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The best way to backup Windows 10 to external drive?
My old Windows 10 PC is short for free storage as it only has a 128GB SSD inside. I purchased a new SSD and want to backup Windows 10 first before reinstalling Windows 10 on the new drive. Does Windo...
Yes, Windows 10 includes a built-in backup program called File History for backing up personal files and a System Image Backup tool for creating a full system backup.
What File History Does:
Automatically backs up files in your Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music, and Desktop folders.
Saves versions of files over time, allowing you to restore previous versions.
Requires an external drive or network location.
How to Backup Windows 10 to External Hard Drive
- Plug in a USB drive or ensure you have access to a network folder.
- Go to Settings (Win + I) > Update & Security > Backup.
- Click "Add a drive" and select your external drive or network location.
- Click "More options" to customize: Backup frequency, how long to keep backups, folders to back up.
- Click "Back up now" to start backing up Windows 10 to external hard drive manually.
- File History will run automatically based on your schedule.
How to Restore Files to Windows 10 from Backup:
Go to Settings > Update & Security > Backup > More options > Restore files from a current backup.
You can use File History for regular personal file backups in Windows 10.