Regular data backup is important. Because a hard drive defect can have fatal consequences. In the worst case, family photos and important documents, for example, are irretrievably lost. Windows 11 also provides data backup functions for the network.
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When it comes to backup, a lot remains familiar in Windows 11.
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Windows’ backup functions have always been very rudimentary, and nothing really has changed under Windows 11 either. Microsoft is increasingly relying on
Onedrive
for securing content on the desktop as well as documents and images. By default, 5 GB of storage space is available for this. Microsoft 365 users get 1 TB of cloud storage at no additional cost. You manage the options of Onedrive in the Settings app, which you open with the Windows-I key combination. Then go to “System -› Storage – ›Advanced storage settings” and click on “OneDrive order synchronization”.
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Continue to use file history
If you already have the ”
File history
“Has used, the backup function can continue to be used. However, Microsoft has hidden it again in the old control panel, after it could be found in the Settings app in the meantime. Click the magnifying glass icon in the system tray and enter file history in the search field. Then click the hit to start File History in Control Panel. In addition to a second hard drive, Windows also accepts a USB drive and network drives. In this window click on the link “Select network address” and again in the next window. You may get the message “Network discovery and file sharing are deactivated. Network computers and devices are not visible ”. Click on the message and then on “Enable network discovery and file sharing”. Then select the desired network share – in our example we are using a share on a Synology NAS. If necessary, create a new folder and select it. Immediately afterwards, the target drive is displayed. Click OK”. The file history is not yet active. Now press the “Switch on” button.
Important:
By default, File History only protects files that you save in Windows Libraries. In the “Advanced Settings” you can specify the backup interval (for example “Every hour” or “Daily”) and the retention period (for example “1 month”).
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To restore files, right-click the folder in Explorer where the lost file was saved. Go to “Restore previous versions”. You will see a list of the available backups. Select the version you want. Click the arrow next to Open and click Open in File History. Select the desired file with a click and then click on the green button below. Windows will restore the file to the original folder.
Alternative backup tool for Windows 11
You do not need any software to back up data in the network. We recommend the free tool Aomei Backupper Standard. This allows you to save folders and files as well as your entire Windows PC as an image file. The extras include password protection, compression of the backup archives and backup schedules, and the choice between full backups and incremental backups. A NAS can also be addressed with AOMEI Backupper, both as a source and as a destination for storing a backup. To do this, assign a drive letter to the NAS in Windows Explorer on the “Computer” tab and “Map network drive”.
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