How to backup my laptop to external hard drive? If you have the same question, scroll down to get a complete guide.
Speaking of backing up laptop, there are generally two scenarios:
You may choose an external hard drive as the backup location for the following reasons:
Then, how to backup Windows 10 laptop to external hard drive? Please continue reading.
To backup your laptop in Windows 10/11, you need reliable backup tools. Here are the top 3 choices on my list.
1. AOMEI Backupper Standard
AOMEI Backupper Standard is free backup and recovery software designed for Windows systems. It offers a range of features to ensure data protection and system stability.
Download AOMEI Backupper right now!
Best free Windows backup software for personal use.
👉 How-to guide: Backup laptop files, backup laptop OS
2. File History
File History is a built-in backup feature in Windows 10 and Windows 11 that automatically backs up files and folders to an external drive or network location.
👉 How-to guide: Backup laptop files
3. Backup and Restore (Windows 7):
Although Backup and Restore is primarily associated with Windows 7, it is still available as a legacy feature in Windows 10 and Windows 11, providing basic backup and recovery functionality.
👉 How-to guide: Backup laptop OS
This part offers you two ways to backup laptop files. Learn how to backup laptop to external drive in detail below.
Note: Before you create a backup, connect an external hard drive to your laptop and make sure it is recognized by Windows.
Step 1. Install and open AOMEI Backupper. In the left tab page, select Backup > File Backup.
Step 2. Give the backup a distinguishable name in the “Task Name” box. Then, click Add File or Add Folder to choose the files/folders you want to backup.
Step 3. Choose the external hard drive you prepared as the destination path to store the backup image.
Step 4. Enable Schedule Backup based on your need. Confirm your settings and click Start Backup to launch the backup process.
Step 1. Type “backup” in the search box and choose Backup settings from the result list.
Step 2. In the initial backup window, click + Add a drive button and select the prepared external hard drive. Then, it will turn on the slide button under “Automatically back up my files” link.
Step 3. Click More options to set File History backup settings. By default, the backup interval is "Every hour" while backup retention is "Forever".
Step 4. Click Add a folder under the “Back up these folders” section and choose specific folders you want to backup in Windows 10/11. Afterward, click Back up now at the top location and start your first file backup.
This part offers you two ways to backup laptop OS. Learn how to backup my laptop to external hard drive in detail below.
Note: Before you create a backup, connect an external hard drive to your laptop and make sure it is recognized by Windows.
Step 1. Open AOMEI Backupper. Click Backup and then select System Backup.
Step 2. The program automatically chooses the system-related partition(s) as the source data. Just choose the external drive to store the system image.
Step 3. Confirm the operation and click Start Backup to begin backing up your laptop OS.
Step 1. Type “backup” in the search box and choose Backup settings from the result list.
Step 2. In the next window, click Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
Step 3. In the pop-up window, click the Create a system image option from the left pane.
Step 4. Choose the external drive to save your system image, and click Next.
Step 5. The drives that are required for Windows to run are included in the backup by default. Add any other drives to be backed up as you wish and click Next.
Step 6. Confirm your settings, and then click Start backup.
That’s all about how to backup laptop to external hard drive in Windows 10/11. To backup laptop files, you may choose AOMEI Backupper or File History. To backup laptop OS, you may choose AOMEI Backupper or Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
As you see, AOMEI Backupper offers you all-around Windows backup solutions. You can backup any content to different locations as per your need. What’s more, AOMEI Backupper works as the best SSD data migration software. Don’t hesitate to try it out!