How Do You Backup your Computer to External Hard Drive?

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Jerry· Answered on Mar 15, 2024

Yes, you can back up your entire computer to an external hard drive without any doubt.

The simplest method is purchasing an external hard disk with installed backup software. Then, follow the setup instructions to configure the software on your system. All you need to do is plug and play.

Somewhat more complicated method: use a Windows built-in backup program, such as Backup and Restore. Use an external hard disk you already own or purchase one. Set the external hard drive as the backup destination.

An external hard disk is not always a good backup solution. Some of the issues are:

• The external hard drive is just as susceptible to fire, flood, earthquake, etc., if placed close to your computer.
• The hard drive may experience data loss as part of a typical deterioration process if you store it in a secure location.
• If that backup is the only one you have, you might not notice that some of your data have been corrupted because the next backup will replace the one that was still in good shape.
• If it's connected to your computer, it could be harmed by a virus or ransomware, which encrypts your data and demands money to unlock it.

But undoubtedly, an external drive is an essential backup strategy for many people. And if you want to have more advanced backup options, you should turn to professional backup software, such as EaseUS Todo Backup for help. This is because the Windows native backup tool and the external hard disk built-in backup software do not offer such options.

EaseUS Todo Backup Free will be one of the best options for you. It is a practical and easy-to-use backup and recovery solution. You can back up the files to an external hard drive, and it can also help you to back up your computer automatically. Most importantly, it lets you save the backups to various locations, including the local disks, Security Zone, NAS, and Cloud.

Related article: How to Backup Entire PC to External Hard Drive on Windows?