Free Backup Tools that Can Save You Big Time in Case Something Bad Happens to Your Computer

Regularly backing up all your important files is often the only thing that can save everything when a hard drive failure or otherwise catastrophic PC crash occurs. If your files go poof, then they’re gone forever and no amount of magic or incantations can bring them back.

Ideally, the best way to back up is to have two backups, one kept at home, presumably in an external hard drive, and one stored off-site like with cloud solutions. There are also various backup tools you can use that are awesome and just totally free. Remember to back up all your personal files because that’s really the most critical stuff you want to save. Computers and operating systems can be replaced, but treasured photos and accounting documents will be lost forever.

Easeus Todo Backup Free

When you start Easeus Todo Backup Free, its Smart Backup function kicks into gear, immediately backing up your Documents directory, the favorites from your web browser, and any files on your desktop. It makes a full back up once a week by default, with differential backups every half an hour if changes are detected. It’s an ingenious feature that immediately takes some of the hassle out of protecting your data, and you can customize it later to back up other files when needed.

AOMEI Backupper Standard

AOMEI Backupper Standard includes a simple wizard that makes the work straightforward, even for complete beginners. It suggests which drives to back up and where to store the resulting image, whether it’s a local drive, an optical disc, or a network attached storage. Give the image a name (ideally including the date) so you can find it easily later, create a schedule so the process is repeated at regular intervals, and click “Start backup.” For day-to-day backups, AOMEI lets you save whole partitions or selected directories, with a simple drop-down menu enabling you to choose between full, differential, or incremental backups. Again, these can be scheduled to take place at regular intervals, making it a simple set-and-forget affair.

Genie Timeline Free

Sneakily, Genie backs up your files quietly in the background, an unobtrusive approach that’s welcome, but wouldn’t be possible if it was creating an image. It’s not mentioned in the interface, but all backups are incremental, making them as fast as possible. The restore tool is similarly straightforward: simply select the backed-up files to restore, choose where to restore them to, and whether to overwrite existing files with the same name, and click “OK.” Genie has its own iOS app, which provides status updates on your scheduled backups. It’s a welcome addition for those of an anxious disposition, and a modern alternative to the e-mail notifications offered by some other backup tools.