how to Backup Windows 10 on an External Hard Drive – 2 ways

This article is about how to backup Windows 10 on an external Hard Drive. Would you like to backup your entire Windows 10 computer to an external hard drive? So what does it mean to support a computer? Different people think differently.

Some people want to make a complete backup of every data on the computer, including the Windows operating system and installed applications.

Some people refer to backing up all personal files, such as documents, photos, etc. If you are also talking about the former, you have come to the right place now.

We will show you how to take a full backup of Windows 10 on an external hard drive.

You have a choice between two ways.

2 ways to backup Windows 10 to an external hard drive
Whichever method you use, it is recommended to prepare two external drives.

One is used to save a full backup of your Windows 10 computer, the other is to create a system repair/boot disk for a rainy day.

Method 1: Take a full backup of Windows 10 using System Image

All Windows (including Windows 10) come with a system image utility, allowing you to create an image of your entire computer’s system on an external hard drive.

A system image is a good backup because it contains everything on the computer, including the Windows operating system, installed applications, system settings and files.

Click on the previous link for the full process.

Method 2: Use Cloner Tool and take a full backup of Windows 10

The System Image tool is good and useful, but sometimes for some reasons it may not work properly or is missing from Windows 10. If so, you need to find another option to back up your Windows 10 computer to an external hard drive.

The three-part partition backup tool – Cloner is another good one. It allows you to take a full backup of your Windows 10 to an external hard drive in less time and less time.

Without further ado, download and install the software on your Windows 10 computer, then follow the steps below to begin your backup journey.

Step 1: Connect the external hard drive to your computer, and start the Cloner software.

Step 2: Select the backup option from the top toolbar.

In the “Select a volume to back up” box, select the drive (C:) that contains the Windows 10 operating system, and click the Select button in the middle box to select the connected external hard drive as the backup method.

Then click Start to start the backup. select the save option
Step 3: Wait for the backup to complete.

It takes 10-30 minutes, depending on the size of the drive.

When the background is complete.

You will get a backup success box as shown in the figure below.

As mentioned earlier, it is not enough to have a complete backup, you need to create a bootable floppy disk for your computer.

If your Windows 10 won’t boot, you can boot your computer with a startup disk and restore your Windows 10 from a backup.

boot your computer with a startup disk and restore your Windows 10 from a backup

Step 1: Insert another external drive or USB flash drive into the computer, and start Cloner.

Step 2: Click the Create Boot Disk button in the upper right corner of the interface.

When a small dialog appears, select “Create PE in the current environment” and click OK.

click Create bootable diskette
Step 3: Select the connected external drive and click Create.

The software will create a WinPE boot disk.

How to restore Windows 10 from backup

If your Windows 10 has an error and won’t boot, how to restore it from a backup on an external hard drive? Just follow these steps.

Step 1: Connect the external hard drive that stores your Windows 10 backup to the bootable PE disk you created earlier on the failed computer.

Step 2: Turn on the computer and enter the boot menu or BIOS settings.

Then change the boot order so that the computer boots from the PE disk. Learn how to boot a computer from a USB drive.

Step 3: After starting the computer, cloner appears in the monitor.

Select the restore option.

Select the C drive as the restore point.

Click the Select button and navigate to the external hard drive to select the Windows 10 backup file and click Start.

Restore from Windows 10 backup
Step 4: The software will format the original C drive and restore Windows 10 backup to it.

Wait for the restoration to complete.

Windows 10 backup and restore
Step 5: After the recovery is complete, shut down the computer and remove the boot PE disk.

Restart the phone and it will boot into the restored Windows 10.

All installed software, system settings and other data remain intact.