Three Built-In Options to Back Up Your Data on Windows 10

Best Practices for Backing Up and Securing Your Personal Files

Here are some tips on how to back up and encrypt your files to keep them safe and secure.

Your documents, photos, videos, and other files are irreplaceable as well as private. For that reason, you want to take the proper precautions to not only protect those files but also secure them so they can’t be read or seen by the wrong people.

Windows offers you various features to back up your files, such as File History and Backup and Restore. The OS provides tools such as BitLocker to secure and encrypt your files and hard drive. More specifically, programs such as Microsoft Word and Excel offer ways to encrypt and restrict your documents so they can’t be viewed or edited without the right password.

Let’s check out some best practices for protecting and securing your files.

File History

First, you want to make sure your personal files are being backed up so they exist in more than one place. In Windows 10, the easiest option is to turn on File History. Open Settings and then Update & Security. Select the setting for Back up. Under Back up using File History, click on the button to Add a drive. Choose an external drive or network drive to store your backups. Click on the link for More Options. Select the frequency of the backups and how long to keep them. Remove any folders you don’t want to back up. Make sure the folders for your personal files are included. Click on the button to Back up now to manually back up your files; otherwise, close Settings.

The backup will run based on the interval you set. If you ever need to view or restore a file backup, just browse the destination drive for it.

Backup and Restore

This option can back up your entire hard drive, or you can specify just your personal folders and files. You can run the backup manually or set a recurring schedule. At the Settings screen for Backup, click on the link to Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7). At the Control Panel screen, click on the link to Set up backup. Choose your backup location, such as an external drive or network share. Select the folders you want to back up.

You can include a system image and a repair disc as part of the backup if Windows ever becomes unbootable. Save your settings and run the backup. If you ever need to recover a file, just check the destination media for it.

Backing Up Online

Another effective strategy is to use an online backup service in addition to a Windows backup. The advantage here is that the files are available if something goes wrong with your local backup. You can use any storage site for backing up your files – Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, iCloud Drive.

For me, the most convenient option is to use a service like Microsoft OneDrive as it automatically backs up and syncs your documents and personal files in the cloud and across all your Windows devices. If you lose a file on one computer, you can turn to another computer with OneDrive and check your online OneDrive storage for the file.

Your online files are protected and encrypted by Microsoft, however, you still should use a strong, complex password for your Microsoft Account to secure them.

BitLocker

BitLocker is a built-in Windows security tool that encrypts your entire hard drive to prevent someone from accessing it. Specifically, BitLocker detects if someone attempts to use your hard drive on another PC or tries to boot up your PC using a DVD or flash drive. In those cases, BitLocker prevents access to your encrypted drive. You can use BitLocker to encrypt portable flash drives as well as hard drives.

BitLocker doesn’t support the Home versions of Windows, so you’ll need the Pro or Enterprise edition.

To access the tool, open Control Panel in icon view and double-click the icon for BitLocker Drive Encryption. From here, you can turn on BitLocker for your hard drive or a USB drive. The best way to learn how to set up and use BitLocker is through my article on “How to Secure Your PC’s Disk Drives with BitLocker.”

Protect Microsoft Office Documents and Files

Do you have specific Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, or PowerPoint presentations that you want to protect? Microsoft offers a variety of options for securing those files. To access the different options in each program in the latest versions of Office, click on the File menu and then click the Protect (Document, Workbook, or Presentation) button.

The first option for Always Open Read-Only works the same across Word, Excel, and PowerPoint by launching the file in read-only mode. The person reading the file can easily click on a button to edit it, so this option isn’t designed to secure the file but to prevent against accidental changes.

The second option to Encrypt with Password prompts you to create a password for the file. The password is required to open the file, so this option is meant to stop any unauthorized access. I’d recommend this option for private or sensitive files, especially ones that you save on a laptop or keep online.

For Microsoft Word, the next option for Restrict Editing allows you to select certain sections of the document that people can’t edit without a password. For Excel, the next two options for Protect Current Sheet and Protect Workbook and Protect Workbook Structure also restricts the changes someone can make to your worksheet and workbook without providing a password.

The next option across all three programs to Add a Digital Signature is a more complex security method that requires you to obtain a signing certificate. In most cases, this level of security isn’t necessary unless the file is highly sensitive.

The final option across the board for Mark as Final alerts the reader that the document is the final version as written and edited by you as the author and hasn’t been modified by anyone else.

To learn more about securing and encrypting your Word documents and other Office files, check out my article on “How to Protect Your Microsoft Word Documents.”

Three Built-In Options to Back Up Your Data on Windows 10

Don’t wait until you need a backup to realize that you don’t have a backup.

Our data is worth a lot from personal, professional and financial perspectives. That same data is also vulnerable because it sits on personal computing systems under siege from malicious software and failing hardware.

However, by taking proactive steps you can protect your data and make it easy to get a failed system back up and running quickly.

Windows 10 has multiple built-in options for backing up and protecting your data. I want to lay them out here for your perusal and consideration for daily use.

OneDrive

Although it is technically syncing your data to the cloud, not backing it up old-school style, OneDrive is a solid solution for protecting your personal data.

