How to Back Up Your Windows PC Before a Transfer

Step by step

1. 1 min

   Connect your external storage device

   Plug your external hard drive or SSD into a USB 3.0 or higher port on your PC. Ensure the drive is formatted correctly by opening File Explorer, right-clicking the drive, selecting Format, and choosing NTFS.

   Note: Use an SSD for significantly faster backup transfer speeds compared to traditional mechanical hard drives.
2. 2 min

   Enable Windows File History

   Navigate to Settings > System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Backup options. Select Add a drive under the File History section and choose your external storage device. Toggle the Automatically back up my files switch to On.

3. 3 min

   Sync files to OneDrive

   Open the OneDrive settings menu by clicking the cloud icon in the taskbar notification area. Select Settings > Sync and backup > Manage backup to choose the Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders for cloud synchronization. This ensures your active files are available immediately on your new device.

   Note: Verify that your OneDrive storage quota is sufficient before starting the sync process.
4. 1 min

   Capture your browser bookmarks and passwords

   Open your primary browser, navigate to Settings, and ensure you are signed in to your profile. Sync your profile to ensure bookmarks, passwords, and extensions are uploaded to your account cloud. If not using a cloud profile, select Export Bookmarks from the browser management menu to save an HTML file to your external drive.

   Note: Password managers like Bitwarden or 1Password make this step unnecessary if configured globally.
5. 1 min

   Validate backup integrity

   Open File Explorer and navigate to your external drive. Confirm the presence of the FileHistory folder and check that recently modified files are present within the backup directory. Open a random selection of files to ensure they are not corrupted.

   Note: Windows + E