He focuses on support and Microsoft topics but is an expert in all areas of tech. Free backup software is exactly what you think it is: completely free programs that can be used to manually or automatically back up the important data on your computer hard drive to somewhere safe like a flash drivedisc, network driveetc. Commercial backup programs used to be the windows 10 backup image to usb drive free download way to go because they were the only way to get features like advanced scheduling, disk and partition cloning, incremental backup, and more.
Not so anymore! Some of the best free software tools do everything expensive programs do We also keep an updated list of online backup serviceswhich are companies that, for a fee, allow you to back up to their secure servers online.
We're big fans of backing up this way, so be sure to check that out, too. In addition to particular, custom content, the program can also back up an entire disk, partition, or system drive. While scheduling a backup, or once one has completed, you can run an incremental, differential, or full backup on the same data.
More specifically, you can double-click the backup file to open it in EaseUS Todo Backup, where it looks like Windows Explorer and is just as easy to use, but you have to have the program installed in order to open the backup. A timeline of backups is shown so it's really easy to choose a particular time from which to restore files.
EaseUS Todo Backup also allows changing the file compression of a backup, limiting the backup speed and priority, wiping a diskbacking up an Android device, preserving security settings during a backup, splitting an archive into a smaller section, password protecting a backup, and scheduling a backup on a one-time, daily, weekly, or monthly basis. The program is compatible with Windows 10 down through Windows XP. All backed up data, no matter the type, is held in one single file, which can be saved to a local or external drive as well as a shared network folder.
AOMEI Backupper supports encrypting a backup with a password, setting a custom compression level, receiving email notifications once backups have completed, splitting a backup into pieces of a custom windows 10 backup image to usb drive free download like for CDs and DVDsand choosing between an exact backup copies used and unused space or an intelligent sector backup just backs up used space.
Scheduling is supported with AOMEI Backupper so you can choose to run a backup on one occasion only or every day, week, or month, as well as at a continual interval throughout the windows 10 backup image to usb drive free download. Advanced settings are available to choose a full, incremental, or differential backup. You can even copy out individual files and folders. Instead of exploring a backup, you can also restore all the data with just a few clicks.
Restoration isn't an option in the program; you have to manually restore files from the destination folder. Cobian Backup can backup files, drives, and folders windows 10 backup image to usb drive free download and from all the following locations: local disk, FTP server, network share, external drive, or a manual location.
Any or all of these destinations can be used alongside the others for both the source and backup location. A full, differential, or incremental backup can be used with Cobian Backup. It also supports automatically removing empty folders from a backup and utilizing Volume Shadow Copy. If compressing a backup, you also have the option to configure splitting it into smaller sections, which is useful if using the files on something like a CD.
Scheduling a backup can be very precise. Cobian Backup can run a backup job once, on startup, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or on a timer that runs every windows 10 backup image to usb drive free download many minutes. Unfortunately, There are no restore options with Cobian Backup short of just browsing the backup folder and pulling out the files. A wizard walks you through the backup process to help you specify what files should be backed windows 10 backup image to usb drive free download and where they should go.
You can encrypt a backup, schedule backups daily or weekly, and optionally run windows 10 backup image to usb drive free download ones at startup. Restoring a backup gives you the option to restore windows 10 backup image to usb drive free download the original location or a new one.
Several other programs try to install during setup, and you must manually deselect them if you don't want them on your computer. Simple selection lets you choose common files and locations to back up, such as internet browser bookmarks, music, and videos.
Data can be included or excluded from a backup by folder or file name as well as by using advanced filtering options with the use of wildcards. Backups made with BackUp Maker can be restricted to run on certain days of the week or month, can launch when you log on or off, can be scheduled to run every so-many minutes, and can even be automatically launched only if a certain USB device is plugged in.
Conditional settings can be set like only running a backup if a particular file or folder is found anywhere on a local, external, or network location. You're also given the choice to run a backup only if files have changed since a certain date, within the last so-many days, or since the last full backup.
When restoring a backup, you can choose any location on your computer and optionally select to only back up new files. One thing we don't like about BackUp Maker is that password protection isn't an included feature. DriveImage XML can back up the system drive or any other attached drive, to just two files that can then be stored on a network folder, local disk, or external drive. A DAT file is made that contains the actual data that's on the drive while a small XML file is built to keep descriptive information regarding the backup.
If splitting a backup into pieces, windows 10 backup image to usb drive free download are unable to specify the size of the slices, which is unfortunate.
