A backup is a copy of your files, and often your settings, that still exists if the PC fails, is stolen, or is wiped by a reinstall. Windows 11 already includes tools for this. You do not need a third-party suite for a basic, official setup, but you do need to understand what each tool actually saves.
Forge PC has not audited these tools, and we have not timed a backup or a restore. The steps below come from Microsoft's own Windows Backup, File History, and backup-and-recovery documentation.
If you are setting up a new PC, our Windows 11 install guide covers getting the operating system on the drive first.
Microsoft's overview of backup, restore and recovery in Windows draws a useful line:
Backup copies your data so you can get it back after loss or corruption.
Restore puts that data back.
Recovery is broader: System Restore, Reset this PC, a recovery drive, or a reinstall, which can fix a broken system without necessarily bringing your documents back.
Microsoft currently steers most people towards a cloud backup with the Windows Backup app and OneDrive, and towards an external or network drive when you have a lot of data, no reliable internet, or files you do not want only in the cloud. Older Backup and Restore (Windows 7) is treated as a legacy option.
A practical combination for a home PC is:
Windows Backup / OneDrive for folders you want available on any PC signed in with the same Microsoft account.
File History or a second copy on an external drive for previous versions, and for files that should not depend on cloud storage alone.
A recovery drive as a way to get the PC back to a bootable state, remembering that it does not include your personal files.
Windows Backup and OneDrive
Windows Backup is the built-in app Microsoft describes as a one-stop backup for files, themes, settings, many installed apps and Wi-Fi information. It is aimed at consumer devices signed in with a personal Microsoft account (for example outlook.com or live.com). Work or school accounts will not work with this app.
Microsoft says a free Microsoft account includes 5GB of OneDrive storage, with more available to buy. Folder backup syncs the folders you choose to OneDrive, so they are available on other PCs using the same account.
To back up:
Sign in with a personal Microsoft account: Settings > Accounts > Your info.
Open the Start menu, type backup, and open Windows Backup. You can also use Settings > Accounts > Windows backup.
Expand Folders and turn on the user folders you want: Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Videos and Music.
Review settings: installed apps, accessibility, accounts and Wi-Fi passwords, personalisation (wallpaper, colour, theme, Start layout), language and dictionary, and other Windows settings. Personalisation needs a OneDrive sign-in and enough storage; Microsoft says it will not be backed up if storage is insufficient.
Select Back up.
If OneDrive reports an error, Microsoft says you may not be signed in, you may be out of space, or another OneDrive issue needs fixing first.
To restore, start setup on a new or reinstalled PC and sign in with the same Microsoft account. Windows should offer to restore a backup. Apps from the Microsoft Store can be restored from their pins; other apps send you to the web for the installer. Files can also be brought back later by signing in to OneDrive with the same account.
This is not a full disk image. It will not, by itself, clone every program, game install and driver to a new drive. For copying Windows to a new SSD, use our SSD cloning guide.
File History, on a drive you control
File History automatically saves copies of personal files to an external drive or network location, so you can restore a previous version if you delete or overwrite something.
Microsoft says it backs up your libraries (Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music, and custom libraries) and that you can include other folders by adding them to a library. Desktop is also listed in the setup article as one of the essential folders it covers once enabled.
To turn it on:
Connect an external drive, or prepare a network location.
Open Control Panel > System and Security > Save backup copies of your files with File History.
Select Turn on. Use Select drive if you need to choose the destination.
To restore a file or folder, in File Explorer go to the folder that used to contain it, right-click, and choose Restore previous versions. Pick a date, preview it in File History if you want, then restore. Microsoft warns that a restore can replace the current version and that this cannot be undone, so use Restore to... if you want to keep both.
File History is not a substitute for an off-site copy. If the only backup disk sits next to the PC, a fire or a theft can take both.
System Protection / System Restore takes snapshots of system files and settings. It can undo a bad driver or app install without deleting your personal files, but it is not a document backup.
A recovery drive can help restore Windows, even after a drive replacement, using the built-in recovery files. Microsoft is explicit: it does not include your personal files.
Reset this PC and "Fix problems using Windows Update" are recovery options in Settings > System > Recovery. They can reinstall or reset Windows; they are not a way to invent a backup you never made.
Keep a second copy of anything you cannot afford to lose, and test that you can open a file from the backup, not only that a backup job has been ticked.
Our verdict
For a Windows 11 home PC, turn on Windows Backup with a personal Microsoft account if you are happy putting those folders in OneDrive, and add File History (or another copy) on an external drive for previous versions and for files that should not live only in the cloud. A recovery drive and System Restore are useful, but they are not a file backup. We have not tested these tools in a lab; the steps come from Microsoft's official documentation.
