What’s a practical way to back up files on a Windows PC?

[Daniel.w]

i’m looking at ways to keep personal files backed up to an external drive, ideally with older versions available if I accidentally change or delete something. Windows has built-in backup options, but there are also third-party programs, and it’s not clear which are easiest to restore from when you actually need them.

For this kind of setup, is File History enough, or is there another approach or program you’d recommend? I’m mainly interested in something simple to check and restore, rather than a complicated backup system.

 

[Jorn Keis]

The main distinction is whether you want versions saved automatically or prefer to decide when to save each revision.

For automatic backups, File History is a reasonable starting point. It can keep older versions of your personal files on an external drive. Check that your important folders are included, then test restoring an older version of a sample file.

For manually saved revisions, a version control system such as SVN, with TortoiseSVN as the Windows client, lets you commit changes when you reach a point worth keeping and add a note describing them. That makes more sense for project files than for general personal-file backups, and the repository itself still needs backing up.

Since you mentioned simplicity and accidental changes or deletions, I’d start with File History. Manual version control is useful if you specifically want to choose and label each revision.

 

[energie8]

You would want to copy the files to your external drive with a synchronizer that is able to mirror your files exactly as they are.
There are many third-party apps that can do that. Myself, I use Syncovery Premium.