It is 100% free with no strings attached. For our commercial products like SyncBackSE and SyncBackPro, one registered copy of the software may be used by a single person who uses the software personally on up to 5 computers to process personal data (home use).
PRODUCT DISCLOSURE $
Free backup software is exactly what you think it is: completely free software that can be used to manually or automatically back up the important data on your computer hard drive to somewhere safe like a disc, flash drive, network drive, etc.
Commercial backup programs used to be the best way to go because they were the only way to get features like advanced scheduling, disk and partition cloning, incremental backup, and more. Not so anymore! Some of the best freeware backup software tools do everything expensive programs do..and more.
We also keep an updated list of online backup services, which are companies that, for a fee, allow you to back up to their secure servers online. I'm a big fan of backing up this way, so be sure to check that out, too.
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EaseUS Todo BackupWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
EaseUS Todo Backup can back up individual files and/or whole folders to and from a location on a local drive or network folder, as well as save backups to a free cloud storage service. In addition to particular, custom content, EaseUS Todo Backup can also back up an entire disk, partition, or system drive.
While scheduling a backup, or once one has completed, you can run an incremental, differential, or full backup on the same data.
Backups are not readable from Explorer, so you must use EaseUS Todo Backup to view the data. More specifically, you can double-click the backup file to open it in EaseUS Todo Backup, where it looks like Windows Explorer and is just as easy to use, but you have to have the program installed in order to open the backup. A timeline of backups is shown so it's really easy to choose a particular time to restore files from.
You can browse through a backup in three ways: by searching through a backup via file name or extension, in 'tree view' with the original folder structure intact, or by filtering the backed up files by file type like email/picture/video.
You can restore whole folders and/or individual files to their original location or a custom one.
EaseUS Todo Backup also allows changing the file compression of a backup, limiting the backup speed and priority, wiping a disk, backing up an Android device, preserving security settings during a backup, splitting an archive into a smaller section, password protecting a backup, and scheduling a backup on a one-time, daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
EaseUS Todo Backup's installer file is rather large at around 100 MB.
The program is compatible with Windows 10 down through Windows XP.
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AOMEI Backupper StandardWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
Four backup types are supported with AOMEI Backupper Standard: disk backup, partition backup, file/folder backup, and system backup. Disk to disk copy software.
You can also clone a partition or entire disk to another drive with AOMEI Backupper.
All backed up data, no matter the type, is held in one single file, which can be saved to a local or external drive as well as a shared network folder.
AOMEI Backupper supports encrypting a backup with a password, setting a custom compression level, receiving email notifications once backups have completed, splitting a backup into pieces of a custom size (like for CDs and DVDs), and choosing between an exact backup (copies used and unused space) or an intelligent sector backup (just backs up used space).
Scheduling is supported with AOMEI Backupper so you can choose to run a backup on one occasion only or every day, week, or month, as well as at a continual interval throughout the day. Advanced settings are available to choose a full, incremental, or differential backup.
I particularly like the restore function in AOMEI Backupper. You're able to mount a backed up image as a local drive and search through the data as if it were truly in File/Windows Explorer. You can even copy out individual files and folders. Instead of exploring a backup, you can also restore all the data with just a few clicks.
Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP users can install AOMEI Backupper Standard, for both 32-bit and 64-bit versions.
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Cobian BackupWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
Cobian Backup can backup files, drives, and folders to and from all the following locations: local disk, FTP server, network share, external drive, or a manual location. Any or all of these destinations can be used alongside the others for both the source and backup location.
A full, differential, or incremental backup can be used with Cobian Backup. It also supports automatically removing empty folders from a backup and utilizing Volume Shadow Copy.
You can set up Cobian Backup to encrypt and/or compress a backup into individual archives for each file, do a simple copy without archiving anything, or archive the entire source location into one file. If compressing a backup, you also have the option to configure splitting it into smaller sections, which is useful if using the files on something like a CD.
Scheduling a backup can be very precise. Cobian Backup can run a backup job once, on startup, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or on a timer that runs every so many minutes.
Several options are available for launching tasks before and/or after a backup job runs, some of which include starting a program, stopping a service, hibernating the computer, and running a custom command.
Cobian Backup also supports choosing a backup priority, running a job as a different user, sending failed/success logs to one or more email addresses, and defining advanced filtering options to include/exclude data from a backup.
Unfortunately, There are no restore options with Cobian Backup short of just browsing the backup folder and pulling out the files.
Cobian Backup works with Windows 10 through Windows XP.
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FileFort BackupWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
FileFort Backup lets you back up files to a BKZ file, self-extracting EXE file, ZIP file, or a regular mirror backup that simply copies the files to the destination.
A wizard walks you through the backup process to help you specify what files should be backed up and where they should go. You can back up multiple folders and/or individual files to an external drive, CD/DVD/Blu-ray, network folders, or another folder on the same drive as the source files.
When choosing data to include in a backup, you're able to filter the files to only include ones that are under a certain size and/or a particular file type.
You can encrypt a backup, schedule backups daily or weekly, and optionally run missed ones at startup.
Restoring a backup gives you the option to restore to the original location or a new one.
Both macOS (10.4 and higher) users, as well as Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP users, can install FileFort Backup.
