In addition, a backup can help you roll back to a previous installation after upgrading to a new feature update or an entirely new version, for example, after upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Although Windows 11 does not include a modern tool, you can still use the legacy “System Image Backup” tool to save a backup to an external USB drive that has everything from the Windows installation files, device drivers, applications, settings, and your files. It’s worth noting that “Backup and Restore” is a deprecated feature on Windows 11, which means that it is currently not being maintained, and Microsoft can choose to remove it in future releases. However, you can still use it to create temporary backups to upgrade the system drive, protect your previous installation before updating to a new release of Windows, and more. In this guide, you will learn the steps to create a full backup of Windows 11 to an external USB hard drive.
Create full backup on Windows 11 with System Image Backup Create full backup on Windows 11 with wbAdmin command Restore full backup on Windows 11 with Advanced startup
Create full backup on Windows 11 with System Image Backup
To create a full backup of Windows 11 to a USB drive, use these steps: Once you complete the steps, a full backup of the Windows 11 device will be created with the installation files, settings, applications, and personal files.
You will also be prompted to create a repair disk, but you can ignore this option since you can use the Windows 11 bootable media to access the recovery settings to restore the backup. See also this video tutorial on the Pureinfotech YouTube channel with the steps to complete this task.
Create full backup on Windows 11 with wbAdmin command
To create a full backup on Windows 11 with the wbAdmin command-line tool, use these steps: After you complete the steps, the backup will be saved to the external drive you specified in the command.
In the command, change “E” in the “-backupTarget” option with the drive letter for the external storage you want to use for the backup. In the command, replace the drive letters on the option “-include:C:,E:,F:” with letters reflecting the device’s drives.
Restore full backup on Windows 11 with Advanced startup
Since both methods process the backup identically, you can use the instructions to recover a device using a previous backup. If you don’t have access to the desktop, use these steps to boot the device in the recovery environment to use the System Image Recovery tool. To restore a backup on Windows 11, use these steps: After you complete the steps, the wizard will restore the computer’s full backup, restoring the OS installation, settings, apps, and files since the last backup was created.
While a full backup is an essential part of any recovery plan, remember to be proactive in making them because a backup can only restore data since the last backup. Also, if you want to keep an up-to-date backup of files, you should be using File History or a cloud storage service like OneDrive. All content on this site is provided with no warranties, express or implied. Use any information at your own risk. Always backup of your device and files before making any changes. Privacy policy info.
