Types of Computer Backup: The Easy Ways to Back Up Your PC

Computer backups are the only real way to protect the files on your PC. Your photos, documents and videos could disappear in an instant.

Viruses, malware and ransomware are ever present threats. Hard drives fail, laptops get dropped, lost or stolen, and then there’s human error. We all make mistakes.

How your files disappear doesn’t really matter. What matters is that if you haven’t backed them up, they’re gone. In this lesson I’ll explain the different types of computer backup, what each one protects, and which ones you need.

So What Is a Backup?

A backup is just a duplicate copy of your files. It’s like having a spare key to your house: it’s there to replace the original if you lose it.

Backups don’t have to be complicated. You don’t even need any special software. Copying your important files to a USB stick would work, and it would count as a backup.

The one rule is that the copy has to be somewhere else. A second copy in another folder on the same computer isn’t a backup, because if the computer dies, both copies go with it.

What Should You Back Up?

Programs and Windows itself can be reinstalled. Your own files can’t. So start with the things that only exist on your computer:

• Your Documents, Pictures, Videos and Music folders
• Anything saved on your Desktop, or in Downloads that you want to keep
• Your emails, if you use a desktop email program such as Outlook. Webmail like Gmail is already stored online.
• Licence keys and receipts for any programs you’ve paid for

The Different Types of Computer Backup

There are plenty of ways to back up a computer, but for a home PC they come down to three types:

• File and folder backups: copies of your own files, such as documents and photos. Quick, simple and small.
• Cloud backups: your files copied to the internet, so they’re safe even if the house burns down.
• System image backups: a copy of the whole computer, so you can put everything back exactly as it was.

They aren’t either/or. Most people should use more than one, and I’ll suggest a simple setup at the end of this lesson.

Backup Devices: Where to Keep Your Backups

• A USB flash drive: small and cheap. Fine for a handful of important files, but easy to lose.
• An external hard drive: the best choice for most people at home. There’s room for all your files and a system image too.
• The cloud: online storage such as OneDrive or Google Drive. Your files are safe from fire, flood and theft.
• A network drive (NAS): a storage box on your home network. Handy if the household has several computers, but more than most people need.

File and Folder Backups

File and folder backups only save your own files. They don’t normally include Windows or any of your installed programs and apps.

The idea is that if your computer runs into trouble, you get it working again, then copy your files back from the backup.

Copy to USB Flash Drive

The simplest way to back up your files is to use a USB flash drive. Plug it in, then copy and paste your files onto it. If you’ve not done that before, I show you how in the lesson on copying files to a USB drive.

• Use two different flash drives. USB drives aren’t the most reliable things, so copy the same files onto at least two.
• Always use Safely Remove in Windows. I know you’re supposed to be able to just pull USB drives out, but don’t do that with backup drives.
• Buy brand name drives. Don’t fall for the cheapest ones on Amazon or eBay. They’re rubbish.
• Check that they’re working. If you haven’t used them for a while, plug them in and open a few files.

Windows File History

Windows File History has been around for a long time. It backs up your files automatically in the background, every hour by default, to a USB drive or an external hard drive.

It’s already part of Windows 11 and Windows 10, so there’s nothing to download or install. Click Start, type file history, and it just needs setting up.

Better still, it keeps older versions of your files. If you save over a document by mistake, you can go back to yesterday’s copy.

It works really well for what it does, though it won’t suit everyone. See How to Set Up File History for the steps, and how to get your files back from File History when you need them.

Free Backup Programs

If you’d like more control over what gets copied and when, there are good free backup programs. A good one for file backups is FreeFileSync, which keeps a copy of your folders on an external drive up to date. I have a guide to setting it up.

Backing Up to the Cloud

Another backup solution for files and folders is online, or cloud, storage. OneDrive and Google Drive are the best known.

Technically these aren’t true backups. They’re called sync tools, because they keep the files on your computer and the copies online the same. That means if you delete a file on your computer, it’s deleted online too. You can usually get it back from the online recycle bin for about 30 days, but after that it’s gone.

OneDrive is already installed on Windows 11 and Windows 10, with 5 GB of free storage. You can set up OneDrive to back up your folders. Google Drive gives you 15 GB free, though that’s shared with your Gmail and Google Photos, and you’ll need Google Drive for desktop on your PC.

The great thing about cloud storage is that it’s automatic. Once it’s set up, there’s not much for you to do, and you can get to your files from any device with an internet connection. If you can sign in, you can get your files.

However, it isn’t perfect:

• Your files are stored on a server on the internet. Your account could be hacked. It’s not likely, but it does happen.
• You could lose access to your files. People forget their passwords or lose the phone they use to sign in, and end up locked out of their own account.
• You only get a limited amount of storage. You can pay for more, but it’s an ongoing cost.