Several other programs try to install during setup, and you must manually deselect them if you don't want them on your computer.
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BackUp MakerWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
BackUp Maker can back up individual files and/or folders directly to a disc, on a local or external hard drive, FTP server, or network folder.
Simple selection lets you choose common files and locations to back up, such as internet browser bookmarks, music, and videos.
Data can be included or excluded from a backup by folder or file name as well as by using advanced filtering options with the use of wildcards.
Backups made with BackUp Maker can be restricted to run on certain days of the week or month, can launch when you log on or off, can be scheduled to run every so-many minutes, and can even be automatically launched only if a certain USB device is plugged in.
Conditional settings can be set like only running a backup if a particular file or folder is found anywhere on a local, external, or network location. You're also given the choice to run a backup only if files have changed since a certain date, within the last so-many days, or since the last full backup.
When restoring a backup, you can choose any location on your computer and optionally select to only back up new files.
BackUp Maker also supports encryption, splitting of the backed up files, pre/post tasks, running missed tasks, custom compression, and assigning shortcut keys to run backups without opening the program interface.
One thing I don't like about BackUp Maker is that password protection isn't an included feature.
BackUp Maker can be used on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP, as well as Windows Server 2012, 2008, and 2003.
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DriveImage XMLWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
DriveImage XML can back up the system drive or any other attached drive, to just two files that can then be stored on a network folder, local disk, or external drive.
A DAT file is made that contains the actual data that's on the drive while a small XML file is built to keep descriptive information regarding the backup.
This can be seen as early as the second episode of the first season, which recounts the defeat of the original battleship while sailors and pilots from both sides salute her as she sinks (this scene was cut from the English dub, but later included on the DVD release). Blazers game live. The movies spend much time showing the crew visiting monuments to previous missions and recalling the bravery of their fallen comrades.
Before a backup is performed, you can choose to also back up unused space, to compress the files, and/or to split the backup into smaller sections. If splitting a backup into pieces, you are unable to specify the size of the slices, which is unfortunate.
You can restore a backup image onto a hard drive (that's the same size or larger as the original) or browse through the backup using DriveImage XML. You're able to extract out individual files, search through the backup, and even directly launch some files without restoring everything.
Scheduling a backup is supported with DriveImage XML but it's done only with command line parameters, which is useful if using Task Scheduler to automate a backup.
DriveImage XML can also back up, or clone, one drive to another without creating an image file. This method, as well as a regular backup and restore as described above, can also be launched before Windows boots, using the Live CD.
DriveImage XML will start a backup during the wizard when you seemingly least expect it, so ensure you're ready to start the backup when clicking Next on the screen entitled Backup.
DriveImage XML works with Windows 10 through Windows XP, including Windows Server 2003.
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COMODO BackupWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
COMODO Backup has tons of great features for a free backup program. It can back up registry files, files and folders, email accounts, particular registry entries, IM conversations, browser data, partitions, or entire disks like the system drive.
Data can be backed up to a local or external drive, CD/DVD, network folder, FTP server, or sent to someone as an email.
Various backup file types are supported like creating a CBU, ZIP, or ISO file as well as running a two-way or one-way sync, using a regular copy function, or creating a self-extracting CBU file.
Depending on the backup file type you use with COMODO Backup, you can specify if it should be spliced into smaller pieces, compressed, and/or password protected.
The scheduling options are very specific, enabling a backup to run manually, at login, once, daily, weekly, monthly, when idle, or every so-many minutes. Missed jobs can even be configured to run in silent mode so as to suppress all notifications and program windows.
Restoring files with COMODO Backup is really easy because you can mount the image file as a disk and browse through the backed up files as you would in Explorer, copying out anything you wish. Alternatively, you can just restore the whole backup image to the original location.
COMODO Backup also supports email notifications, file exclusions by extension type, using Volume Shadow Copy for copying locked files, disk/partition mirroring, changing CPU and network priority, and running a custom program before and/or after a backup job.
COMODO Backup should run without any problems in Windows 10 down to Windows XP.
During setup, COMODO Backup tries to install another program that you must deselect if you wish for it not to be added to your computer.
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Redo BackupWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
Redo Backup doesn't support backing up individual files and folders. Instead, this program backs up an entire hard drive at once by running from a bootable device like a disc.
You can use Redo Backup to back up a drive to an internal hard drive, external USB device, FTP server, or a shared network folder.
A collection of files backed up with Redo Backup cannot be read as regular files. To restore the data, you must use the program again and then select the drive you wish to restore the files to. The destination drive will be completely overwritten with the backed up data.
Also available on the Redo Backup disc is a data recovery tool, disk usage analyzer, memory tester, partition manager, and data wipe utility.
Redo Backup is best used in a situation where you wish to be able to restore an entire hard drive. While this type of backup does include all the files and programs on the drive, it's not meant for individual file and folder restoration.
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Yadis! BackupWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
Back up folders to an FTP server or local, external, or network drive with Yadis! Backup.
Any number of file versioning is supported and you have the option to keep the original folder structure intact for better organization. You can also exclude subdirectories and define included/excluded files by their extension.
The only scheduling option is to run backup jobs automatically or manually. There are no custom options like on a per hour or day basis.
