What's the Difference Between Backup and Restore and File History?

I've been going through the various backup options for Windows, and I noticed Backup and Restore and File History. They seem to have the same purpose in mind. Is that true? What's the difference between these two?

Best Answered by

Jane Zhou· Answered on Feb 22, 2023

Both Windows Backup and Restore and File History can back up your files. But they each serve a different purpose:

Backup and Restore: It's usually used for a long-term backup of files that don't frequently change, like music and movie libraries. The way Backup and Restore backup data is similar to the system image backups. They are destructive and are stored in a container that can be accessed with the Backup and Restore GUI. And that means you will only have a single copy of the file backed up that will be the most recently backed up version. They appear to be the best media for backing up data.

File History: It is mainly used to keep multiple copies of files that are subject to frequent revision, like databases, term papers, and game save files. Unlike Backup and Restore, it is not destructive. It simply makes copies of the original files from the source to the destination with a time stamp added to the filename. In time, you can find that you have many copies of the same file at different stages. It seems better suited for a Winchester Hard Disk Drive, either Internal or External.

Whether File History or Backup Restore, they also only provide basic and limited backup features. For some advanced tools, like incremental and differential backup, scheduled backup, and encrypted backup, both of them cannot make it. If you have these backup needs, you can take a look at EaseUS Todo Backup. This software can do what the built-in backup apps (Backup and Restore & File History) do and other advanced backup work.

Related Article: An Ultimate Guide: How to Use Backup and Restore in Windows 7/10

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