Internal Windows spare tools don’t really excite users anymore. Microsoft has stopped upgrading legacy backup tools and plans to phase out the Backup and Restore tool. The company introduced Windows Backup as a new cloud-based solution, but it relies on OneDrive. Most users prefer a third-party solution like Macrium Reflect or other popular tools over what Windows offers. However, I gave the built-in backup tools a serious try as a primary backup option, and the results showed that they weren’t as bad as some users felt.
Backup and restore
The oldest backup tool
My earliest memories of the Backup and Restore tool date back to 2011 when I was using Windows 7 on my laptop. Back then, there was no Settings app or dedicated cloud backup tool like Windows Backup OneDrive integration. All we had was Backup and Restore and that was enough. 15 years later, the old tool is still stored in the Control Panel, awaiting its planned retirement.
Backup and Restore works on a simple concept. You create a system backup of all user data with the option to select other folders or create a full system image. If you have an external hard drive with enough storage space to store your personal files and OS files, this is the most comprehensive, local backup tool for Windows. I didn’t have to do much other than plug in the formatted hard drive NTFSand the instrument recognized him at once.
When you try to run system backup, you get two options. You can either let the tools handle everything (including folders to include, creating a system image, setting automatic backup times) or choose a custom option that gives you full control. I chose the latter and selected the data files containing only files from the libraries folders and the option to create a system image.
You can choose other drives as well, but my main data resides on drive C and I was more interested in backing it up than the other drives. The tool works for a very long time because it is copied Windows and user data files take a long time regardless of their size. Once the backup is complete, I only need to ensure that the external drive stays connected to my system when it’s time for the backup. If necessary, the Control Panel also manages the recovery process. I can either choose to restore the backup image while installing Windows, or I can use the Control Panel page to run the tool and restore the image.
The tool is quite flexible with what the user wants to recover, be it an individual folder, file or disk. The Backup and Restore tool does not save an image backup in an encrypted format. Since it creates a system image, it can protect installed software and system settings, so you don’t have to waste time reinstalling everything. Backup and Restore doesn’t support a version like Macrium Reflect, but Windows has a separate tool to bridge the gap.
File History
Useful for version backups
File History Backup & Restore takes a different approach and doesn’t try to be a comprehensive backup tool. Instead, it’s only useful for specific folder backups where you need to protect different versions of the same file. A good example of this is document files that need periodic changes or new entries, such as an Excel sheet to track your expenses.
is like System recovery it keeps creating automatic restore points, and there are multiple versions to choose from in case you run into a problem or need to roll back to a previous state. I’ve used System Restore to recover from problematic updates and software installations, and keeping the feature disabled is unwise. File History follows the same principle for root folders and files.
I found it faster than Backup and Restore because it doesn’t focus on creating large system image backups along with user files. It just focuses on what’s important and continues to create backups every hour or for a period you set. The downside is that you can only save files, but not system settings, preferences, and installed apps.
Windows Backup
A modern, cloud backup solution
So you already have two native backup tools in your OS, and Windows Backup is trying to be a modern backup strategy. Instead of using an external backup drive or saving only the core files (with or without multiple versions), Windows Backup integrates your Microsoft Account and OneDrive. An earlier version of this idea was available in the Settings app, but instead of splitting everything up into options, Microsoft consolidated everything into the Windows Backup tool for convenience.
Windows Backup may save your system settings, preferences, network details, and application list to your Microsoft account. All these settings can be restored when setting up a new Windows PC. You’ll get to choose from protected systems, and Windows will pre-configure everything before you boot to the desktop. I use Windows Backup for my virtual machines, which keeps my system settings and preferences consistent across multiple systems.
I’m not a fan of using OneDrive to back up personal files and folders, and this option can be completely bypassed in Windows Backup. If you want to use it, the 5GB free storage limit is only enough for personal or business documents. Windows Backup also doesn’t support using other cloud backup tools, which is a bummer. Again, you get the option to recreate the same system with all settings and Microsoft applications by logging into your Microsoft account.
Multiple backup options
Windows 11 has plenty of backup options, but older tools are slowly fading out of the limelight. If I were using a Windows backup strategy, I would use File History to back up personal data from multiple locations to an external USB hard drive. If I need to do a clean install, I can use Windows backup to restore my settings and preferences, and file history can restore my files. I still have to reinstall the third-party software, but that’s a minor problem compared to losing everything. Creating backup images sounds difficult, and I wouldn’t use the Backup and Restore tool unless you hate reinstalling software or need a full system restore.