Yadis! Backup can be set up to monitor when a file is created, removed, and/or changed. If any or all of these events take place, a backup job will run.
Even the settings you've modified in Yadis! Backup can be configured to back up to a specified folder when changes are made so that you don't lose your custom options.
You can only choose one folder to back up at a time. Any additional folders need to be created as their own backup job.
Something I don't like is that there are no options for easily restoring backed up files made with Yadis! Backup. To access files that have been backed up is to simply browse through the backup folder, whether it be on an FTP server or a different drive.
Yadis! Backup works with Windows 10 through Windows XP.
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Everyday Auto BackupWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
Everyday Auto Backup is really easy to use. It can backup folders to and from a local disk or network location in just a few clicks.
It supports an option for excluding subfolders entirely and can also exclude files from a backup by name and/or file type. Scheduling can be set for more than one job at a time and supports hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, or manual backups.
There are no password options or encryption settings. While that's unfortunate, it also means you can use the backed up data as real files; you can open, edit, and view them normally.
Everyday Auto Backup can be used on Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, 2000, Windows Server 2003, and older versions of Windows.
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MiniTool ShadowMakerWhat We Like
What We Don't Like
The MiniTool ShadowMaker free backup program is packed full of some really great features. It works with Windows 10, 8, and 7 and backs up not only files and folders but entire hard drives.
You can back up disks, partitions, and files and folders to any local, external, or networked drive. Backups can run on a set schedule daily, weekly, or monthly, but only incremental backup is supported (not full or differential). It's also your choice if you want to back up every sector or only the used ones.
With this program, you can set a custom file size for the backup so that it fits on CDs, etc. Custom compression, email alerts, hibernation file exclusion, password protection, and backup verification are supported, too.
You'd think the features would end by now, but MiniTool ShadowMaker also has a tool you can utilize to restore a backup even if your computer won't start. You can also use MiniTool's free backup software to clone disks, manually mount a backup for easy browsing, and set up a file/folder sync job.
Some features are excluded in the free version and only available if you pay for Pro, Pro Ultimate, Business, or Business Deluxe. However, what you get with the free edition is still much better than what some free backup tools supply.
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Iperius Backup
Iperius Backup backs up files from a local folder to a network or local drive.
The program interface for Iperius Backup looks really nice, is clean, and isn't at all hard to use. The menus are displayed side by side in separate tabs, so it's simple to move through the settings.
Files can be added to a backup job one at a time or in bulk through a folder, and a backup job can be saved locally or on a network, using one of three backup types. You can also choose the number of backups to store.
Aside from ZIP compression, email notifications, and password protection, Iperius Backup has some other custom options as well. You can include hidden files and system files in the backup, shut down the computer after completing the backup, favor compression speed over high compression, and run backups on a schedule.
In addition to the above, Iperius Backup can launch a program, another backup job, or file before and/or after a backup job.
When building a backup job, you can also exclude files, particular folders, all subfolders, and particular extensions from the backup. You can even include or exclude files that are less than, equal to, or greater than a specific file size to ensure you're backup up exactly what you want.
Iperius Backup is said to run on Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2012, but it will likely run on earlier versions of Windows, too.
Several of the options you may find in this free version of Iperius Backup actually only work in the paid, full version, such as backing up to Google Drive. You'll be told which features aren't usable when you try to use them.
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Genie Timeline Free
Genie Timeline Free may be one of the easiest backup programs to use. It can back up files and/or folders to and from a local drive, external drive, and network drive.
The buttons in the program are very easy to use and access, and there aren’t many advanced options that make it confusing. When choosing what to back up, Genie Timeline Free suggests several files by category like Desktop, Documents, Videos, Financial Files, Office Files, Pictures, etc.
You can select these from the Smart Selection section but still add custom data if you wish, which is done through the My Computer section.
Backups can exclude certain file types and/or file and folder locations so they don’t get included in a backup job.
Through the desktop program, you’re able to switch between Turbo Mode and Smart Mode to toggle a faster or slower backup speed. There's also a mobile app for iPhones and iPads that make it easy to monitor the progress of a backup job in Genie Timeline Free.
Restoring backed up files is really easy because you can search through the backup and navigate through the files in their original folder structure. Both whole folders and individual files can be restored this way.
Common features that are in most backup programs are missing from Genie Timeline Free, but are available in their non-free versions.
For example, you can’t modify the backup schedule, so a backup runs, at minimum, every eight hours without any options to customize it. Also, you can’t encrypt or password protect a backup, nor enable email notifications.
You can use Genie Timeline Free with 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, and XP.
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Disk2vhd
Disk2vhd is a portable program that creates a Virtual Hard Disk file (VHD or VHDX) from a physical disk. The purpose is to use the Hard Disk file in Microsoft Virtual PC, though other virtualization software may also be used, such as VirtualBox or VMware Workstation.
The great thing about Disk2vhd is that you can back up the primary hard drive you're using as you use it. This means you don't need to boot to a disc or avoid backing up your primary hard drive. Also, only the used space is backed up, meaning a 40 GB drive with 2 GB of used space will only produce a 2 GB backup file.
Just choose where to save the VHD or VHDX file and hit the Create button.
If backing up the drive you're currently using, ensure 'Use Volume Shadow Copy' is enabled so Disk2vhd can copy files that are currently being used.