You can restore a backup image onto a hard drive that's the same size or larger as the original or browse through the backup using DriveImage XML. You're able to extract out individual files, search through the backup, and even directly launch some files without restoring everything. Scheduling a backup is supported but it's done only with command line parameters, which is useful if using Task Scheduler to automate a backup.
DriveImage XML can also back up, or clone, one drive to another without creating an image file. This method, as well as a regular backup and restore as described above, can also be launched before Windows boots, using the Live CD.
The windows 10 backup image to usb drive free download will start a backup during the wizard when you seemingly least expect it, so ensure you're ready to start the backup when clicking Next on the screen entitled Backup. It can back up registry files, files and folders, email accounts, particular registry entries, IM conversations, browser data, partitions, or entire disks like the system drive.
The scheduling options are very specific, enabling a backup to run manually, at login, once, daily, weekly, monthly, when idle, or every so-many minutes. Missed jobs can even be configured to run in silent mode to suppress all notifications and program windows.
Restoring files with COMODO Backup is really easy because you can mount the image file as a disk and browse through the backed up files as you would in Explorer, copying out anything you wish. Alternatively, you can just restore the whole backup image to the original location.
It should run without any problems in Windows 10 down to Windows XP. During setup, COMODO Backup tries to install another program that you must deselect if you wish for it not to be added to your computer. Redo Rescue doesn't support backing up individual files and folders. Instead, this program backs up an entire hard drive at once by running from a bootable device like a disc or flash drive.
A collection of files backed up with this program can't be read as regular files. To restore the data, you must use the program again and then select the drive you wish to restore the files to. The destination drive will be completely overwritten with the windows 10 backup image to usb drive free download up data. Redo Rescue is best used in a situation where you wish to be able to restore an entire hard drive. While this type of backup does include all the files and programs on the drive, it's not meant for windows 10 backup image to usb drive free download file and folder restoration.
Back up folders to an FTP server or local, external, or network drive with Yadis! Any number of file versioning is supported and you have the option to keep the original folder structure intact for better organization. The only scheduling option is to run backup jobs automatically or manually. There are no custom options like on a per hour or day basis. If any or all of these events take place, a backup job will run.
Even the settings you've modified in Yadis! Backup can be configured to back up to a specified folder when changes are made so that you don't lose your custom options. You can only choose one folder to back up at a time.
Any additional folders need to be created as their own backup job. Something we don't like is that there are no options for easily restoring backed up files made with Yadis! To access files that have been backed up is to simply browse through the backup folder, whether it be on an FTP server or a different drive.
Backup works with Windows 10 through Windows XP. Everyday Auto Backup is really easy to use. It can backup folders to and from a local disk or network location in just a few clicks. Scheduling can be set for more than one job at a time and supports hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or manual backups. There are no password options or encryption settings. While that's unfortunate, it also means you can use the backed up data as real files; you can open, edit, and view them normally. The MiniTool ShadowMaker free backup program is packed full of some really great features.
It works with Windows 10, 8, and 7 and backs up not only files and folders but entire hard drives. You can back up disks, partitions, and files and folders to any local, external, or networked drive.
Backups can run on a set schedule daily, weekly, or monthly, but only incremental backup is supported not full or differential. It's also your choice if you want to back up every sector or only the used ones. With this program, you can set a custom file size for the backup so that it fits on CDs, windows 10 backup image to usb drive free download. Custom compression, email alerts, hibernation file exclusion, password protection, and backup verification are supported, too.
You'd think the features would end by now, but MiniTool ShadowMaker also has a tool you can utilize to restore a backup even if your computer won't start. Some features are excluded in the free version and only available if you pay for Pro, Pro Ultimate, Business, or Business Deluxe.
However, what you get with the free edition is still much better than what some free backup tools supply. Iperius Backup backs up files from a local folder to a network or local drive. The program interface for Iperius Backup looks really nice, is clean, and isn't at all hard to use.
The menus are displayed side by side in separate tabs, so it's simple to move through the settings. Files can be added to a backup job one at a time or in bulk through a folder, and a backup job can be saved locally or on a network, using one of three backup types. You can also choose the number of backups to store. Aside from ZIP compression, email notifications, and password protection, Iperius Backup has some other custom options as well.
You can include hidden files and system files in the backup, shut down the computer after completing the backup, favor compression speed over high compression, and run backups on a schedule. When building a backup job, you can also exclude files, particular folders, all subfolders, and particular extensions from the backup. You can even include or exclude files that are less than, equal to, or greater than a specific file size to ensure you're backup up exactly what you want.
Iperius Backup is said to run on Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows Serverbut it will windows 10 backup image to usb drive free download run on earlier versions of Windows, too.