Browser bookmarks. The placement of your bookmarks (or favorites) varies with every Internet browser.

• 📬Email backup. You probably won't need to back up your emails if you're using a desktop email client utilizing the IMAP protocol. If your machine fails, you only need to reinstall Windows, the email client, and your email configuration.

• 📑Backup applications and tasks. If your computer breaks, reinstall the backup program and import the backup task to conduct a Restore operation. Keep a copy of the backup software and backup tasks files.

What're Backup Ways Available for Personal Use

1. Method 1. Manual copy to external hard drive 
2. Method 2. Backup data to an external hard drive with Backup and Restore
3. Method 3. Syn to cloud backup
4. Method 4. Backup To an Image File Using Ease Todo Backup - ^{Best Way to Backup Windows 10 Recommended}

Windows 10 offers various methods to backup data for personal use. All these methods vary slightly according to their purpose of use. However, their ultimate goal is to backup users' data to external drives. Following are some common ways to backup.

Method 1. Manual copy to external hard drive     

Follow these procedures on a Windows 10 machine to manually copy files to a network location or removable media:

Step 1. Double-click the drive where Windows 10 is installed.

Step 2. Open Users, then the user folder containing the files to back up.

Step 3. Manually copy user folder folders to a network or removable media.

Method 2. Backup data to an external hard drive with Backup and Restore

Automatically backup data to an external hard drive is easy to operate, please follow the steps to entail an automatic backup to external hard drive.

Step 1. Connect and detect your external drive. Then, search backup settings and pick it. Under Looking for an older backup, select "Go to Backup and Restore" (Windows 10).

Step 2. In Backup and Restore (Windows 10), choose "Set up backup" > "external hard drive" > "what to backup". Windows or me? The second is more flexible; you can backup files, folders, and the system.

📖Read Also: Windows 11 Virus & Threat Protection Not Working

Step 3. Confirm your selections. The default backup time is 7:00 PM every Sunday. Click "Change schedule". "Save settings", then "quit".

Method 3. Syn to cloud backup

Using OneDrive, you can create a copy of your desktop, documents, and pictures from your PC and store them safely in the cloud, where they can be accessed from any device.

Step 1. To manage your backups, click the blue cloud symbol in the Windows system tray, then click "Help & Settings" > "Settings" > "Backup".

Step 2. Choose the files that need to be saved in a backup. 

Step 3. Begin backup.

Ways to backup onedrive to external drive are also provided in this article:

Method 4. Backup To an Image File Using Ease Todo Backup

In case of a system crash or hardware malfunction, a free backup software named EaseUS Todo Backup can image your hard drive. It backs up and restores disk or partition after viruses, hard drive failure, etc. EaseUS Todo Backup provides partition backup, easeus restore system backup, disk backup, and files that can be carried either manually or automatically by the program according to a predetermined schedule. Follow the steps below to easily back up Windows 10.

Step 1. Launch EaseUS Todo Backup on your computer, and click Create Backup on the home screen and then hit the big question mark to select backup contents.

Step 2. To back up your Windows operating system, click "OS" to begin the backup task.

Step 3. Your Windows operating system information and all system related files and partitions will be automatically selected so you don't need to do any manual selection at this step. Next, you'll need to choose a location to save the system image backup by clicking the illustrated area.

Step 4. The backup location can be another local drive on your computer, an external hard drive, network, cloud or NAS. Generally, we recommend you use an external physical drive or cloud to preserve the system backup files. 

Step 5. Customiztion settings like enabling an automatic backup schedule in daily, weekly, monthly, or upon an event, and making a differential and incremental backup are available in the Options button if you're interested. Click "Backup Now", and the Windows system backup process will begin. The completed backup task will display on the left side in a card style.

To learn more about backing up important data, you need to check the articles below:

What're Backup Ways Available for Business Use?

1. Method 1. NAS backup
2. Method 2. Tape backup

IT techs and Big companies use the methods mentioned below to back up their data in large quantities securely and conveniently.

Method 1. NAS backup

The above-mentioned techniques may be sufficient for some people. Still, it's also possible that they won't be adequate to prevent further problems, in which case the tried-and-true Backup and Restore method would be necessary. The correct way to employ it is as follows:

Step 1. Select "System image backup" in the left-most section of the File History window.

Step 2. Select "backup setup" when prompted.

Step 3. Choose "Store Network Copy".

Step 4. Choose a folder on the NAS by clicking the "Browse" button.

Step 5. Provide your login information here.

Step 6. Click on "Next"

Step 7. Determine whether you want Windows to take care of everything or not.

Step 8. Select the "Next" button.

Step 9. Select "Save" settings and execute backup once you are sure.

Windows 10 should now backup to Synology NAS. This is where you may restore system backups. Third-party backup tools support Synology NAS and other devices. Always backup your PC.

Method 2. Tape backup

Tape is a dinosaur in the age of optical disks, detachable hard drives, and other random-access media, but it's perfect for backup. There isn't many cheap, high-capacity storage medium like this. Backup instructions are below.

Step 1. Insert the tape and backup overnight.

Step 2. If your server crashes, you've sto