Schedule Automatic File Backup in Windows 10 (3 Ways)

🌟 Video Guide: How to Schedule Automatic Backup in Windows 10

(*This video presents the easiest way to create Windows 10 automatic backup - using AOMEI Backupper. To learn more ways, please read below.)

Why create Windows 10 automatic backup?

Windows 10 is the most popular operating system still now and has a very large number of users. As time goes by, you may accumulate some important data on it, such as user account and password, family photos, browser history, working documents, etc, and don't want to lose them.  

At this time, the best way is to create an exact copy of your files, and you need to do so every time you modify or add a new file. However, you can't guarantee that you'll be able to make a timely file backup every time.  If not, you will lose these files or changes that are not backed up.

In order to keep changes on all files, you need to schedule automatic file backup in Windows 10. And here are some other merits: 

• Build a constant and effective backup image. It will include everything on Windows 10, if you backup Windows 10 to external hard drive, in the event of hard drive failure, system crash, blue screen, virus infection, and similar disasters, all important data can be recovered in a short time.

• An effortless way to restore files,  settings, OS, etc on Windows 10. Maybe out of work reasons, maybe system slugging, some users would restore files and settings from backup in Windows 10 frequently. The continuous backup makes the intention possible and effortless.

In a word, creating a scheduled automatic backup in Windows 10 can do no harm but good, especially in the long term. If you are interested, please continue to see below and learn how to complete the task easily.

How to schedule automatic backup in Windows 10 effectively

The following will illustrate 3 ways on how to create a scheduled automatic backup in Windows 10.

The built-in tools File History and Backup and Restore (Windows 7) come to your mind first. Both of them help you schedule backup user's files in Windows 10 but with different frequencies. The second one allows you to include a system image while backing up your files and folders.

Besides, you can also use free backup software - AOMEI Backupper Standard. It makes Windows 10 auto backup files, partition(s), system, or disk, and takes care of backup image size and disk space issues.

✍ Where to store backup images?

For Windows 10 folder backup, you can choose to backup files to the internal or external disk, USB drive, or network drive. 

✍ How often to create backup images?

It depends on how often you make changes to your files and folders. In short the more often the faster.

✍ How to keep backup images?

Considering the accumulated backup images and limited disk space, you cannot keep backups forever but with a shorter time. So there is always enough space to store new backups.

Now, let's get started.

Way 1. Schedule Windows 10 automatic backup via File History

File History is the primary Windows 10 backup software that backup all folders in the user account folder (C: /Users/account name) including desktop, documents, pictures, music, downloads, OneDrive, etc. You can also add any other folder elsewhere on your computer.

Steps to set scheduled folder backup in Windows 10 with File History:

Step 1. Click Start > Click Settings option > choose Update & security > Click Backup.

Step 2. Click the “+” next to Add a drive and choose the drive or network location to store the backup files.

Step 3. Click More options to access the Backup options screen and set backup settings. 

Here are 3 backup settings:

✍ Back up my files: The default backup time is every hour and there are other 8 choices, the shortest time is every 10 minutes and the longest is daily.

✍ Keep my backups: By default, this software will keep backup images forever if you don't change it, and you may receive the backup disk full issue sooner or later. Please select a shorter backup retention.

✍ Add a folder: It allows you to backup specific folder in Windows 10, even if it is not in the user folder.

Step 4. Confirm you add all the files or folders you want to backup, back to the Overview section, and click Back up now to schedule automatic file backup in Windows 10.

Step 5. If your backup disk is full, scroll down to Stop using drive, click on it to stop this backup task, and add a new one.  It will not delete the previous backup on that drive.

✎... How to restore the backup files

If you accidentally delete a file/folder, you can perform Windows 10 File History restore to recover the file/folder. Two methods are available.

1. Go to Control Panel > System and Security > File History > Restore personal files. Browse and find the files you want to restore.

2. To restore a previous version of a file: right-click the file select Properties and go to the Previous Versions tab > choose a restore point and restore it.

Way 2. Schedule file backup in Windows 10 with Backup and Restore (Windows 7)

Windows 10 inherits Backup and Restore in Windows 7 and you can find it in Control Panel. It can help you do the following two things:

• backup user files on your computer. 
• create system image backup including everything on your system drive. When you meet a serious problem like system crash, the system image backup can help you restore your computer to a previous status that works normally.