It is possible to run Windows 10 and not use OneDrive. However, if you want a constant layer of protection for your files then I recommend you sign into OneDrive using your Microsoft Account (MSA) and take advantage of its new Known Folders protection and file history/versioning backup.

Once activated, the Known Folders option protects key folders on your local device such as your Documents, Pictures, and Desktop and syncs that data to the cloud and other machines using OneDrive with the same MSA. You can also add other folders that are present on your system, but those three are the typical spots users save files on their device. As you add, remove, or edit files throughout the day, they are then synced to the cloud automatically.

OneDrive protects your files from corruption by malware or ransomware by maintaining a second-by-second snapshot of your files at OneDrive.com. This is automatic and does not require any action on your part to activate. If you are then hit with an infection of some type, you can then visit the OneDrive website and restore specific files or everything all at once by selecting a moment in time over the last 30 days.

In a situation where you have a hardware failure and must restore your system after a clean install, all you must do is sign into OneDrive with your MSA and your cloud-based files will once again be available on that device.

One final note, by using OneDrive in this manner to protect your data you also get to use the OneDrive Files On-Demand feature. This allows you to control whether a file stored in OneDrive is only in the cloud or always available on your device. In between those two options, OneDrive will manage certain files for you and store them locally as you use them and then return them to cloud-only status after they are unused for a certain time period. There are settings in Windows 10 Storage Sense to adjust the timeframe those files are retained locally.

For devices with low storage setups, this is a huge plus because you can see what you have in the cloud and only download the file as you need it to conserve storage space.

My choice to protect files is OneDrive as described above. Once it is set up and working, there is nothing else to think about or schedule. The changes are handled automatically, and I never need to think about executing a daily backup of any kind.

I know many will say this is not a traditional backup and I understand that. However, since I started using this process, I have not experienced any catastrophic data loss, and for me, that is a measure of its success.

File History

The Windows 10 File History backup is not new, it was available in Windows 8/8.1 as well, and its approach uses a more traditional form of backup and is a good option for protecting your files. It also uses a form of file versioning to help you restore corrupted files.

File history requires the use of storage media such as a network location or the option of an internal or external storage drive.

You access File History in the legacy Control Panel at Control Panel > System and Security > File History and from there you can restore files and set up the parameters of your File History backups.

There are two key options that need to be selected in order to turn on File History:

• Select Backup Drive
• Select Excluded Folders

By default, File History saves copies of your files every hour and the saved versions are retained forever. You can go into Advanced Settings for File History to adjust those options to your own preference as noted below:

• Save copies of files:
  • Every 10 minutes
  • Every 15 minutes
  • Every 20 minutes
  • Every 30 minutes
  • Every Hour (Default)
  • Every 3 Hours
  • Every 6 Hours
  • Every 12 Hours
  • Daily
• Keep saved versions:
  • Until space is needed
  • 1 month
  • 3 months
  • 6 months
  • 9 months
  • 1 Year
  • 2 Years
  • Forever (Default)

Note: Keep in mind that your choices here can impact network and system performance as files are backed up. I recommend picking settings that land you in a sweet spot of making sure your files are protected but not negatively impacting performance. In other words, not too often but often enough!

Once File History is up and running you should not have to worry about it as it is automatic and runs in the background. If you need to restore any files just go to Control Panel > System and Security > File History and select the Restore personal files option in the left-hand sidebar. Files can be restored to their original or alternative location during the process.

Bonus Tip: Windows 10 File History settings are also accessible at Windows Settings > Update & Security > Backup.

Windows Backup and System Imaging

Now we are getting back toward sold school methods of backing up your system. In fact, the Windows backup in Windows 10 is referred to as Backup and Restore (Windows 7), because the more modern Windows 10 is built to benefit from file backups versus system image backups. OneDrive and File History along with the option to reset Windows 10 in place without reinstalling the operating system, is that preferred combo.

However, Windows Backup is included with Windows 10 because there are still users on Windows 7 who may have used this backup process on their systems. This retains that compatibility and the ability to restore fields from those backups once a user migrates from Windows 7 to Windows 10.

You access this backup option in the legacy Control Panel at Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Just like File History, Windows Backup requires a separate target drive and it can be either physical or network based. During setup, you can let Windows decide on which folders to backup or you can select them manually. If you choose to let Windows decide it will pick up your various Libraries (Documents, Pictures, Videos, etc.) plus include a full system image that could be used for restoral using a System Repair Disc. If you would prefer to skip the System Image file, then you must select the Let me choose option.

Note: System Repair Discs are created in the legacy Control Panel at Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7) by selecting the Create a system repair disc option in the left-hand sidebar. By the way, you must have a CD/DVD drive for this option.

Lastly, Windows Backups can be scheduled and will run automatically based on either the default weekly schedule at 7:00 PM each Sunday or you can select your own options. Choices include Daily, Weekly, or Monthly and then your choice of Day and Time.

In Sum: You Don’t Always Need External Hardware for Backing Up

These three options above are all internal to Windows 10. No external services needed to have some form of a backup for your files. As I mentioned earlier, my choice is the OneDrive method, but the bottom line is you should have some sort of plan in place to protect your data. It is much too valuable to just leave to chance.