Forum Discussion
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...
The built-in system image backup is a the best way to backup a Windows 10 computer to external drive.
A System Image Backup in Windows 10 is a complete snapshot of your entire system, including:
- The Windows operating system
- Installed programs and apps
- System settings and configurations
- Personal files (documents, pictures, etc.)
- System drivers and registry
It essentially creates a full copy of your hard drive (or selected partitions), allowing you to restore your PC to the exact state it was in when the backup was made.
To backup Windows 10 to external usb drive, you can open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:
wbAdmin start backup -backupTarget:E: -include:C: -allCritical -quietPlease replace E: with the drive letter of external backup drive.
⚠ Limitations:
- Requires a lot of storage space (equal to the used space on your system drive).
- Must be stored on an external hard drive, network location, or multiple DVDs.
- Not automated (unlike File History)—must be done manually.