It's ideal to save the backup image to a drive other than the one you're backing up to avoid performance degradation.
There's also support for creating a backup file using the command line.
Disk2vhd works with Windows XP operating systems and newer, as well as Windows Server 2003 and higher.
Microsoft Virtual PC can only use VHD files that don't exceed 127 GB in size. If any larger, other virtualization software might be more suitable.
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GFI Backup
GFI Backup supports backing up files and folders from a local location to another local folder, an external drive, a CD/DVD/Blu-ray disc, or an FTP server.
It's really easy to add more than one file or folder to GFI Backup to be included in a backup job. The folder structure looks just like it does in Explorer, letting you place a check next to anything you want to be included.
A backup can be encrypted with a password, compressed, split into small chunks, and even built into a self-extracting archive.
You can choose to restore certain files or select entire folders at once to be copied back to the original backup location or saved elsewhere.
GFI Backup also includes a sync feature, detailed scheduled tasks, and incremental and differential backups.
GFI Backup should be able to run on all versions of Windows.
The download link for GFI Backup is on the Softpedia website because the official website doesn't offer a download.
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Free Easis Drive Cloning
Free Easis Drive Cloning is extremely easy to use. Just open the program, choose Create Image, Restore Image, or Clone Drives to get started.
You'll walk through a wizard with any option you choose. The first will ask you to choose the drive you wish to back up and where to save the IMG file. The Restore Image option is just the opposite of the first, and the last selection lets you clone a drive to another without having to first create an image.
The bad thing about Free Easis Drive Cloning is that it backs up everything, even the unused, free space of the drive. This means if you're backing up a 200 GB hard drive that has only 10 GB of actual data, the IMG file will still be 200 GB in size.
This software is said to work with Windows 7 through Windows 2000. I tested it in Windows 10 and Windows 8 without running into any problems.
Be sure to choose the link on the right of the download page to avoid getting a trial of the full version.
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Ocster Backup Freeware
Ocster Backup permits backing up files and folders to any local or external hard drive.
When adding content to back up, you must browse for each file and folder you want to be added. While you are able to select multiple files at once, you can't quickly add numerous folders like some of the other backup programs from this list are able to do.
You can encrypt a backup with Ocster Backup, set up a daily or weekly schedule, and exclude content by name, extension, or folder.
Also, another plus is that the original directory structure is still present when you restore the files, which makes it rather simple to navigate through them.
Ocster Backup is limited in that it doesn't support backing up to a network drive, and restoring files is an all or nothing deal where you must restore everything at once.
The official list of supported operating systems include Windows 7, Vista, and XP, but it also works for me in Windows 10.
Ashampoo's backup programs have replace Ocster Backup, but you can still get the last released version through the link above.
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AceBackup
AceBackup is relatively easy to use and accepts saving backups to a local drive, FTP server, CD/DVD, or a folder on the network. You can optionally save to more than one location if you want multiple places to store your files.
Backups can be compressed using one of three modes: password protected, encrypted, and set up to use a schedule. They can also be configured to launch a program before and/or after the backup completes.
You can include/exclude files from the backup by their extension type, which is helpful if you're adding a large sum of files that include ones you don't necessary need to back up.
The log files made with AceBackup can optionally be emailed on the event of an error or chosen to be sent even on successful backups.
Something I don't like is that some of the options in AceBackup aren't described, which can leave you wondering what certain settings will do when they are enabled.
AceBackup should work with all versions of Windows.
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FBackup
FBackup allows the backup of individual files to be saved to a local, external, or network folder, as well as to Google Drive.
An easy to use wizard guides you through the backup process and includes preset locations you can choose to back up, like the Documents and Pictures folder, Microsoft Outlook, and Google Chrome settings.
In addition, FBackup lets you add your own files and folders to a backup job. You can exclude certain data from a job by specifying a word in the folder or file name as well as the type of file extension.
Two backup types are supported, called Full and Mirror. A full backup compresses every file into ZIP folders while a mirror creates an exact replica of the files in non-compressed form. Both allow encryption.
Backup jobs are created using a built-in interface that corresponds with the Task Scheduler service in Windows to run a backup at times like once, weekly, at logon, or when idle. Once a job completes, FBackup can be set to hibernate, sleep, shutdown, or log off Windows.
A backup can be restored with FBackup using a simple restore utility that comes built-in, which lets you restore everything or individual files to their original location or a new one.
While testing FBackup, I found that it downloaded quickly but took a bit longer than usual to install.
FBackup is compatible with all versions of Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, and Windows Server 2008 and 2003.
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HDClone Free Edition
HDClone Free Edition can back up an entire disk or a select partition, to an image file.
Using the Setup for Windows download will let the program run inside Windows. You're also able to back up one disk or partition to another but it will overwrite the data on the destination drive.
Use the Universal Package if you're not running Windows XP or newer. It also contains an ISO image for burning HDClone Free Edition to a disc, which can be used to back up the partition with the OS installed since it runs before the OS actually launches.
Some features like choosing a compression level and encrypting a backup, appear to be supported but are unfortunately only available in the paid version.
If the Setup for Windows program is used, it can run in Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista, XP, and Windows Server 2012, 2008, and 2003.