Here take file backup as an example and you can choose whether to include a system image:

Steps to set scheduled file backup with Backup and Restore (Windows 7):

Step 1. Go to Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 2. Click Set up backup on the right side.

Step 3. Choose one internal or external drive to save the backup and click Next. You can also backup Windows 10 to network drive.

Step 4. Let Windows choose what to backup or decide by you. Click Next to continue.

✍  Let Windows choose: It will save the files saved in libraries, on the desktop as well as create a system image. 

✍ Let me choose: It allows you to choose files or folders at any location and whether to include a system image of drives.

Step 5. By default, this software will run backup on a schedule - every week at 7:00 PM. Click Change Schedule to customize this task and click Save settings and run the backup. Wait until it finishes and it will create an incremental backup at the next schedule time.

✎... How to manage backup space

Open Backup and Restore (Windows 7) and click Manage space this time. You will see both Data file backup and System image. 

✍ Click Data file backup and you will see all the old backup images. Click Delete to remove old backups until there is more space for new backup.

✍ Click System image and select Keep only the latest system image and minimize space used by backup

You can also click Change Settings to access the Review your backup settings window and select Daily, Monthly, Monday to Saturday, and any time you prefer.

✎... How to restore files or system image

1. To restore certain files or folders, go to the Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7) > click the Restore my files button.

2. To restore the system, go to Settings > Update & security > Recovery > Advanced startup > Restart now. Go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options when your computer restarts, and click System image recovery.

Way 3. Schedule automatic backup files in Windows 10 (Easier)

It is a wise choice to use excellent professional backup software that can achieve twice the result with half the effort in doing Windows 10 scheduled backup. AOMEI Backupper Standard is such software, and you can benefit from the following advantages:

All-in-one backup solution: It supports File Backup, Partition Backup, System Backup, Disk Backup, and Cloud Backup.

Different backup frequencies: It offers you Daily, Weekly, and Monthly. On the advanced edition, you can also enjoy Event triggers and USB plug-in features.

 Reduce backup image size: It offers you Incremental Backup, Normal Compression, Automatic Splitting, etc to make backup image smaller, and you don't even need to set it up.  

Rich backup destination: It allows you to backup files to any recognized device, such as internal or external disk, USB, network drive, NAS, cloud drive, etc.

Here is the full guide for creating a scheduled file backup in Windows 10. Note that this guide also applies to schedule backup of Windows 11, 8, 8.1, 7, XP, and Vista. For server users, try AOMEI Backupper Server!

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

Step 2. Click Add File or Add Folder to select the files or folders you want to back up. 

Step 3. Click the second box and choose a local path, network or NAS, or cloud drive to store file backup image.

Step 4. To automatically backup files in Windows 10, click Schedule Backup and select Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event trigger, or USB plug in. The last two options are available on the professional version.  

Notes:

• Options: you can comment on the task here. You can also do Windows 10 backup encryption (available in advanced versions).
• Backup Scheme: you can use differential backup as well as cleanup methods to delete old backup images automatically. It is the most effective way to resolve backup disk full issue and the process is automatic too.

Step 5. Afterward, click "Start Backup" to schedule automatic backup files in Windows 10. And it will create an incremental backup at the next scheduled time as well.

A backup without being tested is no backup at all. After the backup is done, you can check its integrity and explore the backup image with options in the Tools tab.

✎... How to restore files from backup

To restore a file backup is also quite easy, just go to Restore tab> find the backup task > select files or folders you want restore > select a location to receive these files and click Start Restore. 

You can also perform selective file restore (with Explore Image) or restore to dissimilar hardware if you create system or disk backup.

Verdict

In summary, backup is important that’s why Windows gives approaches to do it. And a long-term backup will be more important. Therefore, scheduled backup or automatic backup for Windows 10 is urgent and vital.

As to the way to backup, my recommendation is the last free backup software since it gives a better experience while backing up. Further, features are more helpful and practical. You can make a bootable USB drive to do operations without booting Windows. It is also a way to restore Windows system image from boot. Go for it and have a try.