How to Restore Backup to New Computer Windows 10

To restore a backup to a new Windows 10 computer, connect the drive that holds your old File History backup, open Control Panel > System and Security > File History, choose Select drive and pick the old backup, then use Restore personal files and the green Restore button. If you backed up with the Windows Backup app instead, your Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders are already in OneDrive, so signing in to OneDrive on the new PC brings them back. Either way, Windows restores files and some settings, not your installed programs.

Applies to: a new or freshly reset PC running Windows 10 version 22H2, and backups made on Windows 10 or Windows 11 with File History, the Windows Backup app, Backup and Restore (Windows 7) or a manual copy. If the new computer came with Windows 11, the Windows Backup restore during setup (covered below) is the easiest route.

Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. A Windows 10 PC enrolled in Extended Security Updates keeps getting security fixes until October 12, 2027; without it, the restore steps still work, but the PC no longer receives security updates.

Which restore method fits your backup?

Start with how the backup was made, because each tool can only read its own format. If you’re not sure, plug in the backup drive and look at the folders on it.

What you see on the backup	Tool that made it	How to restore on the new PC
A folder named FileHistory on an external drive or network share	File History	Restore with File History
Nothing on a drive, but you used the Windows Backup app and a Microsoft account	Windows Backup (OneDrive)	Restore a Windows Backup
A folder named after the old PC with Backup Set folders and a MediaID.bin file	Backup and Restore (Windows 7), file backup	Restore a Backup and Restore file backup
A folder named WindowsImageBackup	Backup and Restore (Windows 7), system image	Get files out of a system image
Ordinary folders (Documents, Photos and so on) that you copied yourself	Manual copy	Copy the files back

If the old computer still works, you may not need a backup at all. Moving files directly over a network or with a USB drive is covered in transferring files from one Windows 10 PC to another.

Before you start

• Finish setting up the new PC first. Sign in with the account you plan to use every day. File History restores into the signed-in user’s folders, so restoring while signed in to a temporary account puts files in the wrong place.
• Check free space. Right-click the backup folder on the drive and choose Properties to see its size. The new PC’s drive needs at least that much free space, plus room to work.
• Have your BitLocker recovery key ready if the backup drive was encrypted with BitLocker on the old PC. The new PC asks for the password or the 48-digit recovery key before it can read the drive. Personal Microsoft accounts often store the key at aka.ms/myrecoverykey.
• Plan for apps separately. No built-in Windows backup reinstalls desktop programs. Collect product keys and sign-in details for paid software before you wipe or recycle the old PC.
• Keep the backup drive untouched until you’ve checked the restore. Don’t format it or start a fresh backup on it until your files are confirmed on the new PC.

Restore a File History backup on a new Windows 10 PC

File History saves copies of the folders in your libraries, your Desktop and your Contacts and Favorites to an external drive or network location. On a new computer you first connect Windows to the old backup, then restore from it. Microsoft’s page on backing up and restoring with File History covers the restore controls.

Part 1: Connect the new PC to the old backup

1. Plug the backup drive into a USB port on the new PC. If the backup is on a network location, make sure the new PC is on the same network and can open that shared folder in File Explorer.
2. Select Start, type Control Panel and open it. Select System and Security > File History.
3. In the left pane, select Select drive. A list of available drives appears. If your backup is on a network share, select Add network location and browse to it.
4. Select the drive that holds the old backup. On Windows 10, File History usually notices the existing backup and shows a check box along the lines of I want to use a previous backup on this File History drive. Check it, then pick the old PC’s backup from the list (it’s labeled with the old computer’s name and your old user name).

5. Select OK. You’re returned to the main File History window, which now lists your old backup drive.

You can also reach the same place from Settings: Settings > Update & Security > Backup > Add a drive. Control Panel is the better route for restoring, because that’s where the previous-backup choice appears.

Heads-up: pointing File History at the drive can also turn File History on for the new PC, which starts backing up the new PC to the same drive. That’s harmless and doesn’t erase the old backup, but if the drive is nearly full, select Turn off in the File History window after the restore and decide later where new backups should go.

Part 2: Restore your files

1. In the File History window, select Restore personal files in the left pane. (Shortcut: select Start, type restore your files and choose Restore your files with File History.)
2. A window opens showing the folders that were backed up, such as Documents, Pictures, Desktop and Music. The date and time at the top show which backup you’re looking at. Use the left and right arrows at the bottom to step to older or newer backups. The newest backup is usually the one you want.
3. Open folders to check their contents. Select the folders or files you want. To restore everything, don’t select anything; with nothing selected, Windows restores the whole view.
4. Decide where the files should go:
   • To put them back in the matching folders on the new PC (for example, Documents to Documents), select the green Restore button at the bottom.
   • To restore to a different folder so nothing on the new PC can be overwritten, select the gear icon in the top-right corner, choose Restore to, and pick a folder such as a new folder named Restored files on the desktop.

5. If Windows finds files with the same names already on the new PC, it shows a Replace or Skip Files box. Choose Replace the files in the destination, Skip these files, or Let me decide for each file to compare dates and sizes. On a brand-new PC there are usually few conflicts.
6. Wait for the copy to finish. A few gigabytes of documents take minutes; hundreds of gigabytes of photos and video can take an hour or more, depending on the drive and the USB port.

