You can move files back onto your computer whenever you want. Though cloud storage is a great backup option, there are a few risks. Cloud storage services can be and have been hacked, most recently in when a security breach of Apple's iCloud service exposed several celebrity photos. Another risk is if the cloud storage company goes out of business and shuts down operations, which happened with smaller cloud storage service Firedrive. If this happens, you won't be able to access any of the files you've stored in your account.
Other drawbacks include files taking a long time to upload to your cloud folder, which can eat up your Internet bandwidth and slow down your connection temporarily. Additionally, without an Internet connection, you might not be able to access any files stored in your account. Cloud storage is inexpensive, with many companies giving you small amounts of free storage.
Cloud storage is a great choice for anyone who wants to back up photos, since many companies have mobile apps that automatically upload photos and video you take with a phone or tablet, right after you record them.
For help picking a cloud storage service, check out CNET's comprehensive guide to the most popular choices. The different storage methods mentioned above are great for anyone, since they are easy to use and usually inexpensive. But if you need a more advanced option, there's the complete backup and network attached storage NAS. Programs such as CrashPlan and Carbonite continuously back up entire folders on your hard drive, instead of just a few files that you choose.
Those applications can also back up your entire hard drive, if you want them to. Then there are tools that take a system image of your machine -- basically a snapshot of all of the files and settings at a particular time -- that you can use in case your computer crashes or you somehow lose a large swath of files.
On Mac, the built-in Time Machine program does this, while Windows has its own system image backup tool. For more robust local storage that's also available online, there's NAS. A NAS server is essentially one or more hard drives connected to your computer over an Internet connection.
It's like your own personal cloud. They can be pricy and a bit complicated to set up, but for serious storage needs, they are well worth it. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy , which we encourage you to read.
Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. Back to basics: The three easiest ways to back up your files In the back of your mind, you know you need to back up all of your files and pictures. The wikiHow Tech Team also followed the article's instructions and verified that they work. This article has been viewed 48, times. This wikiHow teaches you how to save a copy of your Windows 10 computer files.
Connect your external hard drive or USB drive to your computer. Open Start 3. Click the settings gear. Click Backup 6. Select your drive, then click More options 8. Click Back up now Did this summary help you? Yes No. Log in Social login does not work in incognito and private browsers. Please log in with your username or email to continue.
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Download Article Explore this Article Steps. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Attach your external drive to your computer.
If you're using a flash drive, plug it directly into the USB slot. Open the Settings app. Click Backup. This tab is on the left side of the settings app.
Click Add a drive. It's a grey button at the top of the Backup page. Doing so will scan your computer for a removable drive—in this case, your external hard drive or flash drive. Select your drive. Click your external drive's name in the Add a Drive drop-down menu. It also describes how to use the data tools in Windows to back up your files and settings.
The simplest method is to manually back up your files and settings to removable media or a network location. You can specify the files and settings that you want to back up and how often you want to perform a backup. You can back up files to a different computer or a network device if your computer is connected to a network such as a wireless network. To manually copy your files to a network location or to removable media on a computer that is running Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Windows Server , follow these steps:.
Open the Users folder, and then open the user folder that contains the files that you want to back up. To determine the size of all the files in the user folder, select all the folders, right-click those selected folders, and then click Properties. The saved files can be copied to any computer. However, you must have corresponding applications installed on that computer to open those individual files.
Not all applications save their files to the user folder. You should make sure that you check other applications and the file system location where the applications save files by default, and then copy those files to the network location or to the removable media. The next easiest method is to use the Easy Transfer feature in Windows to transfer data to a different computer.
This section discusses the following scenarios in which you can use the Easy Transfer feature to back up data to a different computer:. The Windows Easy Transfer feature lets you to back up user account files and settings. Then you can restore those files and settings to a new computer. To start Windows Easy Transfer, follow these steps:. If you want to move your data from a Windows 7-based computer to a Windows Vista-based computer, use the Windows Vista version of Windows Easy Transfer.
To do this, follow these steps:. Open the support folder, and then open the migwiz folder. Then you can restore those files and settings to the new computer. Click Next. If you are prompted to close programs, make sure that you have saved any open documents, and then click Close all.
As a precaution, you can use the Backup and Restore Center feature in Windows 7 and Windows Vista to back up your data.
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