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How to Back Up Your Computer: Complete Guide for Windows 11 and 10

October 14, 2026

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Backing up your computer is an essential way to protect documents, photos, videos and important files against hardware failure, accidental deletion and cyberattacks.

How do you back up your computer on Windows 11 or Windows 10? One of the easiest methods is to save important files to an external hard drive or NAS. With Iperius Backup, you can schedule automatic backups instead of copying files manually every time.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to back up your Windows PC step by step, where to store your files and when to use a full disk image.

How to back up your computer in 7 steps

1. Download and install Iperius Backup.
2. Connect an external hard drive or prepare a NAS.
3. Create a new backup job.
4. Select the files and folders to protect.
5. Choose the backup destination.
6. Schedule automatic backups.
7. Run your first backup and test recovery.

Iperius Backup Free supports file and folder backups to USB drives, NAS and network locations. Advanced disk imaging and cloud features are available in the appropriate professional editions.

What is a computer backup and why is it important?

A computer backup is a separate copy of data that can be used to recover files after a failure or accidental loss.

• Hard drive failure: recover files from a backup if your HDD or SSD stops working.
• Accidental deletion: restore documents retained in earlier copies.
• Ransomware: recover clean files from isolated and uncompromised backups.
• Windows failure: restore the operating system from an appropriate disk image.
• Computer replacement: transfer files to a new PC.

Backup and synchronization are not the same. Synchronization can replicate accidental deletions. A properly configured backup can preserve recoverable earlier versions.

Which type of PC backup should you choose?

• File and folder backup: protects selected documents and folders.
• Full backup: copies all selected data.
• Incremental backup: saves changes since the relevant previous backup.
• Differential backup: saves changes since the last full backup.
• Disk image backup: creates an image of selected partitions, potentially including Windows and installed programs.

A file backup is generally enough for documents and photos. For full Windows recovery, consider a disk image backup.

How to back up your computer with Iperius Backup

1. Download and install Iperius Backup

Download Iperius Backup and install it on your Windows computer.

2. Create a new backup job

In the main window, create a new backup job. The job defines what to copy, where to store the data and when to run.

3. Select files and folders

Add folders such as Documents, Desktop, Pictures, Videos and work files. You can include multiple folders and configure exclusion filters.

4. Choose an external drive or NAS destination

Open Destinations and choose an external USB drive or a network folder. For NAS storage, enter the shared folder path and credentials when needed.

Configure the available backup method and compression settings. Avoid storing your only backup on the same physical drive as the original data.

5. Schedule automatic PC backups

Open Scheduling and choose your preferred days and times. Your computer must be running and the destination available when the backup starts.

6. Save and run the first backup

Name your job, save it and run it from the main window. The initial full backup can take longer than later incremental executions.

7. Verify the backup and test recovery

Check the execution results and logs, confirm the files are present, and regularly test restoring selected files.

A backup is useful only if the data can actually be recovered.

How to create a full Windows system backup

A file backup does not necessarily include Windows and installed applications in a directly restorable form. For complete system protection, use a disk image backup.

Iperius Disk Image, available in supported professional editions, creates VHD or VHDX images of selected partitions.

1. Create a new backup job.
2. Add a Drive Image item.
3. Select the required partitions.
4. Choose the destination.
5. Save and run the job.

System recovery uses supported procedures such as Iperius Recovery Environment.

Where should you store your computer backup?

External hard drive

An external USB drive is convenient for local backups. Disconnecting it when not in use can reduce exposure to ransomware.

NAS

A NAS is suitable for storing backups from multiple computers on a shared network.

Cloud

Supported professional Iperius editions can use remote destinations such as OneDrive, Google Drive and Amazon S3.

For stronger protection, follow the 3-2-1 backup rule: three copies of data in total, two types of storage and at least one off-site copy.

How often should you back up your computer?

• Daily: for frequently modified work files.
• Weekly: for documents that rarely change.
• More frequently: for critical business data.

Monitor backup results, available storage capacity and recovery tests.

Conclusion

Knowing how to back up your computer helps reduce the risk of data loss. Select your important files, choose a separate destination and schedule regular backups.

Iperius Backup Free supports backups to external drives and NAS, while professional editions add disk imaging and cloud backup features. Always test recovery to ensure your files remain accessible.

Frequently Asked Questions About Computer Backups

Answers to common questions about Windows PC backups.

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