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31 Best Free Backup Software Tools (August )
Options are available for encryption, compression, and file types that should be excluded from compression. Personal Backup allows a total of 16 backup jobs to be created, each of which can have their own scheduling options and incremental or differential backup type. To use Personal Backup, you must download the proper bit or bit version that matches your version of Windows.
We find Personal Backup to be very cluttered, making it hard to find what you’re looking for because nearly all the settings are simply thrown into the program interface with seemingly no organization. However, it does update a lot, which is a good sign that it’s constantly trying to improve.
The bit version runs on Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7, as well as Windows Server R2, , , and Windows Vista and XP users can install the bit version. Incremental backups are also supported. Settings are available to compress a backup and manage how much splitting, if any, should be done to cut the backup into smaller pieces. Restoring data is as easy as selecting the backup image and choosing the drive to restore it to.
Also, the setup file is over MB, so it could take some time to finish downloading. Take note that you need to register for a free user account on their website before you can fully use the program. That, or log in via another account when you first open the program, like your Google account. There is no restore function, and everything that’s on the destination disk is wiped clean before XXCLONE beings backing up the source drive’s files. You’re able to adjust the speed of the backup as well as make the destination drive bootable.
We tested this program in Windows 10, 8 and 7, but it should also work for Windows 11, Vista, and XP. PING is a program that runs straight off bootable media like a disc. It lets you back up one or more partitions to a file. There isn’t a graphical interface when using PING, so you must be somewhat comfortable with a text-only navigation screen to use this program.
You have the option to back up partitions to a local or external drive as well as to a network share or FTP server. When selecting the correct source and destination drive for a backup or restore, it’s actually a bit difficult to determine which drive is which. PING does not show you the name of the drive or the size, but instead just the first few files that are located on the disk. This is only slightly helpful when determining the right disk to select. You can compress a backup and optionally set it up for incremental backups in the future, both of which are options you’re asked before starting a backup.
When restoring a backup with PING, you’re required to know the exact path of the backed up files. You’re unable to “browse” for the files like you can when an operating system is loaded, so you must know the exact path to the files to successfully restore them.
After logging in on the download page, choose the stand-alone ISO link. This program, nor backing up in general, has anything to do with the more commonly known computer term ping , as in the ping command. Areca Backup makes it simple to add new files to a backup job by supporting drag and drop. You can save a backup to any internal drive, FTP site, or network folder.
Backing up to external hardware is not supported. We’ve ranked Areca Backup this low on the list because it isn’t as easy to use as most of the other programs you see here.
Visit the Areca official website for tutorials and manuals. We were able to get this program to work with Windows 10, 7, and XP, but it may also work in other versions of Windows. CopyWipe is a backup program that can run outside of Windows on a disc or from within Windows like a regular program, though both options are text-only, non-GUI versions. It backs up entire hard drives to other hard drives, supporting both internal and external devices like flash drives.
You can copy hard drives even if they’re different sizes by choosing to scale drives or do a raw copy so that everything is copied, both used and unused space. You must confirm a copy before starting, which is a good thing, but CopyWipe doesn’t provide any identifiable details to differentiate between the drives, which means you must use Disk Management to know which one is Hard Drive 0 , Hard Drive 1 , etc. We tested the most recent version in Windows 10, 8, and 7, and it worked just as advertised so long as the program ran as an administrator.
It should also work for Windows 11 and older versions of Windows. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests.
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He’s been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. Reviewed by Jerrick Leger. He is also a systems administrator for an IT firm in Texas serving small businesses. Tweet Share Email. Apps Best Apps Payment Services.
What We Like. What We Don’t Like. Download Cobian Reflector. Download FileFort Backup. Download BackUp Maker. EaseUS Todo can backup your entire system, whole drives or partitions, and individual files and folders. It allows you to restore files up to two weeks in the past — and even lets you back up your files to the cloud. The tool lets you select a backup schedule and backup type full, differential, or incremental according to your requirements.
