Free guide · Waynesville Computer Services

HOW TO BACK UP YOUR PHOTOS & FILES

Step by step for Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android. No tech skills needed, and most of it is free.

From Ben, Waynesville Computer Services · Updated October 2026

THE 10-MINUTE VERSION

Get an external drive at least as big as what's on your computer.
Turn on File History (Windows) or Time Machine (Mac). It copies your files for you.
Turn on photo backup on your phone (iCloud Photos or Google Photos).
Once a month, plug the drive in and check that the last backup is recent.

WHY BACK UP?

Your photos and files live on one drive inside your computer. If that one drive fails, gets stolen, gets spilled on, or gets locked by a virus, everything on it can be gone for good. A backup is a second copy, kept somewhere else, so losing the computer doesn't mean losing your stuff.

The simple rule: Keep 3 copies of anything you can't replace: the one on your computer, one on an external drive, and one somewhere else (the cloud, or a second drive at a relative's house). Then one bad day can't take all three.

What to back up

Photos and videos, including the ones on your phone
Documents: letters, résumés, school work, scans
Money and tax papers: returns, receipts, statements
Your Desktop, where a lot of files end up

Music you bought or ripped from CDs
Passwords: a password manager, or write down where they're kept
Email, if you use a program like Outlook instead of a website
Downloads you'd want again (most of it you won't)

You don't need to back up Windows, macOS or your programs. Those can be reinstalled. It's your files that can't be replaced.

What you'll need

An external drive that's bigger than what you have stored. To see how much you're using:

Computer	Where to look
Windows 10 / 11	Start then Settings then System then Storage
Mac	Apple menu then System Settings then General then Storage (older Macs: About This Mac then Storage)

A 1 TB or 2 TB drive covers most home computers. A portable hard drive gives you the most space for the money; a portable SSD is faster and tougher. The backup drives I recommend →

WINDOWS: TURN ON FILE HISTORY

File History is built into Windows 10 and 11. Once it's on, it copies your files to the external drive every hour while the drive is plugged in, and it keeps older versions too, so you can get back a file you changed or deleted by mistake.

Plug in your external drive and wait a few seconds for Windows to see it.
Click Start, type Control Panel, and open it.
Go to System and Security then File History.
If your drive is listed, click Turn on. If it isn't, click Select drive, pick your external drive, then click Turn on.
That's it. The first backup can take a while. Leave the drive plugged in until it finishes.

What it saves: your Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Videos and Music folders. If you keep files somewhere else (like a folder you made on the C: drive), move them into Documents or Pictures so they're included.

Optional: under Advanced settings you can choose how often it saves copies (every hour is fine) and how long it keeps old versions.

Getting a file back

Plug in the backup drive. Open Control Panel then System and Security then File History.
Click Restore personal files.
Use the arrows at the bottom to go back in time, open the folder, and select what you want.
Click the green restore button. Windows puts it back where it was.

No time for setup? Copy it by hand

Open File Explorer, select your Pictures, Documents and Desktop folders, press Ctrl + C, open your external drive, make a folder with today's date (like Backup 2026-10), open it and press Ctrl + V. This is a one-time snapshot, so do it again every month.

MAC: TURN ON TIME MACHINE

Time Machine is built into every Mac. It backs up everything: your files, photos, apps and settings. While the drive is plugged in it saves a copy every hour, keeps hourly copies for the past day, daily copies for the past month, and weekly copies until the drive is full.

Heads up: Time Machine may need to erase the drive before it can use it. Use a new or empty drive, or one with nothing on it you need.

Plug in your external drive. If your Mac asks whether to use it with Time Machine, click Use as Backup Disk (or Set Up) and skip to step 4.
Open Apple menu then System Settings then General then Time Machine. On older Macs: Apple menu then System Preferences then Time Machine.
Click Add Backup Disk (older Macs: Select Backup Disk), choose your drive, and click Set Up Disk (or Use Disk).
That's it. The first backup can take a few hours. Leave the drive plugged in until it finishes.

