A recent XDA post made the case that Windows already has every backup tool most people need, and the case is real: File History plus System Image plus OneDrive covers a surprising amount of ground. The case is also incomplete. Built-in backups work until the day you try to restore one to different hardware, or back up to a NAS that File History doesn’t speak to, or roll back individual files from a year ago. We tested eight apps for backing up a Windows PC in 2026, free and paid, third-party and built-in.
The benchmark for each: how it handles full-disk images, file-level backup, restore to dissimilar hardware, NAS targets, and what happens when the source disk fails mid-backup.
What to look for in a Windows backup app
A handful of criteria separate the tools that survive a disk failure from the ones that look fine until you actually need them:
- Full disk imaging plus file-level backup. You want both. Disk images are for “rebuild this machine”; file-level is for “I accidentally deleted that thing”.
- Incremental and differential backups. Full backups every night burn disk space and time. Incremental backups are the standard.
- Restore-to-different-hardware support. Imaging the C: drive and restoring it to a new laptop is the moment most “free” tools draw the line.
- NAS, USB, and cloud targets. The 3-2-1 rule means at least one off-site copy. Tools that only back up to local USB don’t satisfy it.
- Bootable rescue media. When Windows won’t start, you need a USB rescue image that can restore the backup.
- Encryption at rest. Backups are a juicy attack surface. AES-256 at minimum.
Quick comparison
| App | Best for | Free plan | Paid starts at | Disk image | Cloud target |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veeam Agent Free | Power-user free imaging | Yes | n/a | Yes | No |
| Macrium Reflect Free | Discontinued for home but still around | Limited | Macrium X $75 | Yes | Yes (X tier) |
| EaseUS Todo Backup | Polished free tier | Yes | $39.95/year | Yes | Yes (paid) |
| Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office | Cloud + ransomware protection | No | $49.99/year | Yes | Yes |
| AOMEI Backupper | Generous free tier | Yes | $39.95/year | Yes | Yes (paid) |
| Duplicati | Free encrypted to cloud | Yes | None | No (file-level) | Yes |
| Restic | Scriptable, FOSS, cross-platform | Yes | None | No (file-level) | Yes |
| Windows File History + System Image | Built-in baseline | Yes | None | Yes | OneDrive |
The 8 best apps for backing up a Windows PC
1. Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows Free — best free disk imaging
Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows Free is the closest thing to enterprise-grade backup that ships free for home use. Full image, file-level, single-file restore, bare-metal recovery to dissimilar hardware, and a bootable USB rescue ISO. The same engine that runs Veeam’s enterprise tier, with a polite license that allows free use on personal machines.
Where it falls short: The free tier doesn’t include cloud targets out of the box. The UI is enterprise-flavoured and takes a few hours to learn. Veeam asks for an email to download.
Pricing:
- Free: yes, for non-commercial use
- Paid: Veeam Endpoint subscriptions for business use
Platforms: Windows 10, 11
Download: Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows
Bottom line: Pick Veeam Free when you want professional-grade imaging and you can live without built-in cloud targets.
2. Macrium Reflect Free — the household name still worth a look
Macrium Reflect Free ended its free home tier in 2024 but the last 8.x build is still mirrored across reliable archives and the paid Macrium X is the modern successor. Disk imaging is fast, the rapid delta restore feature makes incremental restores genuinely quick, and the bootable rescue media wizard is the simplest in the category.
Where it falls short: No more free updates. New machines should go straight to Macrium X or another tool. NAS targets work but the setup wizard is awkward.
Pricing:
- Free: legacy 8.x builds only
- Paid: Macrium X from $75/year
Platforms: Windows 10, 11
Download: Macrium X
Bottom line: Pick Macrium when the legacy free version still does what you need or you’re ready to pay for the modern build.
3. EaseUS Todo Backup — best polished free tier
EaseUS Todo Backup has the most user-friendly UI of any backup tool here. Free tier supports disk imaging, file-level backup, schedule-based incrementals, and bootable media. The paid Home tier adds cloud backup, system migration to SSD, and email notifications.
Where it falls short: The installer pushes other EaseUS products. Restore performance is good but not Veeam-fast. Some advanced options sit behind the paid tier.
