Create a Backup in Windows 10

6 Parts:

Create a Windows 10 Backup

Delete Windows 10 Backup

Create Windows 10 System Image

Delete a Windows 10 System Image

Create Windows 10 Recovery Drive (USB)

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Backing up your PC is something all users should get in the habit of doing. Although computer hardware is improving year-by-year, you never know when a disk drive could crap out or call it quits. When something goes awry, it's nice to have a safeguard in place to minimize the damage. Creating regular backups in Windows 10 is one way to ensure you never lose all of your important files and folders. Windows 10 gives users the option to back everything up on a schedule, and as long as the PC is on and has drive space, you can create backups automatically.

Another way to back everything up in windows 10 is by creating a system image. The difference between a system image and a standard back up is as follows:

• A backup will create another copy of all your files and folders; images, videos, documents, and any other type of file you have saved on your local drives. Standard backups typically take up less space than a system image and also take less time to create.

• A system image also creates another copy of your files and folders, with the addition of all your system and OS files. A system image is a working duplicate of your entire OS, which includes programs and settings. They tend to be more significant in size and also take longer to create. In the event your PC won't boot correctly, a system image can be used to get your machine functioning again.

So as long as you have a way to read your files, a regular backup is fine. If you create and edit files reasonably often, it might be a good idea to run a backup once or twice a week. A system image, on the other hand, can be created less frequently, especially if you have a backup schedule in place. A system image can be made anytime you make any notable changes to your entire system, such as installing new programs or performing significant system tweaks.

In the following tutorial, we'll go through the steps in creating a backup, a system image, and a USB recovery drive. For this article, we used a Sager laptop running Windows 10 Professional.

Please note that to create a backup, you'll need administrator privileges on your account.

1. 1
   On your keyboard, press the Windows key + X at the same time.

   

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2. 2
   When the Quick Link menu pops-up, click "Settings".

   

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3. 3
   On the main Settings window, click "Update & Security".

   

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4. 4
   From the Update & Security window, click "Backup" in the left pane.

   

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5. 5
   Next, click "Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7)".

   

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6. 6
   If this is your first time creating a backup, click the "Set up backup" link on the far right side.

   

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7. 7
   In the following window, choose the drive you wish to save your backup to. This can be an internal or portable hard disk, but not a USB flash drive.

   

   When you selected the Backup destination, click "Next".

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8. 8
   Next, we need to select what you want to be backed up. By default, "Let Windows choose (Recommended)" is selected, but you can also select "Let me choose".

   

   Once you've made a selection, click "Next".

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9. 9
   On the following window you can schedule when you want your PC to perform a backup. Choosing a regular schedule will ensure that your files and folders will be backed up regularly.

   

   When you've set a schedule, click "OK".

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10. 10
    Next, it's time to review your backup settings. If everything looks fine, click "Save settings and run backup".

    

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11. 11
    Once your PC begins backing up your files, you'll see a green progress bar. If you want to see the exact percentage and additional info, click "View Details".

    

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12. 12
    In the progress window, you can see what files are being backed up, as well as click to view the backup settings you just created.

    

    Click the X in the upper right corner to go back to the Backup and Restore window.

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13. 13
    Once the backup has completed, you'll notice the time next to "Last backup:"

    

    You can also edit your backup settings and schedule from the main Backup and Restore (Windows 7) window.

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If you've set scheduled backups, you may want to delete some older ones to clear up some space on your drive.

1. 1
   Press the Windows key + X simultaneously on your keyboard.

   

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2. 2
   From the Quick Link menu, click "Settings".

   

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3. 3
   When the main Settings window opens, click "Update & Security".

   

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4. 4
   From Update & Security, click "Backup".

   

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5. 5
   Under the Backup section, click "Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7)".

   

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6. 6
   On the Backup and Restore window, click "Manage space".

   

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7. 7
   Next, under Data backup file, click "View backups...".

   

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8. 8
   On the following window, select the backup period(s) you wish to delete, then click "Delete".

   

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9. 9
   In our example, we've selected to delete the only existing backup. If you see the same window, you can click either; "Delete", or "Delete and run backup now".

   

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10. 10
    Once the backup is fully deleted, click "Close".

    

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Creating a system image will give you an exact copy of your entire system, which in the event of something significant going wrong, will help you restore your PC with minimal loss.

1. 1
   Using your keyboard, press the Windows key + X.

   
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