Should I backup my entire C drive?

C drive, the system drive of Windows, is the location where most software is installed by default. Computer configuration settings, temporary files, log records, etc. are all saved in the C drive, and many downloaded files are directly saved on the C drive.

In addition, system folders such as Documents and Settings, Windows, and Program Files occupy a lot of space on the C drive. Among them, Program Files, which is generally the default location for installed software, is also the location where viruses are easily stored. Therefore, to protect the C drive closely, it is essential to backup the C drive. But how can you backup C drive in Windows 10?

Advantages of backing up C drive

Before we talk about how to backup C drive on Windows 10, let's remark on the benefits of backing up C drive:

Prevent file loss. Regular backup of C drive can effectively prevent file loss due to virus invasion, system crash, etc.

Make sure there is enough space on the C drive. All kinds of data such as caches and browsing history from various software are taking up space on the C drive. This will make less and less space available on the C drive, causing the computer to become more and more stuck and may even cause the system to crash. After backing up your C drive data, you can make room on the C drive by cleaning up this data.

Next, we will provide detailed instructions on how to take backup of C drive in Windows 10.

How do I backup my C drive in Windows 10?

If you are struggling with how to backup C drive in Windows 10, browse the content below and we will show you how to easily create a full backup of your C drive or selectively back up your desktop files, system files, Program files, private files, and so on.

Easiest way: Backup C drive via computer backup software

When it comes to backing up C drive to OneDrive and other popular cloud storage providers, CBackup is the best helper for you. This professional and easy-to-use cloud backup software, compatible with Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, XP, provides the services of backing up your entire hard drive and an individual file. Thus, you can easily back up your C drive, D drive, or even external hard drive.

Besides, this excellent backup software also comes with automatic backups for files. You can easily perform daily, weekly, and monthly auto backup for the C drive in case you forget to backup it and lose your files. Now you can learn step by step how to use this PC backup software to backup C drive on Windows 10.

Step 1. Start with signing up for a CBackup account. Then, install the CBackup desktop application and log in to it.

Step 2. Click on Storage and select the cloud drive which you will use to save backups of C drive (here we take OneDrive as an example), and hit Authorize Now.

✎Note: To make CBackup connect with your cloud storage space, you should follow the on-screen prompts to complete the authorization.

Step 3. Then, tap on Backup, click Backup PC to Public Cloud to create a OneDrive schedule backup for computer files.

Step 4. Specify the name of the task. Select the C drive as the backup source. And pick OneDrive. Subsequently, click on Start Backup to get C drive backup in Windows 10.

✎Note: If you want to set up auto backups for the C drive, you can click on Settings at the lower left corner and create auto backup tasks according to your needs.

After backing up your data with CBackup, restoring the backup is quite easy. Hover the cursor on the C drive backup task, click the three-dot position, and select Restore to get data restored without a hitch.

Traditional way: Create a copy of C drive with Backup and Restore

Another option for backing up the C drive on Windows 10 is Backup and Restore. With Backup and Restore, you can choose to create a backup of C drive on another hard drive on the computer (e.g. D drive), an external hard drive, or a network location. How to backup my C drive in Windows 10 using Backup and Restore? Please follow the following steps:

Step 1. Search for “Backup Settings” in the Windows search box, and click on it. Then, click on Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 2. Select the Set up back-up button.

Step 3. Opt for where you want to save backups of C drive files and click Next.

Step 4. Select Let me choose on What do you want to backup screen, and tap Next. Then, pick the disk to be backed up and click Next.

✎Note: You can hit the Change schedule position and enable scheduled backups for your computer drive.

Step 5. After that, tap on Save settings and run backup to backup drive C in Windows 10.

If you want to restore C drive backups from Backup and Restore, please head to the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) on Windows 10, click Restore my files to locate backups and recover them easily.

Frequently asked questions about backing up C drive

Here are some common questions that some users encounter when backing up the C drive. If you have similar issues, please read and get answers.

#1. How to backup C drive to D drive

As we mentioned above, you can use Backup and Restore, the Windows built-in software, to back up the C drive to your D drive. If there are not many files to be backed up, you can also choose to directly copy and paste the files on the C drive to the D drive for backup.

#2. How do I backup my D and C drive?

CBackup is a good choice if you intend to backup C drive and D drive at the same time. You can select your C drive and D drive as the backup source, then, you can easily get them backed up to clouds.

Wrapping things up

This article has introduced two ways to backup C drive on Windows 10, which can effectively protect your data from being lost. If you want to backup C drive to the computer or an external hard drive, you can use Backup and Restore. If you want to backup C drive to clouds, CBackup is the best choice. CBackup can also help you to do backup from D drive to OneDrive, Google Drive, and other clouds without any effort.