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AOMEI Backupper is a free backup software solution for Windows 11/10 and supports Windows legacy operating systems, offering file backup, restoration and cloning at the fastest speed and most importantly, it is very easy to use.
The dashboard of AOMEI Backupper looks clean and easy to navigate its functions, as you can see in the below image. There, you will be noticing the AOMEI Backupper has six main tabs located on the left side which include Home, Backup, Sync, Restore, Clone, and Tools.
The Home tab lets you create a new backup and new sync, when you click on New Backup it will redirect you to the Backup tab and clicking on New Sync redirects you to the Sync tab.
When you’re on the Backup tab, you will see four different options to choose from. The options include System Backup, Disk Backup, Partition Backup and File Backup.
Table of Contents
Backup
System Backup
System Backup is a type of backup aiming at imaging system partitions and other system-related partitions (such as system reserved partition and boot partition), including system files, boot files and data on these partitions.
Disk Backup and Partition Backup are not the same as System Backup. Partition Backup is used to back up data partitions you select, such as D: drive, E: drive, F: drive, and so on; Disk Backup is used to back up all partitions on a specific disk, as well as all data on that disk.
On my end, I have only one partition on the disk: C: (system), just because I don’t want to add/create an extra partition because I don’t want to lose my personal data whenever the system is crashed which is why I don’t trust the system disc which is basically the C: drive (system drive) because it will sometimes crash or fail whenever I urgently need that system, well that’s not happened with me until now (just saying, but I still don’t trust system disk and I will recommend you to do the same, read this post how this guy from Singapore suddenly lost his data in his 2020 MacBook Air which is the Apple’s first M1 base MacBook Air in 2020, and he also loses money too on repairing his M1 MacBook Air at Apple Store at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, he also shares bill of repair charges for his MacBook Air), that’s why I store all of my daily tasks and files on external devices. Okay, that’s enough, now let’s focus on the review.
If you run a System Backup, only C: drive will be backed up as usual. If you run a Disk Backup, all partitions, for example, including C: D: and E: will be backed up.
If you would like to back up and recover the whole system disk containing the system, installed software, games, applications, and personal files, then Disk Backup is the right choice for that.
It is also recommended to regularly run a System Backup in case of a system crash. Then you can restore your system with the system backup image.
If you need to do a System Backup, this option allows you to back up the system drive completely, including system files, boot files, etc. Please prepare a new hard drive or SSD as a destination.
Creating a System Backup
Creating a System Backup, which includes the entire system, boot files, and program files, is the best way to prevent your system from failing. A Disk Backup, on the other hand, can prevent you from losing any disk data if your hard drive fails.
For most of these file backup options, the AOMEI Backupper Standard is probably the best option. You will have access to automatic file backup and many options (from hard drives, external hard drives, USB flash drives, network drives, etc). To unlock the full potential of AOMEI Backupper, you can purchase or upgrade to the AOMEI Backupper Professional license later or whenever you want.
To create a System Backup, simply follow the below steps.
1. Choose the Backup option from the left tab and then select System Backup.
2. You can name the backup by clicking on the Task Name field so you can easily recognize it from other backups and you can see the partitions included as part of the System Backup are listed automatically. After that, select a destination path for the Backup System. Click the Start Backup button to start the System Backup task.
Meanwhile, you still can set some useful features with the following 3 options during the System Backup process:
- Options: You can enable compression level, intelligent sector backup, VSS backup service, splitting, etc.
- Schedule Backup: You can set a fixed backup interval for your system backup tasks, such as Daily, Weekly, and Monthly. Also, the Event trigger and USB plug-in are available in the professional version.
- Backup Scheme (advanced version): You are allowed to backup the system and only changes are made later with Incremental or Differential Backup. And more flexible, it’s able to delete old backup images to free up disk space.
While a backup is running, you can click an icon in the lower-left corner to set to Shut down/Restart/Hibernate/Sleep PC after backup completion.