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Macrium Reflect
With Macrium Reflect, partitions can be backed up to an image file or copied directly to another drive.
If saved as an image, the program will produce an MRIMG file, which can only be opened and used with Macrium Reflect. This file can be saved to a local drive, network share, external drive, or burned directly to a disc. You can even add more than one backup location to build a fail-safe in the event that a destination becomes invalid.
You can schedule a full backup with Macrium Reflect on a schedule so every day, week, month, or year, a backup will be made of any drive, including the one with Windows installed. A backup job can also be scheduled to run at startup or log on.
To restore a backed up image to a drive with Windows installed, you must use the Macrium Reflect program to build a Windows or Linux rescue disc, both of which can restore an MRIMG file.
Click Free Backup Software Download
Once an image is made, you can even convert it to a VHD (Virtual Hard Disk) file to use in other applications. You can also mount the backup as a virtual drive that mimics a local one, allowing you to browse through the backed up files and folders and copy out anything you want.
Macrium Reflect also supports splitting a backup into smaller pieces, custom compression, full disk backup (includes free space), and automatic shutdown/hibernation/sleep after a job finishes.
Neither individual file/folder backup nor encryption is supported in Macrium Reflect.
Macrium Reflect should work on all versions of Windows. I tested it in Windows 10 and Windows 8.
See Am I Running a 32-bit or 64-bit Version of Windows? to know if you should choose the x64 option on the download page. Make sure to select one of the blue download links since the red ones are for the paid editions.
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ODIN
ODIN (Open Disk Imager in a Nutshell) is a portable backup program that can create a full image of a drive.
A backup image can be built into one file or separated into chunks for easier placement on media like CDs and DVDs.
You have the option to back up a drive's used data or the used and unused portions of the disk. The latter would require more space than the former since copying free space along with the used space would mean everything would be backed up, creating a replica of the original drive/partition.
Restoring a backup is really easy with ODIN because you just select the disk that should be restored and then load the backup file.
It's too bad there aren't any encryption options in ODIN, but you are able to compress a backup using GZip or BZip2 compression.
I tested ODIN in Windows 8 and Windows 7, but it should also work for other versions of Windows.
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Freebyte Backup
Freebyte Backup can back up multiple folders at a time to any local, external, or network drive.
A backup can not be compressed or encrypted with Freebyte Backup. Scheduling isn't built-in either, but you can make a few changes to how the program launches as well as use an external scheduling program to make it work. See more in the Freebyte Backup Manual.
You can filter a backup job so that files with particular extensions get copied, leaving out all the rest. There's also an option to only back up files that have been modified after a particular date and time, as well as a toggle to turn on incremental backups.
Freebyte Backup is said to work only with Windows Vista, XP, and older versions of Windows, but I tested it in Windows 10 and 8 without any issues.
Freebyte Backup downloads as a ZIP file. Inside is the portable version (FBBackup.exe) as well as the installer file (Install.exe).
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CloneZilla Live
CloneZilla Live is a bootable disc that can back up an entire hard drive to either an image file or another disk. This program is text-based, so you won't find regular menu options or buttons.
Image backups can be stored on a local or external drive as well as a SAMBA, NFS, or SSH server.
You can compress a backup image, split it into custom sizes, and even check a hard drive for errors before creating an image.
Restoring a backup with CloneZilla Live involves taking the regular backup process steps but doing so in reverse. It sounds confusing, but following the on-screen instructions makes it pretty easy.
Before downloading CloneZilla Live, you have the option to choose a ZIP or ISO file. I recommend the ISO file because it's not much larger than the ZIP file and doesn't require an extraction.
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Karen's Replicator
Karen's Replicator is easy to use, simple folder backup utility that supports a local, external, or network drive as a backup destination.
Data is backed up using a regular copy method without encryption or password options, which means you can browse through a backup like you would any other folder in Explorer.
Options let you exclude subfolders from a backup, filter out certain files by their extension, avoid backing up particular directories, and schedule backup jobs.
You can toggle Karen's Replicator to only copy data if: the source file is newer than the backup, the sizes are different, and/or if the source has been changed since the time of the last backup.
You can also decide whether or not Karen's Replicator should delete files from a backup if they're removed from the source folder.
The interface of Karen's Replicator is a bit outdated but it didn't interfere with backups or my ability to find settings.
I used Karen's Replicator in Windows 8 and Windows XP, so it should work in other versions of Windows as well.
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Personal Backup
Personal Backup can back up data to a folder on an external or local drive, FTP site, or network share.
When selecting the files to be backed up, Personal Backup only allows single files to be added at a time. You can keep adding more, but only one can actually be chosen at a time, which can slow down the process of creating a backup job. You can, however, select whole folders, and context menu integration is supported.
A backup can be built as an archive for each and every file, creating many ZIP files, or as a single archive which contains all the data. Options are available for encryption, compression, and file types that should be excluded from compression.
Personal Backup allows a total of 16 backup jobs to be created, each of which can have their own scheduling options and incremental or differential backup type.
Email alerts can be sent with Personal Backup on the completion or error of a backup job, a program can be launched before and/or after a backup runs, and you can easily set a backup to shut down or hibernate the computer when it's finished running.
