How can I do incremental backups for Windows 11?

 Is it possible to do incremental backups using native Windows 11 software? I was trying to use the Windows 11 File History feature, but it creates copies of all files every time, even if nothing changed since the last backup, which uses too much space for me, as I possess a lot of video material. If Windows software can't achieve this, what software would you recommend for Windows 11 incremental backups? Thanks and greetings.

- Case from answers.microsoft.com

Why do we need to perform incremental backups for Windows 11?

As we all know, data backup, which can effectively prevent data loss, is vitally important. But it is also critical to choose the right backup method. Currently, there are three main backup methods, incremental backup, differential backup, and full backup. 

Incremental backup is a widely applicable backup method because it only backs up newly added and changed items, so data can be backed up quickly while saving backup space for you. But before you start incremental backups, you should know:

• ♦A full backup is required before starting an incremental backup. You cannot create incremental backups directly.
• ♦Incremental backups have the above advantages, but it may take a lot of time to restore data. For example, if you want to restore all backed-up files, you need to recover the full backup and all incremental backup versions.

To create incremental backup backups for Windows 11, you can follow the next two methods with how-to guides.

How to perform Windows 11 incremental backups automatically

Unlike File History, dedicated to Windows user file recovery, Backup and Restore is another inbuilt Windows 11 backup software, mainly for the purpose of system backup and restoration, that allows you to do scheduled backups with an incremental backup method.

Also, you can choose to apply professional incremental backup software to create auto incremental backups for Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, XP with ease. You can follow either of the following methods to complete this job.

Solution 1. Create incremental backups for Windows 11 with built-in tool

With Backup and Restore, you can back up your files and create a system image on Windows 11. Automatic backups are supported on this tool. You can follow the below steps to get Windows 11 backup files to external drives, local disks, and network drives.

Step 1. Go to Control Panel on your computer and click on Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 2. Tap on Set up backup to start Windows backups. Then, select the right backup destination. If you want to create Windows 11 incremental backups to an external drive, you should connect it to your PC in advance.

Step 3. Pick Let Windows Choose (recommended) or Let me choose and click Next.

Step 4. Set the backup schedule and click on Save settings and run backup to get Windows 11 backup files to your external drive or other storage devices.

Solution 2. Do Windows 11 incremental backups with free backup software

Although Backup and Restore is a Windows native backup utility, it mainly backs up files and program data on the primary hard drive. If you want to backup files from other hard drives or external drives, you can use professional backup software - CBackup, which is a professional and free cloud backup tool.

CBackup, allowing you to backup all files on your computer, uses the incremental backup method to backup only the modified or added data. You can use this software to easily backup your D drive to OneDrive, and other cloud storage solutions for free. And this Windows 10 incremental backup software supports you to backup data to CBackup Cloud, which provides 10GB of free storage and cost-effective subscriptions. Moreover, you could use CBackup to backup files to OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.

Exclusive Features of CBackup:

►Auto file backup: CBackup offers scheduled backups for you to perform daily, weekly, monthly, and specific time backups for your files automatically.

►Cloud backup: It enables you to backup files between clouds, like backing up OneDrive to Dropbox.

►Easy data recovery: You can restore data backups to the original location or a new location in 3 steps without payment.

►High security: It is based on the OAuth authorization system, and it applies 256-bit AES Encryption in data transfer.

Windows 11 Incremental Backup to Public Cloud

You can employ CBackup to create incremental backups for Windows 11 files with the tutorial below:

Step 1. Create an account for CBackup. Click the Download CBackup button to launch and sign in to the CBackup desktop application on your PC.

Step 2. In the Storage section, select a cloud where you want to store Windows 11 files, and go on to finish the authorization to allow CBackup to access your cloud space.

Step 3. After adding your cloud, turn to the Backup tab and click on Backup PC to Public Cloud.

Step 4. Select files on your Windows 11 computer and tick the added cloud as the destination (here is OneDrive). After that, click on Start Backup to backup files to OneDrive easily.

You could enable Scheduler under Settings to create Windows 11 incremental backup easily.

Backup Windows 11 Incrementally to CBackup Cloud

Furthermore, you could backup Windows 11 files to CBackup Cloud as well, just follow the steps below:

1. Click Backup > Backup PC to CBackup Cloud.

2. Select the files on your Windows 11 computer, and the CBackup Cloud will automatically be selected by default, press the Start Backup button to backup files to CBackup Cloud easily.

To incrementally backup files to cloud, you could enable schedule backup with Scheduler in Settings on the bottom left corner, it will backup the changed part automatically after the first full backup once you set it up.

Conclusion

On this page, we describe two ways to complete Windows 11 incremental backups. One way is to use the Windows built-in tool - Backup and Restore, and the other way is to back up Windows 11 with the help of this professional incremental backup tool, CBackup.

Relatively speaking, the latter is easier to operate and can backup any single file on your device. Also, this service can synchronize or transfer data between clouds without a hitch.