Pricing:
- Free: yes, disk image and file backup
- Paid: Home $39.95/year, Workstation $49/year
Platforms: Windows 10, 11
Download: EaseUS Todo Backup
Bottom line: Pick EaseUS Todo Backup when the UI matters and you don’t need enterprise polish.
4. Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office — best cloud-included paid tier
Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office bundles backup with ransomware protection, anti-malware, and a generous cloud storage allocation. The all-in-one bundle is the right shape if you don’t want to stitch together a backup tool, an antivirus, and a cloud target.
Where it falls short: No free tier. The constant cross-sell of security features distracts from the core backup workflow. The Acronis cloud is good but priced as a bundle, not separately.
Pricing:
- Free: no, 30-day trial
- Paid: Essentials $49.99/year, Advanced $89.99/year (500 GB), Premium $124.99/year (1 TB)
Platforms: Windows 10, 11; companion mobile apps for iOS and Android
Download: Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office
Bottom line: Pick Acronis when you want backup, antivirus, and cloud in one subscription.
5. AOMEI Backupper — best free tier alternative to EaseUS
AOMEI Backupper Standard competes head-to-head with EaseUS on the free tier. Disk imaging, file backup, scheduled incrementals, and a less aggressive installer. The Pro tier adds cloud backup, command-line scheduling, and PXE boot tool for technician use.
Where it falls short: Some advanced restore features only available on paid tier. The UI is dated next to EaseUS.
Pricing:
- Free: yes
- Paid: Professional $39.95/year, Workstation $59.95/year
Platforms: Windows 10, 11
Download: AOMEI Backupper
Bottom line: Pick AOMEI Backupper when you want a free tool with the same shape as EaseUS and a quieter installer.
6. Duplicati — best free encrypted cloud backup
Duplicati is open-source, written in .NET, and built for one job: encrypted backups to cloud targets. S3, Backblaze B2, Google Drive, OneDrive, FTP, WebDAV, plus more than 20 other backends. Files are deduplicated and AES-256 encrypted before they leave the disk.
Where it falls short: No disk imaging; this is file-level only. The 2.0 beta has been a beta for years but is stable in practice. The web UI is functional rather than polished.
Pricing:
- Free: yes, MIT licensed
- Paid: none
Platforms: Windows 10, 11; same engine runs on macOS and Linux
Download: Duplicati
Bottom line: Pick Duplicati when the 3-2-1 off-site copy is what you’re missing and you want zero subscription.
7. Restic — best scriptable open-source tool
Restic is a command-line backup tool written in Go, designed for snapshots, deduplication, and encryption from the start. It targets local disk, SFTP, REST server, S3-compatible storage, Azure Blob, Google Cloud Storage, and Backblaze B2. Use rclone as a backend and it reaches almost everywhere.
Where it falls short: Command-line only. The lack of a GUI puts off non-technical users. Restoring single files is fast but requires the CLI.
Pricing:
- Free: yes, BSD-2 licensed
- Paid: none
Platforms: Windows 10, 11; first-class macOS and Linux support
Download: Restic
Bottom line: Pick Restic when you script your backups and the CLI is your home.
8. Windows File History + System Image — the built-in baseline
Windows File History plus the legacy System Image Backup under Control Panel is the baseline XDA was talking about. File History captures changes to user folders on a schedule, System Image writes a full disk image. Restore via the Windows Recovery Environment when Windows won’t boot.
Where it falls short: System Image hasn’t seen meaningful updates in years and Microsoft marks it as “deprecated” without removing it. File History targets external drives or network shares, not cloud. Incremental restore is awkward.
Pricing:
- Free: yes, included with Windows
- Paid: none
Platforms: Windows 10, 11
Download: built into Windows; search “File History” in Settings
Bottom line: Pick the built-in tools as the floor, then add one of the picks above as the ceiling.
How to pick the right one
If you want the simplest free option with enterprise capability: Veeam Agent for Microsoft Windows.
If the interface matters and you don’t mind a paid tier: EaseUS Todo Backup.
If you want backup, antivirus, and cloud as one bundle: Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office.
If you only need the off-site cloud copy: Duplicati for the GUI, Restic for the CLI.
If you just want File History plus an image, the built-in tools are enough and they’re free.
Whichever you pick, run a test restore the same week you set it up. A backup you’ve never restored is a guess.