To use Personal Backup, you must download the proper 32-bit or 64-bit version that matches your version of Windows.
I find Personal Backup to be very cluttered, making it hard to find what you're looking for because nearly all the settings are simply thrown into the program interface with seemingly no organization.
However, it does update a lot, which is a good sign that it's constantly trying to improve.
Personal Backup is compatible with Windows 10 through Windows XP, as well as Windows Server 2012, 2008, and 2003.
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Backup Software Free Download For Windows XpParagon Backup & Recovery Free
Paragon Backup & Recovery lets you back up whole disks or specific partitions to a number of virtual image file formats.
If you want to password protect the backup, you can save it as a Paragon Image (PVHD) file. Otherwise, the program also supports backing up data to a VMWare Image (VMDK) file or a Microsoft Virtual PC Image (VHD) file. Incremental backups are also supported.
Settings are available to compress a backup and manage how much splitting, if any, should be done to cut the backup into smaller pieces.
You can also choose which file types and/or directories to exclude from a whole disk backup.
Restoring data is as easy as selecting the backup image and choosing the drive to restore it to.
Overall, I find Paragon Backup & Recovery a bit harder to use than some of the better programs in this list. Also, the setup file is over 130 MB, so it could take some time to finish downloading.
Take note that you need to register for a free user account on their website before you can fully use the program. That, or log in via another account when you first open the program, like your Google account.
Supported operating systems include Windows 10 through Windows 2000.
See Am I Running a 32-bit or 64-bit Version of Windows? if you're not sure which setup file to download.
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XXCLONE
XXCLONE is a very basic backup program that can simply copy all the contents of one drive onto another.
There is no restore function and everything that's on the destination disk is wiped clean before XXCLONE beings backing up the source drive's files.
You're able to adjust the speed of the backup as well as make the destination drive bootable.
I tested XXCLONE in Windows 10, 8 and 7, but it should also work for Windows Vista and XP.
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PING
PING is a program that runs straight off bootable media like a disc. You can back up one or more partitions to a file with PING.
There isn't a graphical interface when using PING, so you must be somewhat comfortable with a text-only navigation screen to use this program.
You have the option to back up partitions to a local or external drive as well as to a network share or FTP server.
When selecting the correct source and destination drive for a backup or restore, it's actually a bit difficult to determine which drive is which. PING does not show you the name of the drive or the size, but instead just the first few files that are located on the disk. This is only slightly helpful when determining the right disk to select.
You can compress a backup and optionally set it up for incremental backups in the future, both of which are options you're asked before starting a backup.
When restoring a backup with PING, you're required to know the exact path of the backed up files. You're unable to 'browse' for the files like you can when an operating system is loaded, so you must know the exact path to the files to successfully restore them.
After logging in on the download page, choose the PING Stand-alone ISO link.
This program, nor backing up in general, has anything to do with the more commonly known computer term ping, as in the ping command.
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Areca Backup
Areca Backup makes it simple to add new files to a backup job by supporting drag and drop. You can save a backup to any internal drive, FTP site, or network folder. Backing up to external hardware is not supported.
You can encrypt, compress, and/or split a backup into small sections. Areca Backup can easily filter the types of files to be backed up by extension type, registry location, directory name, file size, locked file status, and/or file date.
Before and after a backup job runs, you can setup a file to be launched and/or an email to be sent. Conditional settings are available like only running the file or sending the message if the backup succeeds or throws an error/warning message.
You can restore one or more individual files and/or folders to a custom location but you aren't given the option to restore to the original backup location.
I've ranked Areca Backup this low on my list because it isn't as easy to use as most of the other programs you see here. Visit the official website of Areca Backup for tutorials and manuals.
I was able to get Areca Backup to work with Windows 10, 7, and XP, but it may also work in other versions of Windows.
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CopyWipe
CopyWipe is a backup program that can run outside of Windows on a disc or from within Windows like a regular program, though both options are text-only, non-GUI versions.
CopyWipe backs up entire hard drives to other hard drives, supporting both internal and external devices like flash drives. You can copy hard drives even if they're different sizes by choosing to scale drives or do a raw copy so that everything is copied, both used and unused space.
Free Email Backup Software Download
You must confirm a copy before starting, which is a good thing, but CopyWipe doesn't provide any identifiable details to differentiate between the drives, which means you must use Disk Management to know which one is Hard Drive 0, Hard Drive 1, etc.
I tested the most recent version of CopyWipe in Windows 10, 8, and 7, and it worked just as advertised so long as the program ran as an administrator. CopyWipe should also work for older versions of Windows.
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G4U
G4U has no user interface and it boots from a disc or USB device. It lets you back up an entire hard drive to an image file over FTP or back up one or more partitions to another local hard drive.
Customizing the compression of a backup image is supported.
Read the documentation on G4U before using it. The program does not require confirmations to be agreed to or include any safety roadblocks to begin a backup, so you might run an unwanted backup job without realizing it.
HomePCWindows10 Best Free Backup Software for Windows
Most people who’ve used computers for any length of time know only too well that hard drive failures are a routine affair, and unfortunately, they often come without any prior warnings. We have all fallen victims to temperamental hard drives at some stage of our lives, and it always seems to come at the most ill-opportune moment. If you’ve already suffered because of a failed hard drive (or two), you know the importance of protecting yourself from such eventuality by backing up your important data, so I don’t really need to preach to the choir.
