Windows 11 File Backup Using an External Hard Drive

Windows 11 provides a built-in backup feature that allows users to back up their data and restore it in case of an unexpected data loss. In this article, we will guide you on using the Windows Backup File History feature in Windows 11 to back up user data.

Introduction

Windows 11 provides a built-in backup feature that allows users to back up their data and restore it in case of an unexpected data loss. In this article, we will guide you on using the Windows Backup File History feature in Windows 11 to back up user data.

By default, Windows File History will backup all files in your user folder. This includes your Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Videos, Music and any other folders you made in your user folder. Any folders already backed up to your OneDrive will be excluded from this backup, as they are already backed up in the cloud. Folders located outside of your user folder need to be added manually; follow the steps below to add a custom backup location after enabling File History. 

Warning: Files backed up with Windows File History are not encrypted or password protected. If you need to back up files containing sensitive information, or use a shared computer, you should use OneDrive for your backups instead. 

Procedure

Enable File History

1. Connect the external drive you want to use for file history to your computer. An external hard drive or external SSD is recommended for the best performance and long term reliability. The drive should be at least twice the size of the total amount of data you have. 
2. Open the File History app by searching the term "File History" in the Windows search bar. 

3. Ensure your drive is detected. It should say "Copy files to: <name of your drive>". If it selected the wrong drive, click the Select Drive button.
4. Click the Turn on button to enable file history.

5. File History will begin copying the files in your Libraries to the backup drive. By default, this will include your Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Videos, Music and any other folders you made in your user folder. This process can take a very long time to complete.

By default, Windows will scan for changed files once every hour. If the scan finds a file has been changed, it will save a new copy of that file to the external backup drive. Window File History will continue saving these copies forever until the drive is full. To change how often Windows scans for file changes, or change how long copies are saved for, click the Advanced settings button, select new values, then click Save changes at the bottom. To clear space on the backup drive, click the Advanced settings then select Clean up versions.  

Enable custom backup locations

If you files you need backed up are not located in your user folder, you will need to add those locations to a library in order for them to be backed up automatically. 

1. In File Explorer, locate the folder you would like to add to automatic backups.
2. Right click on the folder.
3. Select Include in Library. 
4. Add the folder to an existing library, or create a new one. A backup of the folder will be added to the next automatic backup. 

Restoring Backups

1. From the File History app, click Restore Personal Files.

2. Use the arrows at the bottom to navigate to the day of the backup you want to restore. 
3. Select the folders and/or files you want to restore, then click the green arrow at the bottom to restore the files to their original locations. 

 

Restoring from individual files from File Explorer

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Navigate to the folder that used to contain the file or folder.
3. Right click the folder, select properties and go to the Previous Versions tab.
4. Select the version you want to restore. Click the arrow next to the Restore button and select Restore To... to recover a copy of the file to a new location, or just click the Restore button to overwrite the current version of file(cannot be undone).