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System Image vs. File History | Which One to Choose

What is the main difference between the backup methods: System Image and File History? My goal is to back up my photos, videos, music, and documents once or twice a month, as well as a regular system image so that if I need to restore my system, I have 3-4 images to choose from spanning the past one to two months.

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Larissa· Answered on Jan 05, 2024

System image and File History are two different types of backup in the Windows system. They aim at different backup sources and have their own distinguishing features.

System Image: Creating an exact copy of your Windows system, including the operating system, applications, system-related files, and other data. It will help restore your computer to its previous condition if it crashes or the hard drive fails. The system image can be achieved in Windows Backup and Restore feature, and save the system image to an external hard drive.

File History: Mainly designed to back up files on your computer, like photos, videos, music, documents, etc. It will automatically save these files if you set a scheduled backup plan. File History also allows you to store the backups to network-attached storage(NAS) to ensure its security. If you lose a certain file or want to retrieve it to the previous state, File History will restore it with its backups.

System image and File History are two different utilities, and you must use them separately if you want to create a system image as well as backup files. If you want to combine the two features into one tool, then EaseUS Todo Backup is the best choice.

EaseUS Todo Backup is a professional backup and restore software that allows users to back up the system, files, folders, disks, partitions, and even the APP data. Equipped with various advanced backup features, you can set scheduled, compressed, incremental, differential backups, etc.

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