Or you can automate the process using a built-in tool called Windows File History, which you need to turn on and run. Microsoft has a help page at its website ( ). You then select one or more folders and at the top of the screen click Copy To and select the external drive which will usually have a drive letter D or E. Otherwise, right click on the Start button and click on File Explorer in the choices, which will display icons of the various folders. Then, if you have an icon on your desktop called This PC or one with your name on it, double click it which will display the default folders. Connect the external drive to a USB plug on your computer. To manually back up the files the process is essentially the same for Windows 8.1 and 10. However, an external hard drive is a better choice since the transfer will be much faster and a fairly inexpensive 500 gigabyte drive should be able to store all your files with space left over.īy default, Windows stores your various files in folders appropriately named Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos. For up to 64 gigs, a small USB flash drive, often called a thumb or key drive, will suffice. What kind of external storage you need depends on how much data, measured in gigabytes, you plan on copying. Backing up means copying files on a single computer to cloud storage or an external device so they can be restored in case the computer crashes or you’re switching to a new operating system or a new computer. Syncing is making sure selected files are the same on all your devices. In a recent column I outlined how to sync files between various devices, but a backup is not the same. There’s no need to panic since Win 8.1 will continue to function, but it’s inevitable that users will have to make the choice of how to replace Win 8.1 and they’ll need to back up their files. 10, Microsoft will end support for the operating system. I usually advise people to make a New Year’s resolution to back up all of the important files on their computer, but doing a file backup will become mandatory if your computer is running Windows 8.1.
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