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FinchleyKnight's avatar
FinchleyKnight
Iron Contributor
Jan 12, 2026

How to keep a backup of all your programs windows 11

Hello! Could someone kindly point me towards a straightforward way to backup all my installed programs on Windows 11? I'm feeling a bit lost and would really appreciate some friendly advice from the ...
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BennettFrost's avatar
BennettFrost
Iron Contributor
Jan 13, 2026

How to Keep a backup of all your programs Windows 11? Using File History in Windows 11 is a good way to keep a backup of your personal files, such as documents, photos, and videos, for free. However, it does not back up your entire system or programs. Here's a brief overview:

File History is a built-in Windows feature that automatically saves copies of your personal files to an external drive or network location. You can restore previous versions of files if needed.

How to use File History for Keeping a backup of all your programs Windows 11:

1. Connect an external drive or set up a network location for backups.

2. Open Settings > Privacy & security > Backup.

3. Under File History, click Add a drive and select your backup drive.

4. Turn on Automatically back up my files.

Limitations:

Only backs up personal files, not system files or installed programs.

To back up your entire system, including programs and Windows itself, you need a system image backup or use third-party tools.

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