Differential and incremental backups are smaller than full backups — and hence faster to make — but take more time to restore. EaseUS Todo can compress your data to save disk space.
If you want, you can also password protect your data. One of the most notable features of this free system backup software is Pre-OS. It allows you to run the software before Windows starts without having to use a flash drive or a disc to run it. Nor will you be able to schedule event-based backups. However, these features — while useful — are not something that most users will miss much.
I made several backups to check how EaseUS Todo impacts computer performance and am happy to report that the program runs peacefully in the background, without affecting other processes.
EaseUS Todo has got all the important bases covered and much to offer. It provides all the regular features and some more, like smart backups and pre-OS software. Its performance is up to the mark and email support satisfactory. Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office is an old player in the backup game. It started as a disk imaging program — but now is the best all-in-one backup suite and comes loaded with several advanced features, like ransomware protection.
It tells you what the software can do and how to use it. The user interface is clean and intuitive, featuring seven large tabs in the left panel that cover all the primary features and settings. The best thing about Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office is that it backs up your entire drive on the cloud but not an external or a locally networked drive.
It is also a complete Windows backup solution in the true sense, letting you make backups on the local drive, an external disk, and on the cloud. It also offers more backup-scheduling options than most other tools, including a unique option called Upon Event. You can use it to create backups at special instances, like when you connect an external hard drive. Another feature unique to Acronis is ransomware protection, which monitors your data for unusual file modifications.
Unlike Backblaze, this data backup software also offers Facebook and Instagram backups so that you never lose that content. With Acronis, you can even remotely manage and modify your system using a mobile device. Cool, eh? It has also got you covered if you want the added protection of a private encryption key. In case a problem occurs, you can quickly roll back to your previous state. The only downside is that the basic one-year plan offers GB free cloud storage, which may not be enough in the long run if you have an extensive collection of videos and photos.
Registered users enjoy access to hour technical support via phone. Its performance was equally impressive during restoration, downloading 1 GB of video and photo files in nine minutes.
If you like it, you can purchase any of these three plans:. Based in California, IDrive has been in the backup business since While its cloud backup plan for personal users is not the cheapest or most featured, it hits high marks across all important categories — pricing, advanced backup features, and performance.
I was able to install the software in a jiffy, and the user interface is simple yet effective. There are six buttons in the left pane, which between themselves cover all the primary functions and features. IDrive has you covered. It lets you backup as many computers as you like, including external or locally networked drives.
However, you may want to go a little easy on it because the space offered is limited 2 TB in the Personal plan. Like most cloud backup programs, IDrive backs up only user files — not system or application files. IDrive offers a courier service, IDrive Express, which lets you request a physical hard drive to perform an initial backup. Once you return the drive, the company will upload your files to its cloud servers. You can create one such backup a year for free. Additionally, IDrive allows you to use this service once a year for free to restore large amounts of files from an existing backup.
Simply attach an external drive and click the Disk Image Backup button. Unlike most file backup software, it supports endless versioning, keeping up to 10 older versions of deleted or updated files forever.
However, unlike Acronis and Backblaze, IDrive makes continuous backups. But the good part is that it does offer some advanced features, like File Syncing. You can sync selected files across different computers with a single click. Another useful but somewhat limited feature is File Sharing, which allows you to share files with other IDrive users.
Like Backblaze and Acronis, IDrive encrypts data at the client site but also supports a private encryption key. You can choose to use the default encryption or add private encryption when you set up your IDrive account. IDrive is not only suitable for personal users — but also tailor-made for small businesses. IDrive is compatible with Windows 10, 8. Among Windows servers, it supports Windows Server , , IDrive uploaded data faster than other cloud backup solutions for Windows I tested.
It took 1 hr and 28 mins to complete my initial upload of 16 GB files. However, its download speed is nothing to rave about. IDrive offers a free basic plan — but it can work as an online-syncing solution at best since you get only 5 GB space.
