Best Free External Hard Drive Backup Software Download 2024

Free external hard drive backup software you can try

First of all, the most straightforward way to transfer data between your computer and an external hard drive is probably to drag & drop and copy & paste to make backup files to external hard drives. However, such manual operation is not suitable for large volumes of files or critical data, and it can easily go wrong in practice. 

Then, how to handle the backup job with an external hard drive such as Western Digital, Seagate, or Toshiba? You may consider using some more professional backup software for external hard drives. Here are your main options:

Option 1: Windows built-in utility Backup and Restore (Windows 7)

This is the native backup utility introduced since Windows 7 and inherited by Windows 8/8.1, 10,11, you can directly search for "backup" to access the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) function.

When setting up the backup, you can simply choose an attached external hard drive as the destination. But two limitations might bother you:

• You can backup PC files to an external hard drive, but not the other way around. The source data can only be on the local drive.
• When you use a USB drive as a destination, you may receive this error: The drive is not a valid backup location.

Option 2: Backup tools bundled with products (WD, Seagate, Samsung, etc.)

Many of the major hard drive brands offer dedicated backup solutions that are either included in the product or can be downloaded from the official website.

For example, you can use Acronis True Image for Western Digital with WD products, Seagate Toolkit for Seagate external drives, Samsung Auto Backup bundled with Samsung drives, etc.

These tools all have good performance for specific products, but meanwhile, they may not be able to meet your specific backup needs:

• They usually only support backing up specific types of PC files to external hard drives but do not support backing up external drives to other locations.
• They are limited to specific brands of products and cannot be widely used. Sometimes even one brand has several different backup software for different product lines.

Option 3: Effective disk backup software without brand restrictions

Whether you want to backup data to or from external drives, as long as the operation is based on a Windows PC, you can use Windows backup software to achieve it.

The advantage of this option is that you don't have to be concerned with the model and brand of the external hard drive or USB flash drive. Just make sure it can be detected by File Explorer, and then you can easily choose it as a backup source or destination.

Also, this kind of backup tool usually supports more backup types and modes, allowing you to build a more flexible backup strategy. Keep reading to download the best external hard drive backup software and learn how to use it.

Full-featured backup software for external hard drive (download)

External hard drives are an essential part of keeping your data safe from those nasty computer crashes that may make your stored information inaccessible. To back up it efficiently and flexibly, I recommend the free disk backup software - AOMEI Backupper Standard. It works with Windows 11, 10, 8/8.1, 7, Vista, and XP and supports any external drive backup utility that can be detected by Windows.

★ Flexible data types: It allows you to backup files/folders, partitions, or entire disk to an external hard drive, or backup external hard drive to a local drive, other removable device, NAS, share folder, cloud drive, etc.
★ Flexible backup modes: This external hard drive automatic backup software enables you to schedule backup, or perform incremental backup to back up only added or modified files.
★ Flexible backup tasks: You can create multiple backup tasks with different configurations, and save the backup image in various locations for better protection.

Click the button below to download and install the freeware to have a try:

How to backup external hard drive with the software (step by step)

Before you start, plug in the external drive first and make sure it can be detected by Windows, then follow the guide to start the backup. Here I will back the external hard drive to the local drive as an example.

Step 1. Launch the external hard drive backup utility. Select Backup > Disk Backup.

Step 2. Click Add Disk. Select the external hard drive you need to backup as the source, and click Add.

Step 3. Select the destination path. You can backup it to local drive, NAS/Network, cloud service, or even backup external hard drive to another one.

Step 4. Click Start Backup to execute the operation.

✎Other useful features:

• Options: You can configure General, Compression, Splitting, Intelligent Sector and VSS under this option.

• Schedule Backup: You can set schedule backup as daily, weekly, monthly, event triggers, or USB plug-ins here. 

• Backup Scheme: Choose a backup method here (full, incremental, or differential) If you are worried about the disk space taken by the auto-backup, you may upgrade to the Professional edition and use the automatic backup cleanup feature to delete old backups intelligently.

FAQs about External Hard Drive Backup Software

Q1: Does Windows 10 have built-in backup software?

A1: Yes, Windows 10 includes a built-in tool called Windows Backup, which helps you back up your important files and data.

Q2: What’s the difference between full and incremental backups?

A2: A full backup saves all your data, while an incremental backup only stores changes made since the last backup, which saves time and space.

Q3: Can I schedule automatic backups?

A3: Yes, both Windows Backup and other tools like AOMEI Backupper let you set up automatic backups on a schedule.

Conclusion

This article introduces several free solutions to backup with an external hard drive. Among them, the AOMEI Backupper is the most comprehensive and widely applicable one. Whether you prefer automated solutions like AOMEI Backupper or more manual options, there’s a tool for every need. By setting up regular backups and following best practices, you can ensure your data is safe, secure, and always within reach when needed.

It's not only an external hard drive backup software but also a disk cloning software that can help you migrate HDD to SSD or transfer only C drive to SSD.