How to make a backup of your entire computer for Windows 10/11?

Great question! Using PowerShell combined with WIM (Windows Imaging Format) Capture is a powerful, free, and built-in way to back up your entire Windows 10/11 system. This method creates a full system image (a .wim file) that you can restore later.

How to Use PowerShell + WIM Capture to Make a backup of your entire computer

  You’ll use the built-in DISM (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) tool via PowerShell.
  The process creates a full system image stored as a .wim file.
  This image includes your OS, installed apps, and data.

Step-by-Step Guide to Make a backup of your entire Computer

1. Prepare a Destination Drive
   Connect an external drive or large partition with enough space (preferably larger than your used data).
Format it as NTFS if needed.
2. Open PowerShell as Administrator
   Search for PowerShell, right-click, and select Run as administrator.
3. Capture the System Image
   Use the DISM command with the ImageCapture option:

Dism /Capture-Image /ImageFile:"D:\Backup\WindowsImage.wim" /CaptureDir:C:\ /Name:"Windows 10 System Backup" /Compress:Max /CheckIntegrity

Parameters:

"D:\Backup\WindowsImage.wim" — Path where you want to save the image.
C:\ — The drive to capture (your OS drive).
"Windows 10 System Backup" — Name for the image.
/Compress:Max — Compression level.
/CheckIntegrity — Verifies image integrity.