Windows finally has a good backup app, but Microsoft won't let you use it properly

Published 3 days ago

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I use amulti-step process to properly back up my Windows 11 PC. It covers all the use cases, from a simple version history to a full system backup. However, if you only use your PC for work and don't have the bandwidth for a full system backup, the new Windows Backup app should serve you well.

Except it's not as straightforward as it appears to be. It can back up user data folders (Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Videos), all the system settings, and the installed apps list. But there's a big catch. It uses OneDrive for the backup, and that's where things go wrong.

What's Windows Backup, and how does it work

An official backup utility that syncs more than just your data to the cloud

Windows Backup app open on a HP Laptop-1

Windows Backup is Microsoft's latest attempt at creating a unified backup solution for Windows 10 and 11. Unlike the old Backup and Restore (Windows 7) tool that created full system images, this new app takes a different approach. It backs up three main things: your personal folders, Windows settings, and a list of your installed apps.

The app combines what used to be scattered across different settings pages into one place. You can launch the app from theStartmenu. Press theWindows key, typeWindows Backup, and launch from the search results. The app interface lets you toggle what to back up. You can choose which folders to sync (Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music), enable settings backup for things like Wi-Fi passwords and personalization options, and maintain a list of your installed apps.

To set up Windows Backup, sign in with your Microsoft account, select what you want to back up, and click theBackupbutton. The process can take anywhere from a few seconds to several hours, depending on your data size and internet speed.

windows backup restore option during windows 11 setup

When you set up a new PC orreinstall Windows, log in with the same Microsoft account, and Windows will detect your existing backup and prompt you to restore everything. Apps from the Microsoft Store reinstall automatically, while third-party apps show download links to get them from their websites.

This process makes sense for quick PC migrations or clean installs. You don't need external drives or complicated backup software. Everything syncs through the cloud, and you can access your files from any device signed into your Microsoft account.

The issue with Windows Backup

It only works with OneDrive

While Windows Backup offers a convenient way to back up and restore important data, PC settings, and apps, it's unusable for a complete backup as it only works with OneDrive. If you're using OneDrive's free tier, you only get a puny 5GB of cloud storage, which makes it difficult to use for anyone without a premium Microsoft 365 subscription.

My Microsoft 365 subscription includes generous 1TB of cloud storage. So backing up my Documents folder, which is over 20GB, is not an issue. However, for anyone else, unless you're paying for Microsoft 365 with its 1TB of storage, Windows Backup becomes essentially useless. You can't point it to another cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox, even if you have tons of storage there. You can't use local drives or network storage either.

If we compare this to the older Windows backup tools that let you save system images anywhere, such as external drives, network locations, or even DVDs if you were patient enough. They weren't pretty, but they worked without forcing you into a subscription. The legacy Backup and Restore (Windows 7) tool still exists in Windows 11 and creates proper system images that can restore your entire PC, including Windows.

What Microsoft calls "Windows Backup" isn't really a backup in the traditional sense. It's more like selective syncing with some settings preservation thrown in. It won't help you if Windows itself gets corrupted or your drive fails. You'll still need to reinstall Windows from scratch, then restore from Windows Backup, assuming you had enough OneDrive space to back up anything meaningful in the first place.

Alternative to Windows Backup

Use the legacy Windows backup tools or third-party apps

If you don't have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you can still use the legacy Windows backup tools. The old Backup and Restore (Windows 7) is still hiding in Control Panel, and it creates full system images that include Windows, all your programs, and files.File History is another built-in backup option that backs up your personal files to an external drive with version history, though it's also being slowly phased out.

Personally, I think the third-party backup solutions work better.Macrium Reflect creates full system image backups that can completely restore your PC from a boot drive (it also has a free version). It's what I use for my monthly full system backups. The interface isn't as slick as Windows Backup, but it does what backup software should: protect everything without requiring a cloud subscription.

If you only need file backup and version history,FreeFileSync is my go-to recommendation. It's free, open-source, and incredibly flexible. You can back up to local drives, network locations, or even cloud storage folders. It handles incremental backups, maintains file versions, and doesn't care where you store your backups.

Duplicati web interface open on a HP laptop

For something more user-friendly with cloud support,Duplicati offers a nice middle ground. It's also free and can back up to virtually any cloud service—OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, or even FTP servers. Unlike Windows Backup, it gives you a choice. It encrypts your backups, supports scheduling, and handles incremental backups to save space. The web-based interface is clean and modern, so even if you aren't tech-savvy, you'll find it accessible.

These apps let you use your existing cloud storage, local drives, or network locations. They create real backups that can restore your entire system, not just sync some folders and remember your wallpaper.

Windows Backup suffers from bad execution

Windows Backup is a good app, botched by execution. It offers a seamless way to restore important things like files and system settings, and, more importantly, it can remember all your apps. However, the lack of options to add files from different directories, as well as the OneDrive dependency, complicates the issue.

The app could've been great if Microsoft had given us a choice. Let us use our own cloud storage, local drives, or network locations. Let us add custom folders outside the standard Documents and Desktop. Make the free tier actually usable with reasonable storage, or at least compress the backups. Instead, we got another tool that pushes Microsoft 365 subscriptions while calling itself a "backup" solution, even though it doesn't back up Windows.

Still, you can use it alongside conventional backup systems. If you're doing a clean install or moving to a new PC, use Windows Backup just for your settings and apps list, as these items don't take much space. Then restore the rest of your actual data from a proper backup solution that doesn't hold your files hostage to subscription fees.