It is reasonably-priced, puts in a good performance, offers technical support via phone, and provides some advanced features like file syncing. Backblaze is one of the top names in the cloud backup niche. While there are many who offer better sets of features, few make backups as convenient and cost-effective as Backblaze.
Backblaze offers unlimited cloud storage, which is truly awesome. Backblaze takes the worry of scheduling backups off your shoulders by backing up non-stop by default. Note: iDrive even supports Windows Phone. Do NOT lose it, as it is absolutely required to restore your data. Sadly, using your own key often limits the types of services e. Reliability: Generally speaking, data centers are backed up to the hilt.
Some of the larger ones even back up to different geographical locations. If there are too many outages in service, buy accordingly. Speed: Speed, in many cases, is far more dependent upon your broadband connection than that of the online service, though the geographical location of the storage and the equipment in between can make a significant difference.
Check the location of the data servers if speed is important to you. Or, just give the trial a whirl and see if you can live with it. Cobian Backup is the most advanced free backup tool around, and might be overkill for new users, but if you know exactly how you want to configure your backups then you can be confident it’ll give you the flexibility you need.
Cobian Backup can be used to create and schedule multiple backup jobs, and files can be archived to another local hard drive, network location or, if you have access to one, an FTP server. It can back up to multiple locations at the same time, so it’s possible to run multiple backup jobs simultaneously.
Backups can be compressed to save space, and there’s optional encryption to keep your data secure. Cobian Backup loses when it comes time to restore data — there’s no simple wizard to automate the process, so you’re left on your own having to copy files back into place, decrypting and decompressing first if necessary.
Still, for backing up your most valuable data, this is one of the most comprehensive tools out there. Read our full Cobian Backup review. A couple of other software applications worth considering are cloud backup software include the cloud backup solutions listed below. Although you install the application on your PC or other devices, your files are backed up in the cloud.
This means not only do you have an easy way to recover those files if your PC or hardware fails, but you can also ensure that your backup is continuous, as well as accessible from any device through synchronization. Microsoft OneDrive opens in new tab is the backup and sync storage option bundled with Microsoft Office There is a free version that allows up to 10GB of storage and there are paid options to upgrade, but this can prove expensive over the long term if you want to backup and sync a sizable hard drive.
Even still, it’s useful to keep the most essential files safe. What makes OneDrive potentially ideal is if you also have a subscription to Office opens in new tab , as that entitles you to a huge 1TB of cloud storage.
Dropbox opens in new tab is another cloud server that allows you to save important documents online, again being free to use with the same limitations as above. But as before, the ability to save a smaller number of essential files, such as for work, study, creative projects, and similar, can be invaluable.
We’ve also compiled a list of the best online photo storage services. Also, you can use a cloud backup so that you will be able to access and sync your files and folders between multiple devices.
There are both paid and free versions of data recovery programs. Here, you can get familiar with free backup software and choose the one that suits you the most. Verdict: AomeiTech is free server backup software for PCs and laptops. It has a disk partition manager, which will help you keep your data safe and manage hard drives. You can use it on different versions of Windows. Aomei is suitable for both home and business use. It offers automatic or scheduled backup.
Verdict: Iperius Backup is free windows backup software for different uses. It offers Ransom ware protection to encrypted files. This software can run many simultaneous backups and creates detailed reports after. It performs a backup of the disk image, with which you can fully restore the server in case of a system failure or crash.
Data backup software for pc free
Ashampoo® Backup Pro EaseUS Todo Backup.
– Data backup software for pc free
Among the free programs we tested, Backupper Standard wins primarily because it has the most features, including imaging, file backup, disk. AOMEI Backupper Standard is the best free backup software for Windows 11/10//8/7/Vista/XP. It enables you to backup Windows OS, files and hard drives. Ashampoo® Backup Pro