After that wait for the backup process to complete and then click the Finish button. In the end, you can check the destination location in which there is a backup image (.adi) generated.
Disk Backup
Disk Backup backs up all partitions on the disk you choose for an image file, including the system partition, boot partition, and data partitions. That means that if you use Disk Backup to back up a system disk, the machine will boot normally when you restore it.
Disk Backup, on the other hand, differs from System Backup because System Backup only backs up the system partition and system-related partitions (eg. boot partition, system reserved partition, etc).
There is no need to run a System Backup if you have created a Disk Backup.
Creating a Disk Backup
1. In the left tab, select Backup and then select Disk Backup.
2. Click Add Disk. Also, you can choose to name this backup using the Task Name field so you can easily recognize it from other backups.
3. In the popup window, select the source disk that you want to back up and you can add several disks to be backed up via Disk Backup in a single backup operation. Please confirm if the destination must have sufficient space to contain the image file of all these disks.
Even though you can add several disks to be included in the backup, you need to restore these disks one by one. Moreover, it is impossible to restore several disks included in an image file to one larger disk.
4. Click the Folder icon to select a destination path to store the image file.
5. After that, click the Start Backup button to create a Disk Backup in Windows and wait for the process to complete.
You can set it to Shut down/Restart/Hibernate/Sleep PC when a Disk Backup is completed by clicking an icon in the lower-left corner while the backup is running. Please check the box and then click OK if you want to do so. You can also check the backup process in detail by clicking “Backing up of the disk (Disk Name)” while the backup is running.
Partition Backup
The Partition Backup option allows you to choose which partitions you want to backup and then saves the result as a single image file. A volume is merely a partition with a drive letter, such as C, D, E, etc., though all partitions are considered volumes. If you need to back up all of the partitions on your hard disk, the Disk Backup function is the best option.
Creating a Partition Backup
1. In the left tab, select Backup and then select Partition Backup.
2. You can name this backup using the Task Name field so you can easily recognize it from other backups. Then select partitions or volumes that need to be backed up. For Partition Backup, you can add multiple partitions or volumes to be backed up. But when you need to restore the image file, you need to select the specific partition to perform the restore procedure one at a time.
3. Select a destination path to save the backup to.
4. Click the Start Backup button and wait for the process to complete.
Sync
Basic Sync
Basic Sync is a feature that allows you to synchronize folders to external hard drives, NAS, detachable USB flash drives, and other destinations. Basic Sync works similarly to Windows’ “copy” functionality in that it does not create an image file when the sync is complete, allowing you to view your data at any time.
Setting up Basic Sync
1. Click the Sync tab on the left side and then select Basic Sync. You can name this backup using the Basic Sync Task Name field to help you distinguish it from other sync tasks. Then, click Add Folder to select the folder which you want to synchronize. You can click the “+” icon to add more folders to sync.
2. When needing to filter files after adding the folders, you can click the Funnel type icon to open the Filter Settings. The feature Filter Settings can be set after you add source folders.
The File Inclusion Mask can specify the files that you need to sync. Wildcards are supported and separate multiple masks with a semi-colon(*.doc;*.xls;*.ppt ). With this mask, you can configure sync according to file extensions, such as .doc, .xls, .ppt and so on. So, only files with the same extensions will be synced to the target path.
For example, you would like to only sync .doc files in the selected source folders. You can just configure “*.doc” in the mask. (If you would like to include more extensions, please separate the formats with semi-colons).
The File Exclusion Mask specifies the files that you need to exclude. Wildcards are supported and separate multiple masks with semi-colon(*.temp;*.tmp;*.bak;*~*).
With this mask, you can configure it to exclude according to file extensions, such as .temp, .tmp, .bak and so on. As a result, all files with the same extensions will not be synced to the destination location.
For example, you would like to only exclude .temp files in the selected source folders. You can just configure “*.temp” in the mask. (If you would like to include more extensions, please separate the formats with semi-colons).
