To create a system image in Windows 10, plug in an external drive and open Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7). Select Create a system image, choose the external drive, and select Next > Start backup. The image is a full copy of Windows, your apps, settings and files.
Applies to: Windows 10. Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025, and only PCs enrolled in Extended Security Updates still get security fixes, through October 12, 2027.
Before you start
- Use an external drive with more free space than the used space on your C: drive. You can check disk space in Windows 10 from File Explorer.
- A system image is all or nothing. You restore the whole PC, not single files, so keep regular file backups as well. Moving to different hardware is another matter, and getting files out of a system image on a new PC works better than restoring the whole image there.
- Microsoft no longer adds features to this older tool, but it still works in Windows 10.
System image or regular backup?
A system image is an exact copy of the whole Windows drive: Windows itself, settings, apps and files. Restoring it puts the PC back exactly as it was on the day you made it. That makes it ideal after a failed drive or a bad update, but you can’t pick out single files from it easily, and it overwrites everything on the PC. It is also different from the small hidden partition that holds Windows repair tools, which you can recreate if your recovery partition is missing.
For everyday file backups, File History or OneDrive is better, because they keep many versions of each file. Use a system image alongside them, for example once a month or before big changes. You’ll also need a way to start the PC to restore it, so make a recovery USB drive too. It does the same job as the older system repair disc and works on PCs without a DVD drive.
Create the system image
- Plug in the external drive.
- Open Control Panel and select System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
- On the left, select Create a system image.
- Choose On a hard disk, pick your external drive, and select Next.
- Leave the drives Windows checks for you (C: and the system drives), then select Next.
- Select Start backup. This can take an hour or more.
- When Windows asks about a system repair disc, select No if you already made a Windows 10 recovery USB drive.
The image is saved in a folder named WindowsImageBackup on the drive. Don’t rename or move it, or Windows won’t find it.
Create a system image with a command
In Command Prompt as administrator, this makes the same backup to drive E:
wbAdmin start backup -backupTarget:E: -include:C: -allCritical -quiet
Change E: to your external drive’s letter. You can use this command in a scheduled task to make images regularly.
Restore the PC from the image
Restoring replaces everything on the PC with what was in the image. Files you made after the image was created are lost, so copy them somewhere else first.
- Plug in the drive with the image.
- Open the recovery tools (the ways to enter recovery mode in Windows 10 all work).
- Select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > See more recovery options > System Image Recovery.
- Follow the steps to choose the latest image and restore it.
If the system image fails
- The external drive isn’t listed: it must be formatted as NTFS. Copy its files off, then format it as NTFS.
- An error reports there isn’t enough space: use a bigger drive, or free up space on C:. Some errors mean the small system partition is full, which a larger drive won’t fix.
- The backup stops partway: run
chkdsk C: /f, restart, and try again. Also try a different USB port or cable. - System Image Recovery can’t find the image: make sure the WindowsImageBackup folder is at the top level of the drive and hasn’t been renamed.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I make a system image?
Make a new one after big changes, like installing many apps or a major update. Keep your files backed up more often with File History.
Be aware that after the September 2026 updates, File History stopped backing up on some Windows 10 and 11 PCs. Microsoft has released a fix for Windows 11. On Windows 10, install the latest updates and check that File History’s last backup time is recent.
Is a system image the same as a restore point?
No. A restore point undoes system changes but doesn’t back up your files.
Can I use the image on a different PC?
It’s made for the PC it came from. To start fresh instead, reset Windows 10.
Can I get just one file back from a system image?
Yes. Open Disk Management, select Action > Attach VHD, and choose the .vhdx file inside the WindowsImageBackup folder. The image opens as a drive in File Explorer, and you can copy files from it. Detach it when you’re done.
Preparing one image for many PCs is a different job that starts with running Sysprep in Windows 10 (or on Windows 11).
Microsoft’s reference is Backup, restore, and recovery in Windows.
Matt Jacobs writes and maintains the guides on Support Your Tech, which he started in 2017. He spent most of his career keeping small-business PCs running and still takes the occasional consulting job, so the steps here come from fixing the same problems on other people’s computers. Every guide is checked on his own Windows 11, Windows 10, Mac, iPhone and iPad before it goes up.