Which folders to backup windows 7

Press Start Backup to backup Window 7 to external hard drive easily. There are 3 Windows 7 backup software provied in this post for you to create Windows 7 file backup or Windows 7 backup image. Just find the suitable Windows 7 backup tool to backup files in Windows 7.

Besides, you could try sync features like basic sync to sync files from Windows 7 to Windows Why Backup Files in Windows 7? Backup and Restore The Backup and Restore will backup the Windows operating system, system settings, individual folders, libraries, and drives that you want to backup. To backup files in Windows 7 with Backup and Restore, please refer to this guide: 1.

Click Set up backup to create a new one if you have never used it before. Select where you want to save the Windows 7 backup image to, and click Next.

Tick Let me choose , and hit Next. Click Save settings and run backup to backup selected files in Windows 7. Windows Easy Transfer Windows Easy Transfer allows you to copy files and Windows settings from one computer to another. Here is how to backup files to external hard drive in Windows 7 with Windows Easy Transfer, follow the tutorials: 1. Click Next on the welcome window. Select An external hard disk or USB flash drive option. Select This is my old computer.

Set a password to the Windows 7 backup image, click Save. That way, you won't lose anything that you accidentally left sitting on the desktop. As with the Documents and Downloads folders, Windows provides these three locations for storing personal media files. Anything you have here is likely important, so you should definitely back it all up.

Some media apps use these folders for storing local files such as iTunes keeping library files in the iTunes subfolder. While these aren't essential to back up, doing so may be desirable if you don't want to re-download everything. Many games on Steam use Steam Cloud to synchronize game data and settings so you can have a consistent experience across machines. Unfortunately, Steam's latest interface doesn't let you easily see all of your games that support Steam Cloud.

To check them individually, select a game in your library and click the Details icon which looks like an "i" inside a circle on the right side. There, you'll see the Cloud Saves entry in the list of details if it supports the feature.

You can back up any installed Steam game by right-clicking it in your library and choosing Properties , switching to the Local Files tab, and hitting Backup game files. Since you can always reinstall games, though, it's most important to make sure you have your saved data backed up. For all other games, you'll need to find their saved data individually. Here are several common locations where games may store data:.

Rather than trying to track all these files down manually, we recommend using an automated tool like GameSave Manager. This will scan your system for hundreds of games and back up the saved data to a location of your choice.

If you do creative work such as programming, photography, video editing, or writing , then you should absolutely back up these filesespecially any works-in-progress! Only you know where you keep all of your creative projects.

Make sure you remember to back up all of them. To keep track of them, it's a good idea to keep these in common locations like Documents or Pictures instead of creating folders in random places that you're more likely to forget about. If you have any personal files that aren't stored in the above folders, don't forget to back those up too. These might include tax records and documents, rental and lease information, business invoices, bank and credit card statements, certificates, resumes, various spreadsheets, and similar.

Next, let's look at some folders that might have valuable data inside, but that you don't necessarily need to back up in all cases. The AppData folder in Windows stores user-specific settings for installed programs. Within this folder are three subfolders: Roaming , Local , and LocalLow. The Roaming folder usually contains data that can move across computers in a Windows domain.

For example, Firefox stores its user profiles here. In contrast, Local is meant for data that only stay on one machine, such as cache files. LocalLow is similar but runs at a lower level of integrity for apps with strict security settings.

However, developers don't always adhere to this. Chrome stores user data in the Local folder and some apps store data in an entirely different directory. Whether you should back up AppData depends on your preference and available storage space. Depending on the app, you may be able to copy and paste this folder onto a new system and have it work perfectly, but this won't always be the case.

If you have space, feel free to back up folders in from your most-used apps. But you shouldn't need to back up the entire folder, as it's many gigabytes.

Note that AppData is hidden by default, so you'll need to show hidden Windows folders first if you don't see it. ProgramData is similar to AppData. In this case, click Select another backup to restore files from instead.

Browse to locate the backup file You can narrow your location search by clicking Choose a different date. This enables you to choose a backup file based on the date you saved the backup.

Click Next Select a location where you want to restore the backup file Click Restore The restore process will now begin.

This process may take a while depending on how large the backup file is. When the process is complete, click Finish Delete individual backup files In Windows 7, you can delete individual backup files created using Backup and Restore utility. Verify the backup file details. Click Next Choose Select all files from this backup Click Next Choose where you want to save the files on your Windows 7 system Click Restore Once the process is complete, verify that the files have been restored successfully More Information Support Links Easy Recovery Essentials for Windows — our repair and recovery disk.

Read more at Windows Recovery Disks. The NeoSmart Support Forums , member-to-member technical support and troubleshooting. Get a discounted price on replacement setup and installation discs: Windows 7. Applicable Systems This Windows-related knowledgebase article applies to the following operating systems:.