How to Back Up and Restore Your Files, Apps, and Settings in Windows
File History automatically backs up important files and documents, while the Windows Backup Tool backs up core files, settings, and apps so you can copy them to a new PC.
That critical and irreplaceable file you were viewing the other day in Windows is lost or won’t open. Are you in trouble? Not if you’ve been using File History. Available in Windows 10 and Windows 11, this feature will automatically save specific folders to a backup device, allowing you to recover a previous version of a file if it ever goes missing or becomes unusable.
Are you moving to a brand new computer and want to copy over your data from your current PC? For that, you can turn to the Windows Backup Tool. Built into Windows, this tool will back up and restore key folders, apps, settings, and credentials from one computer to another. Here's how to use File History and the new Backup tool to back up and restore your files.
Set Up a Storage Device
First, make sure you have a viable drive connected to your PC. This could be a simple flash drive, external drive, or network location through network-attached storage (NAS). If your drive plugs into the computer, be sure to connect it before trying anything else. For a wireless network drive, it must be connected to power and properly mapped. Note that File History will automatically run on a regular basis, so any external drive you use must always remain connected and accessible.
How to Use File History in Windows 10
To set up File History on a Windows 10 PC, connect your backup device, then go to Settings > Update & Security > Files Backup. Click Add a drive under the Back up using File History header. Select the location you wish to use for your backups.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)
File History will now be enabled, but it isn't backing up any files yet. To get it started, you'll need to click the More options link to set up a few parameters to determine when File History should run and how long it should store your old backups.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)
Open the Back up my files drop-down menu and choose how frequently you wish to back up your data, from every 10 minutes to Daily. Then click the Keep my backups drop-down menu and select how long you want to retain your backed up files—from Until space is needed to Forever.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)
By default, File History will begin backing up a selection of folders, including Desktop, Downloads, Music, and more. However, you can remove some of these folders from the mix. Review the list of default folders included in the backup and select any folder you don’t want to include, then choose Remove to exclude it.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)
To add any folders not listed, click the Add a folder button under the Back up these folders heading. You can also exclude specific folders if you click the Add a folder button under Exclude these folders. Once you’ve customized the File History feature to your liking, click the Back up now button at the top of the page. Windows will then start backing up the folders and files in your backup. When finished, the size, date, and time of the backup are displayed.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)
If you ever want to change your backup destination, you'll first need to stop using your current drive. Open Backup settings and click More options. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Stop using Drive. Return to the Backup screen and click Add a drive so you can restart the setup process and choose the new backup destination.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)
If you wish to stop using File History completely, go to Settings > Update & Security > Backup and switch off the Automatically back up my files option.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)
Now, let’s say that an important file has gone missing or has become corrupted. Use your File History backup to restore it. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Backup and click the More options link. Scroll down to the bottom of the File History window and click Restore files from a current backup.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)
Windows displays all the folders that have been backed up by File History. Double-click the folder you want, then double-click the file to view it. If it's the file you need, click the green button at the bottom of the window to restore the file.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)
If the original file is gone, Windows automatically restores it to its previous location. If the file is corrupted but still exists in its original location, Windows lets you replace it, keep the original file as it is, or compare both files.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)
How to Use File History in Windows 11
Microsoft made the File History feature a bit more limited and harder to enable in Windows 11. The feature has been removed from the Settings screen and moved it to Control Panel, so the quickest way to find it is to click the Search icon in the taskbar and search for "File History," then select the result. Alternatively, open Control Panel in icon view and click the applet for File History.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)
File History searches for any compatible drive connected to your PC and picks one. If you don’t want to use the chosen drive, click the Select drive link. You can then choose the drive you wish to use, then click OK.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)
Note that you will be limited to the Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, and Desktop, as well as any offline OneDrive files stored on your PC. If you need to back up anything in a different location, you'll need to add them to one of the default folders. If that’s not workable, consider a third-party backup program with more options and greater flexibility.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)
At the File History screen, click Exclude folders if you want to remove any folders from the backup. Unlike in Windows 10, File History in Windows 11 doesn’t display a prebuilt list of folders for you to exclude. Instead, you have to manually add folders. Click Add and then select any folder you wish to exclude. When done, click Save changes.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)
Click Advanced settings from the File History screen. Open the drop-down menu for Save copies of files to set how often File History should run, from every 10 minutes to daily. Then click Keep saved versions to determine how long the file backups should be kept, from Until space is needed to Forever. Click Save changes when finished and then click the Turn on button to kick off the initial backup.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)
If you ever want to change the backup destination, return to the File History page in Control Panel and click the Select drive link. You can then choose the new drive and click OK. Windows will ask if you want to move the previous backed up files to the new location. Click Yes to make the move.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)
You can stop File History from backing up your files at any time by returning to the feature's page in Control Panel and clicking the Turn off button.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)
If you need to restore a missing or corrupted file, return to the File History screen in Control Panel and click the Restore personal files link. From the list of backed up folders, open the folder that contains the file you wish to recover. Select the file you need and then click the green Restore button.
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)
Windows automatically restores the file to its previous location if the original file is gone. If the file is still in its original location, Windows asks if you want to replace it, skip it, or compare both files.