The Folder Exclusion Mask specifies the folders that you need to exclude. Wildcards are supported and separate multiple masks with a semi-colon(*temp;temp*).
You can configure it to exclude folders with the same name as this mask. Therefore, all folders with the same name will not be synced to the destination location.
For example, you would like to only exclude folders eg. “A” in the selected source folders. You can just configure “*A” in the mask. (If you would like to include more folder names, make sure to separate the names with semi-colons).
When you rerun the Basic Sync task, the added and changed data from the source directory will sync to the destination. If you need the files to be deleted from the destination location when they are deleted from the source folder, make sure to tick the “Sync the deletions in the source directory to destination” option under Options > General.
Real-Time Sync
The Real-Time Sync function will automatically monitor the source directory that has to be synced in real-time. If any files or folders in the source directory change, the application will sync them quickly and backup your data in real-time.
Setting up Real-Time Sync
1. Click the Sync tab on the left side and select Real-Time Sync.
2. You can name this sync using the Task Name field to help you distinguish it from other sync tasks. Click Add Folder to select the folder which you want to sync. You can click the “+” icon to add more folders to sync.
When needing to filter files after you add the folders, you can click the Funnel type icon to open the Filter Settings.
For this, preferred the Basic Sync’s filtration options to better understand how this Filter Settings works.
Mirror Sync
Mirror sync is a feature that synchronizes newly added and modified files in the source directory to the target directory, ensuring that the files in the target directory are always identical to those in the source directory. Delete or overwrite files in the destination directory that conflict with those in the source directory.
Setting up Mirror Sync
1. To set up Mirror Sync, click the Sync tab on the left side and then select Mirror Sync.
2. You can name this sync using the Task Name field to help you distinguish it from other sync tasks. Click Add Folder to select the folder which you want to sync. You can click the “+” icon to add more folders to sync.
You can add multiple folders one by one and you can also click the TrashCan icon to delete the wrong selected folder.
3. After that, select a destination location to store the folder.
Two-Way Sync
The Two-Way Sync option allows you to sync newly added, modified, or deleted files in the source directory to the target directory, as well as newly added, edited, or deleted files in the target directory to the source directory. Simply put, when you run the Two-Way Sync job, all changes in the source or destination directory will be synchronized.
Setting up Two-Way Sync
1. To set up a Two-Way Sync, click the Sync tab on the left side and then select Two-Way Sync.
2. Click Add Folder to select the folder which you want to sync
3. Select a destination location to sync the folder.
Restore
With AOMEI Backupper’s Restore options, you can do the following tasks: System Restore, Disk Restore, Dissimilar Hardware Restore, Partition Restore, File Restore, Restore System from Bootable Disc, Restore from Command Prompt, Selective Files Restore, Restore with Partition Alignment, UEFI/EFI Restore. If your computer is experiencing issues such as Malware, Ransomware, BSOD, System crash, or hardware failure, this function will come in helpful.
Clone
You can clone data on a drive, on another operating system, from the command line, as a partition or a specific volume, or with partition alignment using the Clone function in AOMEI Backupper. Cloning files creates a replica disk, and cloning the source disk’s hard drive creates a complete backup. Data recovery is an option for those who are having problems with lost data.
Tools
You can use Tools to transfer system images to multiple computers on the same network. This feature produces an exact image of your operating system (OS), applications, drivers, and settings on a single computer. The AOMEI Backupper restore image procedure can then be started and delivered to other devices.
Image deployment, which is often confused with cloning, is significant because it allows users to quickly and efficiently set up many machines with the same configuration. You will save time and work this way. The system and network administrators are grateful for the option.
You can use the AOMEI Backupper secure program to compress and encrypt backups, make bootable CDs, and divide image files in addition to merging, exploring, and deploying system images. Tasks can also be exported and imported.
Verdict
Beginners and newbie users who want simple software to backup files locally might consider AOMEI Backupper. However, the software continues to perform well on most fronts and is close to average in the majority of cases.
