How to Backup Windows 11 to Google Drive (OS and Files)
Why use Google Drive for Windows 11 backup?
Google Drive is a cloud storage and file synchronization service that allows users to securely store, access, and collaborate on files and folders from any internet-connected device. Performing a Windows 11 backup to Google Drive offers several benefits, including secure file storage and access from any device.
- Away from computer errors. Saving files to Google Drive can protect them from being lost due to system crashes, hard drive failures, and other data loss scenarios.
- Automatic synchronization. If you set up Google Drive for desktop on your computer, it will automatically sync files and folders between your computer and the cloud.
- Large storage capacities. Google Drive offers a significant amount of free storage (usually 15 GB) and various paid plans for additional storage, if needed.
To backup Windows 11 to Google Drive, you can either backup specific files/folders using Google Drive's built-in backup feature, or backup the whole system using a third-party backup software that integrates with Google Drive.
Method 1: Backup Windows 11 files to Google Drive
Google Drive for desktop is a tool that helps users sync files from their PC to Google Drive and vice versa. It allows users to edit, delete, or move files in one location and have the same changes reflected in the other location. To backup Windows 11 files to Google Drive using Drive for desktop, simply install the app, sign in with your Google account, and select the files and folders you want to sync. The app will then automatically sync your files across both locations.
1. Download and install the Google Drive app on your Windows 11, then log in to your Google Drive account.
2. Open Run on your desktop, type "drive" and press enter. Then click the Google Drive icon in the taskbar, click the settings icon and select Preferences.
3. At the My Computer section, click Folder to select the folder you want to backup to Google Drive, then choose Sync with Google Drive and click Done to begin file synchronization.
Tip: If you have multiple folders that need to be backed up, add them individually. This will allow you to choose the right settings and options for each folder, ensuring that they are backed up correctly and efficiently.
4. To configure Google Drive settings, click Save before proceeding to the Google Drive section. In the Google Drive section, select either Stream files or Mirror files depending on your requirements. Once you've made your choice, confirm your settings and click Save. A restart may be necessary for the changes to take effect.
Stream files: Store all your files in the cloud and access them from your PC, and you can also make certain files and folders available offline for easy access.
Mirror files: Storing files in both cloud and computer allows for offline access to all files and folders, but it will consume more disk space on your computer.
Method 2: Backup Windows 11 OS to Google Drive
To create a Windows 11 system backup and save it to Google Drive, you can use Qiling Disk Master Standard, a free backup software that offers all-around backup solutions.
🌟 Backup Types: You can backup the operating system, hard drives, partitions, and specific files/folders, and with higher editions, you can also backup Outlook live emails.
🌟 Backup Schedules: You can schedule automatic backups to run at intervals like Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or even trigger them by specific events, and also have the option to run them when a USB device is plugged in.
🌟 Supported Storage Device: This software supports a variety of backup devices, including local disk, external hard drive, USB stick, network share, and cloud storage options like OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox.
🌟 Supported OS: it runs well on all editions of Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP.
Before syncing your PC with Google Drive using Qiling Disk Master, there are several things you should do.
- Enable the "Mirror files" option in Drive for desktop and specify a local folder on a non-system drive as the Google Drive folder.
- Upgrade your Google Drive plan to a paid one, as the free plan only offers 15 GB of storage, which might not be enough to accommodate your system image.
- Download Qiling Disk Master on Windows 11.
To backup your Windows 11 OS to Google Drive, follow these steps. First, download and install the Google Drive Backup and Sync tool from the official Google website.
1. Install and launch Qiling Disk Master, then click Backup and select System Backup.
2. The program automatically selects the system-related partition(s) as the source data. To choose the destination, simply click the box and select a local path, then choose the Google Drive local folder located on your system, such as D:\My Drive.
3. Enable Schedule Backup as necessary, confirm your operation and click Proceed.
Note: Once you run Drive for desktop, the created system image will be synced to Google Drive.
Summary
To backup Windows 11, you can use either the Google Drive for desktop app to backup specific files/folders or Qiling Disk Master to backup your entire OS, which is also a free SSD migration tool.
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