How to Backup Computer to External Hard Drive? (Windows and Mac): Complete Guide

Even the smallest data has importance and losing it due to carelessness can lead to loss. Whether you have a laptop, mobile phone, tablet or other digital devices, you should back up your data regularly.

Backing up data is very important in case of device theft or loss, device damage, data corruption due to virus and malware attacks leading to data loss. By backing up your data, you can keep it safe and available. It's certainly better than losing it forever.

You Can Back Up Important Folders or the Entire System

What to Know

• Folder: Go to Start > File History (Win 11) or Backup settings (Win 10) > Add a drive > More options .
• Entire system: Open Control Panel > Backup and Restore > Create a system image
• Select a drive to save the backup.

This article explains how to perform a partial or complete backup of your Windows PC. Instructions apply to Windows 11 and 10.

How to Create a Partial Backup of Your Computer

Although a partial backup of your Windows computer will not protect your operating system installation, it will save all of your important files if you need to reinstall Windows.

If you're only interested in backing up specific files and folders on your computer, you can automatically save all of these files and folders to your external hard drive at a regular interval of your choosing. .

1. Connect the external drive to your computer, then select Start menu . In Windows 11, enter the history file and select File history . In Windows 10, enter backup and select Backup settings .

   

2. Select Add a drive to select the external hard drive you want to use to back up your file history.

   

3. This will open the Select a drive window listing all external drives connected to your computer. Select the external drive where you want to back up your important files and folders.

   

4. You will now see Automatically back up my files enabled. It will use the default list of files and folders that most users want to backup. To add more files and folders, select More options in the toggle button.

   

5. Review the folders in Back up these folders . If any folders are missing from the list, select Add a folder , then browse and select the additional folders you want to include.

   

   Note: If there is any folder listed that you don't want included, select it and then select Remove to remove it from the list.

How to Create a System Backup of Your Computer

Full system backups require more space than partial backups that include only files and folders. The size requirement depends on your system files, so make sure to clear your cache and log files to reduce this space requirement. Expect to use more than 200 GB for this backup, so you will need an external hard drive with 250 GB or more available space.

If you want to create a complete backup of your entire Windows 10 system, this is called a 'system image'. You can save this system image to an external hard drive to safely protect your computer's internal drive. If you need to restore your computer, use this system image to restore your operating system and all of your settings.

1. In the search bar, type control panel and select control panel app .

   

2. Select Backup and Restore (Windows 7) .

   

3. From the left pane, select Create a system image .

   

4. In the Create a system image pop-up window , select your attached external hard drive in the On a hard disk drop-down list .

   

5. In the next window, you will see a list of system partitions that will be backed up as part of the system backup process on the external hard drive. Select Start backup to begin the backup process.

   

6. Depending on the size of your system, the entire backup process may take a while. Give it time and check back later. Once the backup is complete, you can disconnect the external drive and store it in a safe location.

Types of Computer Backups

Depending on your needs, there are two types of backups you can perform.

• Partial backups : This is where you back up only important files and folders and nothing else.
• Full Backup : Perform a complete 'copy' of your entire system, including operating system settings, essential files, and everything else on your hard drive.