How to Automatically Backup Files to External Hard Drive

In this article, you will learn 3 easy and efficient methods - using Backup and Restore, File History, and AOMEI Backupper Standard to automatically backup files to external hard drive.

By @Ivy Last Updated December 5, 2024

I have heard too many tragedies of people who lost all files because of system crashes, hard disk failures, power surges, or natural disasters, and got badly influenced. But still, some users don't attach importance to file backup and don't realize this issue until it actually happens.

That's why I'm writing today about how to automatically backup files to an external hard drive. We collect 3 easy and efficient backup methods in this article.

Methods	Function	Supported OS	Difficulty
free backup software - AOMEI Backupper	backup files, folders, entire OS & App, disks, etc., from daily to weekly, monthly; the shortest interval is hourly	Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8/8.1, 10, 11	⭐⭐
File History	only backup files and folders, every 10 minutes to daily; no compression	Windows 8, 10, 11	⭐⭐⭐
Backup and Restore (Windows 7)	backup files & entire OS daily, weekly, or monthly; no compression	Windows 7, 8, 10, 11	⭐⭐⭐

⚠️By backing up computer files, you have one more copy of your files. Unlike disk backup, you can choose to backup the files that are most important to you or cannot easily be replaced, such as financial information, digital photos, music, videos, or programs.

Why backup files to an external hard drive?

While there are many devices that can backup computer files, an external hard disk will be an affordable, portable, and secure choice. It protects your files from all of the major risk factors.

Separately data loss risk from your computer. We all know that computer-related issues like system crashes will result in data loss. While external hard drives are a good choice to create offsite backups to separate such risk.
The price is affordable. Nowadays, external hard drives are very reliable and reasonably cheap, with capacities ranging from 250GB to 8TB. So, it is large enough to protect your data. USB drives and CDs/DVDs are cheaper but its storage space is very limited.
The device is portable and can be taken everywhere. External hard drives are portable and compatible with most devices, especially useful for users to backup files in different places, such as home, or office.
Stable and fast backup. Compared with NAS or cloud storage, backing up your files to an external hard drive does not require a good internet connection. The backup process will be more stable, thereby saving backup time.

All in all, backup should be a must-have job while using the computer.

The only drawback is that it's susceptible to disasters like floods, fire, and theft. Please be sure to save it in a safe location and take it out when needed.

Method 1: Automatically Backup files to external hard drive with AOMEI Backupper

⛔Note single backups only backup files at a certain point, not including all the new or changed files. Thus, you need to create schedule backup to continuously protect your files.

AOMEI Backupper Standard is a free backup software that allows you to automatically backup files to an external hard drive in Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. It also supports backup the entire OS, disk, or partition if you need it.

AOMEI Backupper

Why Choose AOMEI Backupper?

Select any files or folders you want to backup
Schedule backup files daily, weekly, monthly, and even hourly.
Backup only new or changed files, greatly reducing backup space, especially useful in scheduled tasks.
Compress backup image smaller automatically.
Encrypt the backup image to avoid any unwanted access (if needed).
create a bootable USB to backup files when the computer fails.
In addition, its sync feature creates file copies for easy access.

Download Freeware Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

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Now, free download this software to get started. Please connect your external hard drive to the computer you want to backup files and ensure it is recognized.

Download Freeware Win 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP

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(PS: This version only supports Windows 7/8/10/11. If you are currently using a server operating system, try AOMEI Backupper Server or TechPlus edition.)

1. Launch this software, and choose "Backup" and "File Backup" subsequently.

2. Click “Add File” or “Add Folder” to select the files you want to back up. Also, you can type a new task name to distinguish it from other backup tasks.

3. Click the folder-shaped button to select external hard disk to store the backup image.

4. To automatically backup files to an external hard drive, click “Schedule Backup” > "Enable Schedule Backup" and select "Daily", "Weekly", or "Monthly".

⚠️By default, the schedule backup is daily backup. It will automatically compress backup images and backup only new or changed files with incremental backup in the scheduled task. But you still need to enable wake the computer to run scheduled tasks, backup notification, encryption, etc.

