How to Back Up Your Windows PC Before a Transfer

A comprehensive guide to securing your data before moving to a new Windows PC. Learn to use File History, OneDrive, and external storage methods.

1. Connect your external storage device. Plug your external hard drive or SSD into a USB 3.0 or higher port on your PC. Ensure the drive is formatted correctly by opening File Explorer, right-clicking the drive, selecting Format, and choosing NTFS.
2. Enable Windows File History. Navigate to Settings > System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Backup options. Select Add a drive under the File History section and choose your external storage device. Toggle the Automatically back up my files switch to On.
3. Sync files to OneDrive. Open the OneDrive settings menu by clicking the cloud icon in the taskbar notification area. Select Settings > Sync and backup > Manage backup to choose the Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders for cloud synchronization. This ensures your active files are available immediately on your new device.
4. Capture your browser bookmarks and passwords. Open your primary browser, navigate to Settings, and ensure you are signed in to your profile. Sync your profile to ensure bookmarks, passwords, and extensions are uploaded to your account cloud. If not using a cloud profile, select Export Bookmarks from the browser management menu to save an HTML file to your external drive.
5. Validate backup integrity. Open File Explorer and navigate to your external drive. Confirm the presence of the FileHistory folder and check that recently modified files are present within the backup directory. Open a random selection of files to ensure they are not corrupted.