The worst-case scenario has befallen even the most careful computer user: a coffee mug spills on your laptop or an update wipes all your files and photos. Despite your best effort, accidents happen.

Imagine your documents, photos, videos, and other files are gone forever by sudden system crashes or storage device failures. Quite scary, right? However, to prevent this from happening, Microsoft has ...

PCMag editors select and review products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions, which help support our testing. We all know we're supposed to back up our data; ...

Windows has a hidden backup tool in Windows 10 and 11. It can save files to discs, drives, or network locations. Deprecated by Microsoft, so expect occasional errors. Regularly backing up your files ...

How to create a personal backup with File History in Windows 11 Your email has been sent Whether it is ransomware or just basic wear and tear, all systems eventually fail. You should have a complete ...

Making a full system image backup preserves not only your files, but Windows and all its settings as well. Here are the best free Windows backup and recovery tools with step-by-step instructions. When ...

Losing important computer data can be a nightmare. Whether due to hardware failure, accidental deletion, software corruption, or theft, data loss can disrupt your work and personal life. Regularly ...

It won't do what most third-party backup solutions can, but Windows File History, a relic from Windows 8.1, does a reasonably good job of protecting Windows 10 data. When it comes to protecting data ...

If you own a laptop or a desktop PC, you're probably using your device to store important files. The average hard drive, or solid-state drive (SSD) on more modern devices, is home to thousands of ...

Regular backups are often the only thing that can save your bacon when a hard drive failure or otherwise catastrophic PC meltdown occurs. If your files go poof, they’re gone forever unless you’ve ...