✨More advanced features you can enjoy(available on the Professional version):

Select "Event trigger" in a specific event, e.g. system shutdown, or use "USB plug in" if the backup drive is a USB drive or thumb drive.
Set a "High" compression level to compress server image backup to a smaller one with less space.
Try "Differential Backup" to backup only new or changed files based on the last full backup.
Enable "Cleanup Methods" to delete old backup images automatically, especially useful in a scheduled task.
...

5. Afterward, confirm you select all files you want to backup and click "Start Backup" to run the backup task and set scheduled task.

Now, you can disconnect your external hard drive and put it in a safe location to avoid disasters like floods, fire, and theft.

Not only back up files to external hard drives, but you can also back up files to cloud, such as AOMEI Cloud, which offers new users 1TB free storage within 15 days.

Method 2: Backup file to an external drive with File History

File History is a free file backup software, launched in Windows 8, that can backup all the default and custom Libraries (including Public Folders), plus Contacts, Desktop, and Favorites folders.

⚠️The Windows 10 version of File History adds a new feature called “Add a folder” to backup specific folders, but it was removed from Windows 11. Thus, to backup files outside these folders, you can only add files to one of them or turn to a third-party backup software.

To backup files with file history, use the steps below:

1. Connect the external drive to your computer, and ensure it can be detected. Click “Start”, type "backup setting" in the search box, and select it.

2. Click "Add a drive" under Back up using File History and select your external drive .

3. Then, it will turn on the “Automatically back up my files” slide button.

4. Click “More options” to choose what to back up.

By default, it will include all the user data and files, including documents, pictures, music, and videos in the "Back up these folders" section. To backup specific files or folders, click + Add a folder to browse and select (if you are using Windows 10).

6. Set a proper backup settings.

By default, it backs up files every hour and keeps them forever. This may greatly increase the number of backup images and accelerate the backup disk full issue.

You can change the backup frequency to longer and keep backup images until space is needed or with a shorter time interval, e.g. 3 months.

7. Scroll down to “Exclude these folders” and click "Add a folder" to exclude the folder you don't want to backup.

8. After that, go back to the top and click “Back up now” to back up files to external hard drive immediately. You can also click"See advanced settings" to review backup settings and change it if necessary.

Method 3: Backup files to external hard drives with Backup and Restore (Windows 7)

“Backup and Restore (Windows 7)” is another free backup software, as the name suggested, which was first introduced in Windows 7. It allows you to backup individual files and decide whether to include the entire OS.

To backup files with “Backup and Restore (Windows 7)”, follow the detailed steps below:

1. Connect your external hard disk to the computer you want to backup files. Then, type backup settings in the search box and select it.

2. Click "Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7)” to access it.

3. Click “Set up backup” to get started.

4. It will list all the available drives on the computer. Select the external drive, and click ” Next” .

5. Tick “Let me choose” and click ” Next”. You can also let Windows choose, which will include data files saved in libraries, on the desktop, and in the default Windows folder as well as the entire OS.

6. Check the folders you want to backup and click "Next". You can also choose to include a system image or not.

7. It will automatically backup files every Sunday at 7:00PM. If you are not comfortable, click “Change schedule” to change it.

8. After that, click “Save settings and run backup” to start this task. You just need to wait patiently until the operation is completed 100%.

🌟 How to access File History or Backup and Restore in Windows 11

If you are currently using Windows 11, you can access File History and Backup and Restore in the following two ways:

#1: Through Control Panel. Go to Control Panel > System and Security > File History or Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
#2: Through Settings. Go to Settings -> System -> Storage -> Advanced Storage options > Backup options. Then, scroll down to Back up using File History or Looking for an older backup and click Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Written in the end

That's all for how to automatically backup files to an external hard drive on a Windows PC. You can use Windows built-in tools, such as Backup and Restore, File History, or third-party free backup software like AOMEI Backupper Standard.

By comparison, the last one is feature-rich & easy to use, suitable for all users. It backs up not only files but also the system, disk, partition, etc., from daily (or hourly) to weekly or monthly. In addition, it still offers "Normal" or "High" compression level, encryption, incremental backup, and more advanced features.

Download Freeware Win 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP

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