How to back up your PC quickly and easily

Windows 11 helps keep your data safe and secure, but regular backups are still a good idea

Data security has come a long way. From slightly unreliable hard drives to today’s mix of dependable SSDs and cloud-backed storage options, your data is more secure than ever. Windows has also gotten more reliable over the years, but if you want absolute peace of mind that your data is safe, creating a backup is the way to go.

Windows 11 has a built-in backup and restore feature. While it’s not as easy as backing up your Android phone, it’s still fairly easy to use and works well enough that you don’t need a third-party app. How to back up Windows 11 and restore it when needed.

How to back up Windows 11

The Backup and Restore tool in Windows 11 is hidden in the Control Panel. If you’re familiar with Windows because you’ve used previous OS versions, you’ll find this tool even easier to use. You need an external drive to store the backup. Follow the steps below to backup Windows 11.

1. Connect your external drive to your Windows 11 computer.
2. Open the Control Panel via Windows search and Click System and Security.

3. click document history in the right side panel.
4. click System Image Backup at the bottom of the left navigation pane.
5. in the new window, Click Create system image Possibility.

6. The System Image Wizard will guide you through the process. Choose On a disk option. Your external drive will be selected automatically, but click the drop-down menu to select it if necessary. Click next.

7. Select the partitions you want to back up and Click next again. If you get a warning about an encrypted drive, click OK.

8. Take one last look at your backup settings and click start backup start.
9. You have to wait for a while, but the backup will complete. Click No when the wizard asks if you want to create a system repair disc.
10. click Close to close the wizard and complete your Windows 11 backup.

These steps are for Windows 11, but the backup and restore tool has been included with Windows since Windows 7. Therefore, you can follow these steps for Windows 7 and later.

How to restore a Windows 11 backup

With the Windows 11 native backup tool, you can only restore the backup if you reinstall the operating system. This is because the tool creates a complete image of your system and restores it exactly as it is. Therefore, you need to boot into a Windows 11 bootable drive, either with a bootable USB or DVD, and make sure your external drive with the backup is connected to your PC.

This is usually done by pressing a key or key combination right after you press the power button to start your PC. Check your laptop or PC motherboard manufacturer’s website for the boot menu key specific to your computer. After launching the Windows 11 installer, you can follow the steps below to restore the backup.

1. Make sure you’ve selected the correct language, time and currency format, and keyboard layout, and Click next.
2. press the Fix your computerr option down.
3. press the Troubleshooting option and select System Image Recovery.

4. The backup from the external drive is automatically selected on the recovery tool screen. Click next.

5. The next screen shouldn’t require you to make any changes, so click Next.
6. press the Finish button. to begin recovery and click Yes confirm.

7. It will take a while for the restore to complete and the system will boot into Windows 11 upon completion

While Windows 11 has a solid built-in backup feature, some users may want additional features. There are plenty of third-party backup and recovery apps available for these users. If you have a lot of data, you may want to create network storage using some of the best NAS drives available. You can provide dedicated backup and data protection if you have a NAS, and it’s a great way to protect your data from Windows 11 failures.