How Do I Backup Windows 10 to a Network Drive?

“I want to back up my Windows 10 system and several folders on this PC to my shared network drive. How to do that? I would like the process to be automatic every day.”

A network drive is a computer drive or storage device that is installed and operated over a computer network, usually a local area network (LAN). A network drive and files stored in it can be shared on another computer on the same network. Due to its shareability with multiple people as well as its convenience for authorized users to view, edit and upload files, network-attached storage devices are the go-to storage application for many users.

Depending on user requirements, we will discuss how to perform Windows 10 backup to a network drive. There are many effective solutions for this task, which allows you to set up auto backups for your Windows easily. Take a quick look below for detailed guides.

3 Methods to Create Windows 10 Backup to Network Drives

There are three methods of creating Windows backup to network drives, using either native Windows utilities or specialized Windows backup software. You can make your choice as needed.

Way 1. Backup and Restore

Backup and Restore is an inbuilt backup tool in Windows, first introduced in Windows Vista and Windows 7, designed to create system images and backup Windows files. You can use the following tutorial to get Windows 10 backup folder to a network drive.

Step 1. Search for “backup” in the Windows 10 search box, select Backup settings from the search results, and click on Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

Step 2. Click Set up backup under the Backup section.

Step 3. Then, choose Save on a network when you select where to save your backups.

Step 4. Afterward, tap on Browse to pick the right network drive and populate your username and password to hit OK. Then, click Next.

Step 5. Select the Let Windows choose (recommended) option and tick the checkbox next to Include a system image of drives.

Step 6. You can determine the Windows 10 backup schedule by pressing Change schedule. After configuration, tap on Save settings and run the backup to initiate the backup.

Way 2. File History

File History on Windows can be used to back up Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, and Desktop folders regularly. It allows you to backup your computer on Windows 10 in a free way. When you experience your original files getting lost, corrupted, or deleted, you can restore them easily. You can also find different versions of a file at a specific point in time. Here is what to do to create Windows 10 backup files to your network drive.

Step 1. Head to the Backup settings like above, click the Add a drive button to locate the network disk.

Step 2. After turning on automatic backups, you can select the backup frequency and files that need to be backed up in More options.

Way 3. Professional Windows Backup Software - AOMEI Backupper Standard

AOMEI Backupper Standard is a comprehensive and effective backup tool for Windows PCs. It supports various backup types such as system backup, file backup, disk backup, partition backup, etc. And users can choose to backup data to a local storage disk, network drive, or cloud drive on demand. It applies the incremental backup method for data backups and has different automatic backup modes for your option.

Step 1. Download and launch AOMEI Backupper Standard on your Windows computer.

Step 2. Go to the Backup tab and click on System Backup.

Step 3. Select your backup destination by opting for Select a network location and hitting Add Share or NAS Device to enter your Display name and Network path, and confirm it.

Step 4. Choose Schedule to create scheduled backups for Windows 10.

Step 5. Tap on Start Backup to begin the task of getting Windows 10 incremental backup to the network drive.

Tip: Another Free Way to Backup Your Windows 10

In addition to backing up Windows 10 to network hard drives, saving Windows 10 to a cloud, like backing up Windows 10 to Google Drive is also a good option. As we all know, although network hard drives are convenient, they also suffer from a high risk of data loss due to hacking or virus infection. And compared with NAS storage devices, data stored in cloud disks can be simply accessed on mobile phones when necessary.

You can use a cloud backup tool like CBackup to do the job of backing up Windows 10 to a cloud drive. CBackup is dedicated to backing up all Windows data to mainstream cloud storage solutions, such as Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, and its CBackup Cloud is also available for users to store files for free.

With this Windows 10 cloud backup tool, you can set up PC auto backup to clouds incrementally with ease. Besides, it offers advanced backup features such as file filters, email notifications for backup tasks, and so on. Free download CBackup to give it a try.

Step 1. Create an account for CBackup and log in to the CBackup desktop application with your account.

Step 2. Choose Backup on the left panel and click on Backup PC to CBackup Cloud.

✎ Note: If your select the Backup PC to Public Cloud option here, you can add and authorize a public cloud to CBackup, and then, you can save your Windows files to it.

Step 3. Modify the task name. Select the files and folders on your Windows 10 PC, and then, Press Start Backup to backup your Windows files to clouds simply.

Conclusion

No matter which method you choose to get Windows 10 backup to your network drive, according to the 3-2-1 data backup principle, it is best to store your files on 2 different storage devices. Therefore, in addition to backing up your Windows 10 to a network drive, it is also a good solution to backup Windows files to clouds to keep your data safe.