Best way to backup all programs and settings etc... in Windows 10

You need a fully fledged backup program to backup all the partitions used to boot Windows and system files. Many here including me use the excellent Macrium Reflect. The free version has enough features for most people.

jaburmester said:

Could someone please tell me the best way to backup all programs and settings etc... in Windows 10 so as to reinstall Windows 10.

Thank you.

Make an image backup using tool like Macrium Reflect Free (see tutorials section). Some beginners ptefer to use Easeus Todo or AOMEI Backupper as simpler (but less feature rich) interface.

The easiest way to transfer most programs, all settings, accounts, even data... to a newly installed O/S is

a. Create a disk image (hopefully you do use disk imaging anyway).
b. Use either Laplink PCMover or Easeus ToDo PCTrans (one-off license fee) with the disk image as source to transfer the those to your new PC.

Your working environment will be restored - most programs (including many licenses for them) wil be restored- exclude large items such as Office, games, security software.

Ensure you have your program licenses securely stored.

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Otherwise- without such a tool - install to new disk and ensure you keep aside your original system disk so you can extract any data you need and haven't thought about.

Email clients, browser-related data need special handling.

Giveaway licenses will most likely be lost.

There's no easy way to secure all settings for individual programs.

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Sync Settings.
If you use a MS account, you can sync Windows settings with another device.. after a clean install using the same account should mean you have the same settings. (Caveat- never done that myself).

dalchina said:

The easiest way to transfer most programs, all settings, accounts, even data... to a newly installed O/S is

a. Create a disk image (hopefully you do use disk imaging anyway).
b. Use either Laplink PCMover or Easeus ToDo PCTrans (one-off license fee) with the disk image as source to transfer the those to your new PC.

Your working environment will be restored - most programs (including many licenses for them) wil be restored- exclude large items such as Office, games, security software.

Ensure you have your program licenses securely stored.

-------------------------------------------------------------
Otherwise- without such a tool - ensure you keep aside your original PC so you can extract any data you need and haven't thought about.

Email clients, browser-related data need special handling.

Giveaway licenses will most likely be lost.

There's no easy way to secure all settings for individual programs.

Consider using synching to transfer settings.

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Otherwise- simply image/clone what you have now, and restore that image/clone to your new PC, assuming basic compatibility (both use UEFI, both 64 bit...).

Windows will reconfigure drivers.

If you're confident in the integrity of your current build, that's worth trying.

OP never said they wanted to reinstall to new device.

Post amended.

Hello @jaburmester,

jaburmester said:

Could someone please tell me the best way to backup all programs and settings etc... in Windows 10 so as to reinstall Windows 10.

You obviously feel that there is a need to reinstall Win 10. Perhaps if you tell us why you think that this is the case, because of a problem that you might be having for example, we can help you resolve it. This option could possibly be a LOT quicker than going through ALL the processes and time concerned with performing a Clean Install. Just a thought.

I hope this helps.

jaburmester said:

Could someone please tell me the best way to backup all programs and settings etc... in Windows 10 so as to reinstall Windows 10.

A Clean install wipes all software off the computer.
There is no generally accepted method of backing up all programs & all settings so that they can then be restored to the clean-installed-computer afterwards.
There are some third-party tools that claim to be able to restore programs but I know nothing about them.

You can make a system image of your whole disk beforehand so you could get back to where you started if the clean install went wrong.
You can back up your hardware drivers so they can be restored afterwards.
You can back up your own files, including any application installation files, so they can be restored afterwards.
my ditty - File backup vs imaging, imaging utilities, backing up drivers [post #3] - TenForums

There are also methods of backing up individual settings for some things but you'd need to study the tutorial index to study each one. There's a link to the Tutorial index near the top of this webpage. There are also individual forum threads describing particular backups that some people have found useful.
- Just by way of example, I back up my default folder view settings using How to Backup and restore Default folder views - TenForums

All in all, a clean install is a lot of work when you consider the setting up & application installations and the general setting up you also end up having to do.


All the best,
Denis