How to Backup Specific Folders Windows 10 (Quick & Easy)

The folders in our Windows PC store these personal files, and you might want to back up these folders regularly to protect them. If you are looking for a quick and easy way to backup specific folders in Windows 10? You are in the right place, and this article aims to provide simple and fast methods to back up files with step-by-step guides.

PAGE CONTENT:

1. Why You Need to Backup Specific Folders
2. 2 Quick and Easy Ways to Backup Specific Folders in Windows 10
3. Conclusion
4. FAQ about Backup Specific Folders in Windows 10

Why You Need to Backup Specific Folders

As a Windows user, you must use your computer to work, study, or entertain. You may have stored many personal files on your computer, and these files are important to you.

These personal files include precious photos of you and your loved ones, videos of happy memories, working documents, and more. You don't want to lose any of these files due to a computer crash or virus attack.

That's why you need to back up these important files regularly. You can protect your personal files and avoid data loss by backing up specific folders.

Here are some advantages of backing up folders

You can recover deleted files from a backup.
You can access backed-up files from other devices.
Backups protect your files from malware or virus attacks.
Backing up folders won't take as much effort as backing up your entire system.

2 Quick and Easy Ways to Backup Specific Folders in Windows 10

There are many ways to back up specific folders in Windows 10, such as File History, Backup and Restore(Windows 7), OneDrive, or a third-party utility. We won't cover all backup methods here. Instead, we will focus on two quick and easy ways to back up folders in Windows 10.

Workable Solutions	Step-by-step Troubleshooting
Method 1. Use Qiling Backup	To initiate a backup, click the Select backup contents option....Full steps
Method 2. Use File History	Press the "Windows logo + I" Keys together on your keyboard...Full steps

You may also be interested:

How to Backup A Folder in Windows 7 Create a Schedule to Backup User Files

Method 1. Use Qiling Backup to Back Up Specific Folders

Qiling Backup is a free backup and restore program that can create backups for files, folders, partitions, and even your entire system.

It's one of the best backup software for Windows 11/10/8/7. With various backup types, it supports scheduled backup, full backup, incremental backup, and differential backup. You can use it to back up specific folders to a local or external hard drive, NAS, Ease Cloud, etc.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

Qiling Backup is very easy to use. You can follow the steps below to back up specific folders in Windows 10.

Step 1. To initiate a backup, click the File backup button in the Backup and recovery page.

Step 2. On the left, both local and network files will be shown. You may extend the directory to pick the backup files.

Step 3. Follow the on-screen instructions and choose a location to store the backup.

Step 4. Click Options to encrypt the backup with a password in Backup Options. There are also other additional choices you may choose to tailor the backup process to your requirements.

Then click Backup Scheme to specify the backup schedule and start the backup at a certain event.

Step 5. The backup may be stored on a local disk, Qiling' online service, or NAS.

Step 6. Qiling Backup enables customers to back up data to a third-party cloud drive as well as its own cloud drive.

If you want to back up data to a cloud drive provided by a third party, choose Local Drive, scroll down to add Cloud Device, and then add and log in to your account.

Step 7. Click Proceed to begin the backup process. The backup job will be presented as a card on the left side of the panel after it has been finished. Click the backup job to handle it further.

Method 2. Use File History to Back Up Specific Folders

File History is a free Windows built-in backup utility that comes with your Windows 8, 10, and 11 computer. It is specially designed to backup files stored on desktops, Documents, Pictures, and more.

You can use File History to back up specific folders to an external hard drive, USB flash drive, or NAS device.

Here's how to backup specific folders with File History in Windows 10:

 Notice:: Before starting creating a backup, make sure to connect an external backup drive to your computer.

Step 1. Press the "Windows logo + I" Keys together on your keyboard to open Settings.

Step 2. Click Storage > View backup option > Add a drive. Then select an external hard drive or network location as your backup destination.

Step 3. To include additional folders, click More options and turn on the switch next to each folder you want to backup.

Step 4. Click Back up now to start backing up your selected folders.

Conclusion

You can use these two quick methods to backup specific folders in Windows 10, and each one is available there. However, File History has some limitations. It only supports backup to an external hard drive or network location. Some users report that they may encounter some problems when using it. For example, sometimes it won't automatically back up, or there is a failure, and some files are missed. Besides, If you want to use the backups, you must restore them from File History.

Qiling Backup doesn't have these limitations. It can backup folders to a local or external hard drive, NAS, Ease Cloud, and more.

And you can use the backups directly without restoring them if you have stored backups in Cloud. Besides, it offers a higher success rate and more backup features than File History.

So we recommend that you use Qiling Backup to back up your individual folder. It is a tool that you should never miss it.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

FAQ about Backup Specific Folders in Windows 10

1. How do I automatically back up a folder?

You can use Qiling Backup to create an automatic backup. While backing up, click Options > Backup Scheme, then choose the backup frequency base on your need.

2. How often should I back up my folders?

There is no definite answer to this question. It depends on how often you create or modify files in your folders. If you create or modify files frequently, you may want to back up your folders more often, like every day or every week.

3. Can I back up specific folders to OneDrive?

Yes, you can back up specific folders to OneDrive, which is a cloud backup service provided by Microsoft. Follow the steps:

Open Settings and click Update & Security > Backup.
Click Add a drive, then select OneDrive as your backup destination.
To include additional folders, click More options and turn on the switch next to each folder you want to backup.
Click Back up now to start backing up your selected folders to OneDrive.

4. How do I add a folder to File History backup?

You can follow the steps below to backup specific folders with File History in Windows 10:

Press the "Windows logo key + I" keys together on your keyboard to open Settings.
Click Update & Security > Backup.
To include additional folders, click More options and turn on the switch next to each folder you want to backup.
Click Back up now to start backing up your selected folders.

5. Where are my backup files stored?

The backup files created by File History are stored in a subfolder under the following path:

C:\Users\(user name)\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\(destination name).

For example, if your user name is John and you backup to an external hard drive with the drive letter E, the backup files are stored in: C:\Users\John\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\E.