The Windows Backup App

Windows 11 and Windows 10 also have an app called Windows Backup. It uses your OneDrive to back up your main folders, a list of your installed apps, your settings and your Wi-Fi passwords.

It’s at its best when you get a new computer. Sign in with the same Microsoft account and you can bring your files, settings and many of your apps across in one go.

But it isn’t a full backup. It can’t put back Windows itself or most of your desktop programs, and 5 GB of free OneDrive storage doesn’t go far if you have a lot of photos.

System Image Backups

A system image backup is a whole computer backup. Everything: Windows itself, all the user accounts, installed programs and apps, all your settings, and all your files.

If your computer fails, or your hard drive dies, you can put your computer back exactly as it was when you made the backup.

The only real downside is that, because they back up everything, system images need much more storage space than file backups. You’ll almost certainly need an external USB hard drive, because Windows alone can take up 20 GB or more.

You’ll need a backup program to create a system image, but they aren’t usually difficult to use. Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 include one called Backup and Restore (Windows 7), in the Control Panel.

It’s basic, and Microsoft stopped developing it back in 2017. It suggests using another program for full backups. On Windows 10 it still does the job, but on Windows 11 it has become unreliable for some people.

I show you how to create a system image in Windows 10. For Windows 11, I use a free backup program for Windows 11 instead, which is more dependable and just as easy to set up.

Make a recovery drive too. If Windows won’t start, it’s how you get to your system image to put everything back. And you don’t have to restore the whole computer to get one file: you can restore single files from a system image as well.

Full, Incremental and Differential Backups

You might come across these three words in backup programs. They describe how much gets copied each time:

• Full backup: copies everything, every time. The simplest to restore, but the slowest and biggest.
• Incremental backup: only copies what’s changed since the last backup of any kind. Fast and small.
• Differential backup: copies everything that’s changed since the last full backup. A middle ground.

For most people at home, a full backup now and then plus the program’s default after that is fine. If you’d like the detail, I explain differential and incremental backups in a separate guide.

Which Type of Backup Do You Need?

Backup experts have a simple rule called 3-2-1:

• Keep 3 copies of your files: the originals and two backups.
• On 2 different kinds of storage, such as your computer and an external drive.
• With 1 copy somewhere else, such as the cloud.

That sounds like a lot, but for a home computer it can be as simple as this. My advice is:

1. Use File History or a free backup program to copy your files to an external hard drive.
2. Keep your most important files, such as family photos, in OneDrive or Google Drive as well.
3. Make a system image every few months, and before any big change such as a major Windows update.

And now and then, try getting a file back. A backup is only any good if you can restore from it, and it’s much better to find out on a quiet afternoon than on the day you need it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the best type of backup for a home computer?
A: For most people, File History or a free backup program copying your files to an external hard drive, plus OneDrive or Google Drive for your most important files. Add a system image every few months if you want to be able to restore the whole computer.

Q: Is OneDrive a backup?
A: Not exactly. OneDrive syncs your files, so if you delete a file on your computer, it’s deleted from OneDrive too. You can usually get it back from the OneDrive recycle bin for about 30 days. It’s a good second copy, but don’t make it your only one.

Q: Is System Restore a backup?
A: No. System Restore can undo changes to Windows, such as a bad update, but it doesn’t keep copies of your files. If your hard drive fails, it can’t help.

Q: How often should I back up my computer?
A: As often as you’d hate to lose the work. File History backs up every hour by default, which suits most people. A system image every few months is usually enough.

Q: Can I use a USB flash drive as a backup?
A: Yes, for a small number of important files. Use two flash drives, buy a brand you know, and check them now and then. For a whole computer, use an external hard drive instead.

Q: What is the difference between a backup and a system image?
A: A file backup copies your own files, such as documents and photos. A system image copies the whole computer, including Windows and your programs, so you can put everything back exactly as it was.

Q: Do I need to pay for backup software?
A: No. File History, the Windows Backup app and Backup and Restore (Windows 7) are all free and already on your computer, and there are good free backup programs too.

Summary

There are three main types of computer backup: file and folder backups, cloud backups and system image backups. Each one protects you from something different, which is why it’s worth having more than one.

It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. An external hard drive with File History, plus OneDrive or Google Drive for your favourite photos, puts you ahead of most people.

The worst backup is the one you never got round to making. So pick one type from this lesson and set it up this week.

OneDrive came up a lot in this lesson. In the next one I’ll explain what OneDrive is, what it does with your files, and what to watch out for.