Getting a file back

Plug in the backup drive and open the folder in Finder where the file used to be.
Open Time Machine (search for it with Command + Space).
Use the arrows or timeline on the right to go back to before the file was lost.
Select the file and click Restore.

New Mac? When you set up a new Mac, it offers to copy everything from a Time Machine backup (Migration Assistant). Your old files, apps and settings come right over.

No time for setup? Copy it by hand

Open Finder, then drag your Pictures, Documents and Desktop folders onto your external drive (it's listed on the left under Locations). Do it again every month. Photos in the Photos app live inside the Pictures folder, so copying Pictures includes them.

PHONES: BACK UP YOUR PHOTOS

Most photos today are taken on a phone, and phones get dropped, lost and stolen. Turn on automatic photo backup and every new picture gets a copy online.

iPhone & iPad

Open Settings and tap your name at the top.
Tap iCloud, then Photos.
Turn on iCloud Photos (called Sync this iPhone on newer iPhones).

iCloud gives you 5 GB free. Most photo libraries need more, which Apple sells as a monthly plan.

Android

Open the Google Photos app.
Tap your profile picture (top right), then Photos settings.
Tap Backup and turn it on.

Google gives you 15 GB free, shared with Gmail and Drive. Google Photos works on iPhone too.

Menus can be worded a little differently depending on your phone's version. Back up over Wi-Fi so it doesn't use your data plan.

Prefer a cable? Plug your phone into your computer and import the pictures with the Photos app (Windows or Mac). Once they're on the computer, File History or Time Machine backs them up too.

Cloud storage at a glance

Service	Free space	Best for
Google Photos / Drive	15 GB	Android phones, Gmail users, any computer
iCloud	5 GB	iPhone, iPad and Mac
Microsoft OneDrive	5 GB (1 TB with Microsoft 365)	Windows computers. On Windows 11, the Windows Backup app saves your folders to OneDrive.

Syncing isn't the same as a backup. These services keep your devices matched, so if you delete a photo on your phone, it's deleted everywhere. Deleted items sit in a trash or "Recently Deleted" folder for a limited time (usually 30 to 60 days) and then they're gone. That's why you still want a copy on an external drive.

Want more privacy? With Google, Microsoft and standard iCloud storage, the company holds the keys to your files. If you'd rather hold them yourself, my Better Alternatives page compares encrypted options, with the real costs and tradeoffs.

KEEP YOUR BACKUP WORKING

A backup only helps if it's recent and it actually works. A few minutes a month is all it takes.

Once a month

Plug in the drive and let the backup finish.
Check the date of the last backup. Windows: File History shows "Files last copied". Mac: Time Machine shows "Latest backup".
Check that your phone's photo backup says it's up to date.

Twice a year

Test it: get one file back from the backup and make sure it opens.
Make sure the drive isn't almost full.

Smart habits

Unplug the drive when it's done. A drive that isn't plugged in can't be locked by ransomware or wiped by a scammer who got into your computer.
Keep one copy away from home (the cloud, or a second drive at a relative's house) in case of fire, flood or theft.
Never let a stranger "fix" your computer remotely. That's how many people lose their files.

Signs a drive is failing: clicking or grinding noises, the computer getting very slow or freezing when you open files, error messages about the disk, or files that won't open. If you notice any of these, back up right away and use the computer as little as possible until it's checked.

Already lost something? Stop using that computer or drive right away. Saving new files can write over what you lost. Then call (800) 292-8397 and I'll tell you your options, or see data recovery.

WANT IT SET UP FOR YOU?

Bring your computer in and I'll set up your backup and show you how to check it. You'll get a price before I start. Drop-off is by appointment.

Book a Drop-Off Call (800) 292-8397

Waynesville Computer Services · Ben, Waynesville, NC · Updated October 2026. Menus and free storage amounts are set by Microsoft, Apple and Google and can change.