If, however, you’re still not backing up all the important documents, media and other files from your computer, this is as good a time as any to start looking for a good, free backup software, so that you’re well-prepared when your hard disk or SSD decides to finally give up on you. Backing up the data also comes as a lifesaver in case you fall victim to ransomware, and with news about WannaCry, Petya 2.0 (NotPetya) and NemucodAES in the air, what better way to protect yourself against cyber-criminals than to keep your data all backed up, so that even if things do go horribly wrong, your data will still be safe and secured. With all that in mind, we’ve prepared a list of the 10 best free backup software for Windows:
Note: I tried out these free backup software on Windows 10, but almost all of them should work on older Windows computers. Also, all the following software are free backup solutions and their free versions should be good enough for most people but we have also talked about their premium features.
Best Free Backup Software for Windows1. EASUS Todo Backup
EASUS Todo Backup is one the most feature-rich backup utilities on Windows, and once you’ve used it for a while, it’s not difficult to see why. While file backups, as expected, come in three different flavors (full, differential and incremental), the imaging actually comes with an option to create a Linux-based boot disc that should come in really handy should the worst comes to pass. While the software allows users to schedule and perform custom backups anytime, by default, it performs a full backup each week, and differential backups every half an hour in case it detects any change in the system. For added security, the software allows you to encrypt the full system images that can be compressed at a fairly high level so as to occupy less space on the disk.
EASUS Todo Backup allows users to even backup Android devices. You can also split large disk images into smaller segments, and set passwords to protect your data from being spied on by any unauthorized person. Another cool feature is the Image Reserve option that allows users to delete or merge old system images to help save drive space. However, the single best feature of EASUS Todo Backup is the ability to clone the system disk to migrate your Windows installation to another HDD or SSD. That’s a feature which is fairly common for most backup utilities, but only in their premium, paid versions. However, unlike most of them, EASUS offers this essential feature in its free version, which makes it my personal favorite free backup software on Windows.
Download (Free, Premium versions start at $29.99)
2. Comodo Backup
Comodo Backup is one of the best free backup solutions available in the market today for home users, thanks to the sheer number of features and options on offer. The software allows users to copy not just their document and media files, but also registry entries, e-mails, IM chat history, browser data, entire folders and even disk partitions, including the system drive. Users can back up either to a local drive or to the cloud, with the company offering 90-day free cloud storage for up to 10GB of data. In case you want to continue using Comodo’s cloud storage facilities to backup your data, you’ll need to pay $7.99 per month once the trial is over.
In case you don’t want the cloud option, you can always use local storage, like an internal or external hard drive, DVD, network folder or FTP server. You may also choose to send the data to yourself via e-mail. The software also comes with scheduling options that allow users to either run the backup at specific intervals that range from every few minutes to every day, week or month. You may also run the backup at every startup, or do so manually whenever you feel like.
Download (Free, Premium plans start at $7.99)
3. AOMEI Backupper Standard
AOMEI Backupper Standard is yet another great backup software for Windows that comes with all the features you’d expect in a free backup program. You can copy files, folders and entire partitions either manually or at scheduled intervals. Like Comodo, AOMEI also offers you the option to perform incremental and differential backups, which means once you’re done with the full backup the first time, the amount of time taken to do your subsequent backups reduce significantly. The software also offers password protection and full encryption, and has is the ability to mount a backed-up image as a virtual local drive, which allows users to explore the image just like a standard Windows installation.
You can also create full system images with AOMEI Backupper Standard, but you can’t clone the system partition for migration to other drives. As is the case with most backup software, those features are available only in the Professional and higher versions that cost $49.95 and above.
Download (Free, Premium versions start at $49.95)
4. Paragon Backup and Recovery
Paragon Backup and Recovery comes with much the same set of features as the ones above it on the list, but it does have a cool little trick up its sleeve unlike some of its competitors. The program allows users to save the backed-up images in a number of different file formats, including Microsoft PC Image file (VHD), VMWare Image file (VMDK) and of course, its own, proprietary PVHD image file. Like most other options on this list, you can compress the images and also split them up into smaller pieces to save disk space, and even exclude certain file types from your backup.
Paragon doesn’t really lack in terms of features, but comes with a fairly large installer that weighs in at over 200MB, so do keep that in mind if you want to give this one a go.
Download (Free, Premium versions start at $39.99)
5. Genie Timeline Free
Genie Timeline Free easily has one of the most user-friendly interfaces among all the programs listed here (bar one, we’ll come to that later) on the list. It can back up files and folders to a network drive from your local computer, but you can also choose to backup to a local disk if you want. Like Paragon, it allows you to exclude file types that you don’t want to backup, and you can also manually edit out individual files and folders from your backup list. The one interesting aspect that makes program stand out from its competitors is an iOS app that allows you to monitor a backup-in-progress from your iPhone or iPad.
However, even though the free version of Genie Timeline comes with some novel features, it misses out on some standard features that you’d expect from a free backup program circa 2017. You can’t schedule backups according to your preference, which is an absolutely essential feature that most other free utilities have, but this one doesn’t. You also don’t get encryption in the free version of Genie Timeline. If you need any of these features, you’ll need to pay for either the Home version that starts at $39.95 or the Pro version that starts at $59.95.
