Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

The new Windows 11 Backup App takes another cue from the Mac

Fionna Agomuoh
By
The Windows Backup App against a blurred background.

The latest Windows 11 Insider Preview includes a new Backup App that functions in a similar fashion to Time Machine in macOS.

The backup app will allow for more regular backups of most apps, settings, and data in Windows 11. This will allow for easier restore abilities, as well as the ability to transfer data to a new PC, NotebookCheck noted.

Recommended Videos

Notably, Time Machine works by allowing you to frequently back up data in macOS. If an issue arises with your Mac system, you can select a date of one of your most recent backups, before the issue occurred, and restore the system to that date to see if the issue will resolve. Time Machine has been a staple on macOS since 2007.

Related

Microsoft recently announced its new Backup App as part of its Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 23466 release, which is now available for download from the Dev Channel.

The system features that will generally be backed up include stock applications, documents, photos, files, passwords, and basic settings, in addition to Start Menu and Taskbar configurations. In terms of modification, the system does allow you to determine which files and settings you wish not to include in your backup. Applications downloaded from the Microsoft Store aren’t eligible for automatic backup and reinstallation.

You can initiate a backup by visiting the new Windows Backup app or through the Accounts/Windows Backup section in the Settings. This is where you can test the functionalities that are similar to Time Machine, restoring your system to an “out-of-box- experience (OOBE) when setting up a new PC or by resetting an existing PC with this build,” Microsoft said.

You should also keep in mind that the feature works primarily with cloud storage backups, for which Microsoft offers 5GB of free OneDrive storage. To get more storage you’d have to either pay for more OneDrive storage or for another Microsoft service that offers a higher tier of storage as a perk.

With the Backup App being showcased to Windows Insiders on the Dev Channel, there is no guarantee that the feature will make it to a final build of Windows 11. Still, it is interesting to get a first look at some of Microsoft’s ideas.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Fionna Agomuoh
Fionna Agomuoh
Computing Writer
Fionna Agomuoh is a technology journalist with over a decade of experience writing about various consumer electronics topics…
The Windows 11 taskbar is getting an important new update
windows 11 taskbar third party app pinning

Microsoft is working on new experiences for Windows that will allow developers to enable pinning for third-party applications, as well as enable pinning to the Taskbar.

Microsoft recently announced the details of these upcoming functions in a blog post. This is the brand's attempt to universalize its pinning process across all apps used on Windows. In practice, it will be similar to how pinning works on the Edge browser, with the Windows 11 users being notified by the Action Center about a request for pinning to the Taskbar by the app in question.

Read more
If your PC is running slowly, the latest Windows 11 update may be to blame
A laptop running Windows 11.

Microsoft may have a problem on its hands -- the latest Windows 11 update doesn't seem to be working as intended. According to various user reports, the update drastically slows SSD speeds, in some cases even cutting them in half.

If you've noticed that your PC is loading slowly or programs aren't running as quickly as you'd hoped, you might be affected by this problem. Here's how to fix it.

Read more
Dell’s first Windows 11 ARM laptop is priced like a Chromebook
A woman using a Dell Inspiron 14 laptop.

Dell just launched a new Inspiron 14 laptop with a Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2, and it's priced like a Chromebook, costing only $500. The advantage of using a Qualcomm chip is the long battery life, and Dell claims the Inspiron 14 can last for 16 hours on a single charge.

The budget laptop includes a respectable 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage, which should be sufficient for productivity and browsing. A 14-inch antiglare screen has an LED backlight and offers 1080p resolution.

Read more