Learn how to create Automatic File Backup on Windows 11/10 using OneDrive, File History, Windows Backup & Restore Tool or free software.

Nor can File History restore an entire Windows installation. Such coverage comes from whole-system backup and restore tools; see “ How to make a Windows 10 or 11 image backup ” for details.

Making a full system image backup preserves not only your files, but Windows and all its settings as well. Here are the best free Windows backup and recovery tools with step-by-step instructions.

Available in Windows 10 and 11, File History will automatically back up files from specific folders on your PC to an external source, such as a USB drive or network location.

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.

Learn how to extract individual files from System image Backup. To do this, you should have backup already created on your Windows 11/10 computer.

Did you change ownership of a system file? Use this guide to restore the original TrustedInstaller built-in user account as the rightful owner of the file on Windows 10.

"Temporary" files can get left behind permanently, and big updates to Windows may create many gigabytes of backup files that you never end up using.

On Windows 10, the OneDrive desktop client recently received an update that suddenly drops support for older file systems, including FAT32 and exFAT, and even the newer ReFS (Resilient File System).