Download (Free, Premium versions start at $39.95)
6. Free Easis Drive Cloning
The one program that has all the others beat in terms of user-friendliness is Free Easis Drive Cloning that comes with three pretty straightforward options the moment you open the program – Create Image, Restore Image and Clone Drives. It may be a bit too simplistic for advanced users who may find that it doesn’t offer as many options as they would ideally want, but many mainstream PC users might just find the simplicity a welcome change.
However, the utility actually backs up not just the sectors with actual data but also the free sectors in a disk, which means, backing up a 250GB partition with just 10GB of data will actually result in a 250GB image file. What’s worse, you can’t compress those images to smaller files, because that feature is reserved for the paid versions that start at $19.
Download (Free, Premium versions start at $19)
7. Personal Backup
If data backup is all you want, you should take a look at Personal Backup, which can backup your data on a local disk, and external drive, a network device or an FTP server. You can choose from full, differential and incremental backups, and can also encrypt your data for privacy and compress it to save disk space. You can either backup the data manually, or schedule automatic backups on a daily or weekly basis. You can also schedule backups at every login or before every shutdown. On the flip side, it doesn’t offer imaging, nor does it come with the an easy-to-operate GUI for mainstream users.
The program is written and maintained by Dr. Jurgen Rathlev, and offers a comprehensive set of features as long as you’re not looking for imaging. In case you want to give it a go, just make sure to pick the correct version to download depending on whether you’re running 32 or 64-bit version of Windows. One thing to remember here is that Personal Backup is a donationware and doesn’t have a premium version, so if you like it, you could always make a donation to the developer.
Download (Free)
8. Crashplan
Crashplan has quite a few options that are aimed at the enterprise, but it does offer a free option that works well for the home user. Like many of its peers, Crashplan can also backup data to either an internal or external drive, but you can actually backup to multiple offsite locations to hedge your bets against natural disasters. It also offers unlimited cloud storage without any bandwidth caps, but for that, you’ll need to upgrade to one of the paid plans that start at $5.99 per month ($59.99 per year) for a single computer and $13.99 per month ($149.99 per year) for 10 computers. You can also schedule multiple backups to run simultaneously if you were to opt for either of these two plans.
If you’re not looking to pay for your data backup software, Crashplan’s free option still offers automated daily backups (both differential and incremental) that are encrypted with 448-bit encryption, including a private key option. The company also claims that its data centers use “Enterprise-class Hardware and military-grade security for power redundancy, cooling and fire protection”.
Download (Free, Premium subscription plans start at $59.99 per year)
9. Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows
Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows is a fairly long name for what was originally released a couple of years ago as Veeam Endpoint Backup Free. Unlike most of the other utilities on this list that are meant for the home user for the most part, Veeam is mostly known for its enterprise solutions. However, the company does have free utilities that come with some really cool and unique features that are not always offered by the others. Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows is a free program that delivers backup and recovery not just for local Windows-based desktops, laptops, servers and workstations, but also devices running in the public cloud. It fully supports Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016, but doesn’t officially support anything older than Windows 7 (SP1) or Windows Server 2008 (SP1).
It is one of the most well-known solutions in the market today if you’re looking for a free backup of your servers running on for VMware and Hyper-V. However, it offers much more functionality than that. It can create a full backup of VMs and restore everything including files, folders, and settings. It also allows users to migrate between the hosts even if you do not officially use vMotion or Storage vMotion. It also allows you to backup your data to magnetic tapes, which is more than what can be said about many other free utilities. This is not a product that you need if you’re just looking to backup your gaming rig or your work PC, but in case you’re looking for a free tool for vSphere and Hyper-V, this is as good a choice as any.
Download (Free, Premium version pricing available on request)
10. HDClone Free
HDClone Free does offer its users a free edition, but it’s severely handicapped in terms of its features as compared to the paid versions. While the free version does have the ability to backup entire drives, you cannot compress or encrypt your data with the free version.
On the positive side, the program supports a lot of legacy Windows versions, going right back to XP and Server 2003. Having said that, this is clearly not the most feature-filled software on the list, although it does get some brownie points for its simple and easy-to-use interface.
Download (Free, Premium versions start at €16.72)
SEE ALSO: 10 Best Data Recovery Software
Choose from these Free Backup Software for Windows
Unless you literally have nothing of note on your PC, backing up your computer is an essential part of your digital life, but many of us keep ignoring that until it’s too late. Personally, I used to use Acronis True Image many moons ago, and it helped me migrate my Windows 7 Pro installation from my 320GB 7200RPM HDD to an MLC Nand-based 250GB SSD. However, Acronis unfortunately doesn’t offer a free version of its backup and recovery software, so we couldn’t really put it on our list, seeing as this is strictly a compilation of the best free utilities. That being the case, I’ll pick EASUS Todo Backup over all the others without so much as batting an eyelid, if only because it is the only free utility that will help you migrate your OS to another hard drive or SSD.
So, do you use any of the free backup software mentioned above, or do you use something else that you think should have received a mention here? Do leave your comments or suggestions below, as we love hearing from you.
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