Making backups on our computer is vital, given that at any time we can be affected by malware, a malfunction or a sudden blackout that can irreparably damage our personal data. With Windows 10 we can automatically save all our important data and files so we can keep them safe in a "separate" place, from which we can collect our data if something should happen. In addition to data backup, it is also important to create system images, so that you can quickly restore Windows in case of problems that are difficult to solve.
In this guide we will then show you how to activate the automatic backup of Windows 10 to copy personal files and folders and how to activate the saving of system images for disaster recovery.
Enable Windows 10 automatic backup
Below you will find all the procedures to be performed to correctly perform backups on Windows 10. Once configured, we will no longer have to touch them, we will only have to periodically check if the backups have been successful and if the saved files are updated.Prerequisites
Backups are never saved on the same machine they are run on; therefore we do not use a disk partition or an additional internal disk as a backup destination, since they can be exposed to the same problems as the primary disk or the operating system (infection, black-out, corruption etc.).For automatic backups the best choice involves the use of a NAS or a network disk connected to the modem / router : in this way the files will be automatically saved in a network device separate from our computer, therefore protected from direct damage (the vast majority of malware cannot act on systems other than Windows).
To find a good NAS (with disks already included) or an external hard disk to the USB port of the modem / router, we can read the guide on how to backup to external disks and which NAS to buy.
Once the NAS or external hard drive is connected to the modem, we can turn on our computer and schedule automatic backups, as shown in the following chapters.
Automatic backups of personal files
To back up your personal files and folders, open the Start menu in the lower left, select the Settings app, press the Update and security menu then go to the Backup menu.
In the window we click on Add a unit and wait for the end of the scan; we will be shown the network devices connected a little while ago (the name of the NAS or the network disk connected to the modem will appear). Click on the drive to use and make sure that the button under the Automatically back up files item is active.
To configure the backup in detail, press on the item Other options ; from here we can choose the folders to be included in the backup, the frequency of the automatic backup (basic every hour), the conservation of the backup (the basic files are always kept), the exclusion of some folders and the manual backup (by pressing the button Backup now ).
The system will monitor all the folders entered in the backup settings and, in case of updates of some files, it will also offer various versions of the same file (via File History ), as seen in our guide on how to recover previous versions of files in Windows 10 .
In any case, the backup folders will be accessible as normal folders, we will only have to enter the drive used as a destination by File Explorer -> Network .
Full backups of the operating system
We want to make a full system backup that also includes installed programs, Windows drivers and customizations ">In the new window that will open, press on the Configure backup item, then select the network drive to be used to keep the backup using the Save in a network button . After configuring the destination, press on Next, we put the check mark on Manual selection, we press on Next again to find ourselves in the screen where to configure the backup.
We remove the check mark from the entries under Data files (if we have configured File History, it is superfluous), while we make sure to leave the check mark on the item Local disk and on the item Include an image of the system of the units .
At the end press on Next, we check the backup schedule with the Change schedule item (choosing a time and a recurring day to perform the system backup) then we click on Save settings and perform backup .
With this system active we will be able to perform the system backup completely automatically, thus having available an image of the system and the folders of the programs copied to our network resource, so that we can restore them quickly with the same backup tool seen so far .
To learn more, we recommend you read our guide on how to create a system image in Windows as a recovery and repair disk .
Conclusions
Without installing any type of program, Windows 10 offers everything you need to be able to automatically backup your personal files and the operating system, we will only have to be careful to select a network resource that is always accessible such as a NAS or a USB network disk connected to the modem.If instead of the tools integrated in Windows we want to use a complete backup program, we recommend you read our guide to the Best Programs to make automatic and incremental free backups . If we want to backup Windows programs, licenses and settings, we can also read our guide Backing up installed programs and settings on Windows .
We need to clone our disk to be able to use it on a new PC "> How to clone a hard disk to another disk with an exact copy.
