Best Free Backup Software Windows 11 to Protect PC and Data
Need to backup Windows 11PC and data
Windows 11 is the latest Windows NT operating system, released on 5 October 2021, with improvements such as a new start menu, rounded corners, and File Explorer enhancements.
To upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, it's recommended to create a backup of your files, system, or hard drive before installing the new operating system, as there have been issues with installation and usage, including data loss or boot failure, but many users still want to upgrade to enjoy the new features.
After upgrading and configuring your Windows 11 system, it's essential to backup the system to an external hard drive, creating an initial image for factory resetting. To ensure continuous protection, schedule regular backups in Windows 11, capturing all changes made later, and utilize a free backup software for Windows 11.
Does Windows 11 has built-in backup software?
Windows 11 retains the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) and File History features in its backup settings, while also introducing a new backup setting called Back up files to OneDrive. This allows users to utilize all the Windows 10 backup utilities, including backing up files, systems, partitions, or disks, in Windows 11.
| Backup and restore (Windows 7) | File History | Back up files to OneDrive | |
| Backup items | user files, system, disk or partition | users files | files in the OneDrive folder |
| Backup destination | internal or external hard drive, network or NAS | internal disk, network or NAS | OneDrive |
| Backup features | schedule backup, incremental backup | schedule backup, incremental backup | real-time backup or sync |
Using a Windows 10 backup on a 4GB drive may lead to various issues, including file history drive disconnections, inability to add folders, unrecognized drives, system backup failures, and problems restoring system images to smaller drives.
It's recommended to use third-party free backup software for Windows 11, such as Qiling Disk Master Standard, which is often more compatible and offers more advanced features.
How to use Windows 11 best free backup software
Before upgrading Windows 10 to Windows 11, it's essential to create a copy of your important files and system, as direct upgrades can be risky. Additionally, creating a factory image of Windows 11 after upgrading will allow you to restore your computer to its original settings in case of unexpected errors. To ensure system and data protection, consider using free backup software for Windows 11, which can be used to safeguard your files and system.
- All-in-one backup software: The built-in backup software supports backing up system, disk, files or folder, partition separately, allowing you to choose specific items to backup. Unlike Backup and Restore (Windows 7), it does not include non-system partitions, so you can only select one or more partitions on the disk if you want to backup them.
- The Schedule Backup feature allows you to automatically backup any items on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, and you can keep ultiple backups without overwriting previous ones.multiple backups without overwriting previous ones.
- Incremental backup: It's the default backup method that only saves changed files since the last backup, whether full or incremental, and supports differential backup in the professional version.
- The software has additional features such as compressing images, automatically splitting images, notifying backup status, and creating bootable USB or CD/DVD to boot the computer in case of failure.
You can now download free backup software for Windows 11 and install it on your computer. Before you start, make sure you have an external hard drive or other storage device ready as your backup destination, and that it's recognized by your computer.
The steps to resize a partition apply to all Windows versions, including Windows 10, 8, 7, XP, and Vista, and are the same for all. Server users can use Qiling Disk Master Server instead.
Step 1. Launch Qiling Disk Master Standard and click "System Backup" under the "Backup" tab.
Notes:
- If you only want to backup a small amount of files, choose File Backup. If all files on a specific partition, choose Partition Backup.
- If you want to backup a disk with all the data on it, including the operating system, installed programs, personal data, etc., choose Disk Backup.
Step 2. Select the Windows 11 system partition and boot-related partitions to boot Windows by default. Then, click the box at the bottom and choose an external hard drive as the backup destination.
Step 3. After selecting system partition and backup destination, click Proceed to backup Windows 11.
Once the backup process is complete, you'll have a precise copy of your system at that moment. However, this backup will not reflect any changes made to your system after the backup was created.
To continuously protect your data, you can schedule automatic backups. To do this, click "Schedule Backup" and then "Enable Schedule Backup". Choose the frequency you prefer, such as daily, weekly, or monthly.
In addition to the basic version, the advanced version also includes the option to automatically backup your computer to a USB flash drive when it's plugged in, using the USB plug in feature, and also allows you to set up event triggers for backups.
The software creates a complete system backup and 6 incremental backups, repeating the process, which may cause the backup disk to become full, preventing further backups unless some items are deleted.
However, deleting the backup mistake can result in all backups being invalid. To avoid this, incremental backups require all backups to be intact for recovery. Therefore, you can switch to differential backups, which only need one full backup and any differential backup, making it a more reliable option.
You can also set up automatic cleanup methods to free up space by deleting old backup images based on quantity, time, or daily/weekly/monthly schedules, ensuring there's always enough space for new backups.
To get the backup result in a timely manner, you can enable email notification and also consider adjusting settings such as compression level, splitting size, and password protection for the backup image.
You can create a bootable media with USB or CD/DVD to backup system without Windows, or make a recovery environment in advance by adding a boot menu on the current computer, which doesn't require any device to store boot files.
To access Qiling Disk Master, simply restart your computer and select the option to "Enter into Qiling Disk Master" when prompted. This will take you to the main page, where you can then proceed to backup your system without booting into Windows or perform an offline restore if needed.
Wrapping things up
Qiling Disk Master is a versatile backup software that supports Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, XP, and Vista. It allows users to backup system, disk, file, and partition, and offers a range of features, including scheduled backups, incremental or differential backup, and cleanup methods.
Besides, it's still a disk clone software that can be used to clone a hard drive to an SSD, clone a larger drive to a smaller drive, replace a laptop HDD with an SSD, and more. For unlimited use on PCs or servers, consider Qiling Disk Master Technician or Techplus edition.
Related Articles
- Safely Backup Windows 10 OS to External Hard Drive[2 Ways]
- Auto Backup PC Files to External Hard Drive in Windows 10/8/7
- Clone Hard Drive in Windows 10 to New HDD or SSD Easily?
Cloning Windows 10 hard drive has a variety of usages. QILING Disk Master can help you clone hard drive in Windows 10 with a few simple steps. - How to Create A System Image Backup in Windows 10?
Making a complete system restore point is the best way to protect yourself from Windows 10 crashes. Please read this article for detail.