Best File Backup Freeware for Windows 11/10/8/7 | Download

Why we need to backup files

Nowadays, computer is an indispensible piece of equipment in our work, study and entertainment. Bearing with too much workloads and carrying too many files, both desktops and laptops can easily break down, and your important files may get lost or damaged unexpectedly.

In this case, file backup is a necessary initiative to avoid possible data loss due to system errors, hardware failures, malfunctions, viruses & malware, etc. With it, even if an accident occurs, we can retrieve these files. But how can we do it, is there any file backup freeware available?

What is the best free file backup option in Windows

File backup means a copy of certain files. The easiest way to do it may be using the manual copy & paste to make a duplication in another location (like external backup or USB flash drive). But in practice, keeping an intact copy is neither conducive to saving space nor to keeping different versions of files, so you usually need to use some means to make file backups smarter. Anyway, I'd like to introduces you 3 free options availble in Windows 11/10/8/7/etc.

Option 1: Create a scheduled xcopy or robocopy task

If you are relatively familiar with computer operations and are not averse to using the command line, then you may consider using the Xcopy or Robocopy commands. They can help you copy files & folders to another location with some optional parameters. Besides, you can use the Windows Task Scheduler to automate the task. Here's a detailed guide to create a scheduled task to copy folders.

However, as mentioned above, the file copy method is quite space-consuming, and for users who are not familiar with the command line, it is easier to make mistakes when entering commands.

Option 2: File History

File History is a native utility to back up files to another drive reguraly. It has been introduced since Windows 8, and widely used in Windows 10 and 11. It's relatively simple to use, you can check this official guide.

But File History also has some limitations. For example, many users find it not backing up all specified files; It's not available in Windows 7 and earlier versions; And in Windows 11, it cannot add non-preset folders to backup...many other problems may arise during using it.

Option 3: File backup freeware

Rather than copying files, you may use specialized software to back up files into a compressed image file. In this way, the files themselves as well as the properties, structures will all be saved into a single file. You can also run a scheduled file backup to save different versions of data in change.

Besides file backup, there are other backup types to suit your recovery needs, like partition backup, system backup and disk backup. Keep reading to get its download and step-by-step guide.

Quick Navigation:

• Efficient and reliable file backup freeware - AOMEI Backupper

• How to run scheduled file backup with the freeware (step-by-step)

Efficient and reliable file backup freeware - AOMEI Backupper

AOMEI Backupper Standard is powerful and free file backup software designed for Windows PCs:

Backup Objects: It helps to backup and restore files, OS, and entire disks within several simple clicks. And recently it adds a new feature called Cloud Backup, with it, you can directly backup files to AOMEI Cloud without installing the cloud drive desktop app.
Target Devices: It can backup files to internal/external hard drive, USB flash drive, network share, NAS, cloud, etc.
Auxiliary Functions: There are more useful options such as flexible schedule backup, full or incremental backup, backup compression, comment, etc.
Disk Clone: It can also clone partitions and disks, such as clone NTFS drive, clone larger HDD to smaller SSD.

As for file backup, you are allowed to select different kinds of files to be backed up, like documents, pictures, and music. You can also select certain folders that you want to backup.

I will demonstrate its operation in the following part, you can download the file backup freeware to proceed:

How to run scheduled file backup with the freeware (step-by-step)

With a concise and intuitive interface, AOMEI Backupper makes it easy for you to create backups. Once started, it will lead you to go through all steps. Learn how to run file backup for free in detail below.

Step 1. Launch the main interface, choose “Backup” on the left, and then choose “File Backup”. Based on your needs, you can also choose other options accordingly.

Step 2. Click “Add Folder” or “Add File” to select the data that need to be backed up.

✍ Tips: You are allowed to backup multiple files and folders at once. In case that you made a wrong choice, you can delete it by clicking the dustbin icon shown at the right edge of the selected file/folder.

Step 3. Click the second bar on the main interface and choose a destination. You can also Select a cloud drive or Add Share or NAS Devices as you need.

Step 4. Click “Start Backup” on the lower right corner and the software will start to work. When it's complete, click “Finish” to exit the interface.

✤Before Start Backup, you can customize the backup as following:

• Options: Manage backup compression, splitting, encryption, comments, email notification, etc.
• Schedule Backup: Set up daily/weekly/monthly/event triggers/USB plug in backups. The last 2 options are available in Professional edition.
• Backup Scheme: Choose backup method, and enable backup cleanup to auto delete backup files that exceeds the retention policy (requires advanced editions).

When the backup finishes, you can check out whether data have been backed up to your destination as planned.

Verdict

This article offers 3 options to perform file backup for free. Given the convenience and intelligence of the operation, it's recommended to use a free file backup software to protect your important files from all kinds of threats.

AOMEI Backupper is the best file backup freeware for Windows users. Besides the functions mentioned above, it has many other special settings. For example, if you want your files or disks to be backed up every certain period of time, instead of handing the same operation every time, you can set a backup schedule.