Typically, you will find this backup approach more suitable to roll back to a previous version if you see problems after upgrading to a new version of Windows or restoring the system after replacing the hard drive or critical failure. You can always use third-party local and cloud solutions, but Windows 11 still comes with the Backup and Restore feature that includes an option to create a system image of the entire system to an external storage.Ī system image also describes a full backup since it includes an identical copy of the Windows installation, plus your settings, apps, and, more importantly, your files. In other words, if you don't have a proper backup, you are constantly at risk of losing your files, including pictures and documents, as well as custom configurations you may have spent many hours setting up. On Windows 11, a full backup is among the best ways to protect your current setup and files against hardware failure, upgrade problems, malware attacks, file corruption, and more.