How to back up a Windows 11 PC: File History, OneDrive, system image and cloud backup compared

If you're wondering how to back up a Windows 11 PC, the good news is that Windows includes several backup tools. The less good news is that none of them does everything on its own. This guide compares the four main options (File History, Windows Backup with OneDrive, a system image and a cloud backup service) and then walks through setting up each one, step by step.

Menu names move around between Windows 11 updates. If a setting isn't exactly where we describe it, type its name into the Start menu search.

The four ways to back up Windows 11 at a glance

Method 1: File History

File History has been part of Windows since Windows 8 and is still in Windows 11, although it now lives in Control Panel rather than Settings. It copies your personal files to an external drive or a network folder on a schedule and keeps older versions, so you can go back to a document as it was last Tuesday.

What File History backs up

It covers your Documents, Pictures, Music, Videos and Desktop folders, plus OneDrive files that are stored on the PC. It doesn't back up Windows itself or your programs. To include another folder, add it to a library: turn on Libraries in File Explorer's navigation pane, then right-click the folder and choose Include in library (in Windows 11 you may need to select Show more options first).

How to turn on File History

1. Connect an external drive.
2. Open the Start menu, type File History and open it. It is also in Control Panel > System and Security > File History.
3. If your drive isn't already selected, choose Select drive and pick it.
4. Select Turn on. The first backup starts straight away.
5. Optionally, open Advanced settings to choose how often copies are saved (every hour by default) and how long versions are kept (forever by default, or until the drive fills up).

How to restore files with File History

Open File History and choose Restore personal files. Use the arrows at the bottom to move back through dates, select what you want and press the green restore button. You can also right-click a file or folder, choose Properties and open the Previous Versions tab.

Pros and cons

• Good: free, built in, keeps versions, and restores are fast because the drive is right there.
• Not so good: it's only as safe as one drive, backups stop when the drive is unplugged, a permanently connected drive is exposed to ransomware, and there's no off-site copy.

Method 2: Windows Backup and OneDrive

Windows 11's Windows Backup (in Settings, and also as a separate Windows Backup app) is built around your Microsoft account. It can sync your Desktop, Documents, Pictures and other folders to OneDrive, and remember your installed apps, settings and preferences, so a new PC can be set up to look like your old one.

How to set it up

1. Sign in to Windows with a Microsoft account.
2. Open Settings > Accounts > Windows backup.
3. Next to OneDrive folder syncing, choose Manage sync settings and pick the folders to include.
4. Turn on Remember my apps and Remember my preferences if you want those saved too.

What to watch out for

• It's sync, not a separate backup. OneDrive keeps the cloud copy in step with your PC. Delete a file, or let ransomware encrypt it, and the change reaches the cloud as well. The OneDrive recycle bin and version history help, but only for a limited time. Our guide to cloud backup vs cloud sync explains why this matters.
• Storage limits. The free OneDrive allowance is 5 GB, which photos fill quickly. More space needs a paid Microsoft 365 or OneDrive plan.
• Only the chosen folders. Files elsewhere, such as a second drive or a program's own data folder, aren't included.
• Online-only files. With OneDrive's Files On-Demand, some files exist only in the cloud until you open them. That saves space, but backup tools on the PC can't copy what isn't there. Right-click important folders and choose Always keep on this device if you also back them up another way.

Method 3: create a system image

A system image is a complete copy of your drive: Windows, programs, settings and files. If the drive fails, you can put the whole image onto a new drive and carry on without reinstalling everything. The tool is the older Backup and Restore (Windows 7) in Control Panel. Microsoft no longer develops it, but it's still included in Windows 11 at the time of writing.

How to create a system image

1. Connect an external drive with at least as much free space as is used on your PC's drive.
2. Open Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
3. Choose Create a system image in the left-hand pane.
4. Select the external drive, check which drives are included and choose Start backup.
5. When it offers to create a system repair disc, you can skip it if you make a recovery drive instead (see below).

How to restore a system image

Start the PC in the Windows recovery environment. From a working Windows 11 PC that's Settings > System > Recovery > Advanced startup; if Windows won't start, use a recovery drive. Then choose Troubleshoot > Advanced options > See more recovery options > System Image Recovery. Restoring replaces everything on the target drive with the contents of the image.

Make a recovery drive as well

A recovery drive is a USB stick that can start your PC and open the recovery tools when Windows won't load. Search the Start menu for Recovery Drive, insert a USB stick you don't need for anything else (it will be wiped), and follow the steps.

Pros and cons

• Good: the quickest way to rebuild a whole PC after a drive failure, programs and settings included.
• Not so good: images are large, anything changed since the last image is missing, restoring overwrites the whole drive (so it's no use for getting back one file quickly), and the tool is old and could be removed from Windows in future.

Method 4: use a cloud backup service

A cloud backup service installs a small program that backs up the folders you choose to the provider's data centre automatically, keeps earlier versions and lets you restore single files or everything onto a new PC. It's the most straightforward way to get the off-site copy that the 3-2-1 backup rule calls for, without anyone having to remember to move a drive.

How to set one up

1. Choose a service that supports Windows 11 and runs automatically. Our checklist for choosing a cloud backup service covers what to look for.
2. Install it and sign in.
3. If it offers private (zero-knowledge) encryption, set an encryption password and keep it somewhere safe, such as a password manager. The provider can't reset it for you.
4. Choose the folders to protect: Desktop, Documents, Pictures, and any other folders where your programs keep data.
5. Let the first backup finish. With a lot of data this can take hours or even days on a typical home connection; after that, only changes are uploaded.
6. Restore a test file to check that everything works.

Pros and cons

• Good: off-site, automatic, keeps versions, protects against theft, fire and (with the right service) ransomware, and works for laptops wherever they are.
• Not so good: it costs money every month or year, the first backup takes time, and restoring a lot of data is limited by your internet speed.

Which Windows 11 backup method should you use?

• Home PC or laptop: File History to an external drive plus a cloud backup. That gives you three copies with one off-site.
• Small business PCs: a cloud backup with version history and ransomware protection on every PC, plus a local backup for the machines holding the most data. Add a system image for PCs that would take a long time to set up again.
• Before a big change, such as a major Windows update, replacing a drive or handing the PC to a repair shop: make a fresh system image and check that the cloud backup is up to date.

Whatever you choose, do a test restore. It takes five minutes and it's the only way to know your backup actually works. If you ever do lose something, our guide to recovering deleted files on Windows covers every option in order.

Don't forget your BitLocker recovery key

Many Windows 11 PCs have device encryption or BitLocker switched on. That's good for security, but if the hardware changes or the PC can't start normally, Windows may ask for a 48-digit recovery key before it unlocks the drive. Without it, the data on that drive can't be read, even by a repair shop.

If you sign in with a Microsoft account, the key is usually saved to that account. Businesses may keep keys in their device management system. Check that you can find yours now, and keep a copy somewhere safe away from the PC.

How EverSafe fits in

EverSafe is a cloud backup service built for Windows 10 and Windows 11. It backs up continuously or on a schedule, includes open files such as Outlook data files through Volume Shadow Copy, encrypts everything on your PC with AES-256-GCM before upload, and keeps version history according to your plan. You can restore single files, earlier versions, deleted files, or everything onto a new PC.

It works well alongside File History: File History for quick local restores, EverSafe for the off-site copy. You can download EverSafe for Windows or read how it works first.