When it finishes, File Explorer opens the folder the files went to. Your files are back, but programs, browser history and Windows settings are not.

If File History won’t see the old backup

The backup is made of ordinary files, so you can copy them out with File Explorer even if the File History window won’t cooperate.

1. Open the backup drive in File Explorer and go to FileHistory > your old user name > the old computer’s name > Data.
2. Inside Data you’ll find a folder for each backed-up drive (usually C), then Users > your old user name > Documents, Pictures and so on. The full path looks like E:\FileHistory\Alex\OLD-LAPTOP\Data\C\Users\Alex\Documents.

3. Each saved version has the backup date added to its name in UTC, for example Budget (2026_09_14 18_30_05 UTC).xlsx. Copy the newest version of each file to the new PC and remove the date stamp from the name if you like.

This route is slower for big folders with many versions, so use it as a fallback rather than the first choice.

Restore a Windows Backup (OneDrive) backup

The Windows Backup app on Windows 10 and Windows 11 saves your Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Videos and Music folders to OneDrive and can also remember your app list, some settings and Wi-Fi networks under your Microsoft account. It needs a personal Microsoft account; work or school accounts can’t use it, per Microsoft’s Windows Backup page.

How you restore depends on what the new PC runs:

If the new PC runs Windows 11 (most new computers)

Microsoft says restoring a Windows Backup requires Windows 11 version 22H2 or later, and it happens during the first-time setup of the new PC. For a new PC that runs Windows 11, see how to transfer data from Windows 10 to Windows 11, including which programs you’ll need to reinstall.

1. Turn on the new PC and go through setup until it asks you to sign in. Connect to the internet and sign in with the same Microsoft account you used for the backup on the old PC.
2. Windows looks for backups on that account and offers to restore the most recent one. If you had more than one PC, select More options to choose the backup from the right computer.
3. Select the restore option (shown as Restore from this PC) and let setup finish.
4. Sign in. Your OneDrive folders sync back, your desktop background and other backed-up settings return, and your old apps appear as pins on the Start menu and taskbar. Selecting a pin for a Microsoft Store app installs it; for other apps, Windows sends you to the web to download the installer.

Restore is offered only during setup. If you already finished setup without restoring, your OneDrive files are still available (sign in to OneDrive), but to get the settings and app pins back you’d need to reset the PC and run setup again, which erases what’s on it.

If the new PC runs Windows 10

Windows 10 setup doesn’t offer the Windows Backup restore, so bring the pieces back by hand:

1. Sign in to Windows with the same Microsoft account.
2. Select the OneDrive cloud icon in the notification area (near the clock) and sign in with that account, or select Start, type OneDrive and open it. Your backed-up Desktop, Documents and Pictures folders reappear in File Explorer under OneDrive.
3. Sync turned on through the same account brings back some preferences. Check Settings > Accounts > Windows backup to see what’s backed up from this PC going forward.
4. Reinstall your apps (see Reinstall your programs below).

Files in OneDrive may show a cloud icon, meaning they download only when opened. To keep a local copy of a folder, right-click it and select Always keep on this device.

A free Microsoft account includes 5 GB of OneDrive storage. If your backup didn’t finish because OneDrive was full, some folders may be missing; check onedrive.live.com in a browser to see what actually uploaded.

Restore a Backup and Restore (Windows 7) file backup

Backup and Restore (Windows 7) is the older backup tool still included in Windows 10 and Windows 11. Its file backups (folders with Backup Set in the name) can be restored on a different computer.

1. Connect the backup drive to the new PC.
2. Open Control Panel > System and Security > Backup and Restore (Windows 7).
3. In the Restore section, select Select another backup to restore files from. (The Restore my files button only reads backups made on this PC.)
4. Choose the old backup from the list, matched by date and the old computer’s name, and select Next.
5. Use Browse for folders or Browse for files to add what you want, or check Select all files from this backup. Select Next.
6. Choose In the following location and pick a folder on the new PC. The original location option tries to recreate the old PC’s folder paths, which often don’t match a new PC’s user name. Select Restore.

Keep every file from the backup folder together, including MediaID.bin. If you moved the backup to cloud storage, download all of it to one drive before you start; a backup with missing parts may not show up in the list.

Get files out of a system image

A system image (the WindowsImageBackup folder) is a copy of the whole drive from the old PC: Windows, programs, settings and files. It’s designed for putting the same PC back the way it was, as described in making a system image in Windows 10. Restoring it onto a different computer isn’t a good plan:

• A system image restore erases the target drive completely, including everything that came with the new PC.
• The image carries the old computer’s drivers. On different hardware, Windows may fail to start or run without the right storage, graphics or network drivers.
• Microsoft presents System Image Recovery as a way to recover the same PC, not as a way to move Windows to new hardware, and Windows may need to be activated again afterward (a license that came preinstalled on the old PC typically belongs to that PC).

A safer way to use the image on a new PC is to open it and copy out your files:

1. Connect the drive and open WindowsImageBackup > the old computer’s name > the Backup folder with a date in its name.
2. Find the largest .vhdx file; that’s usually the old C: drive.
3. Double-click it (or right-click and select Mount). Windows attaches it as a new drive letter. If double-clicking doesn’t work, open Disk Management, select Action > Attach VHD, browse to the file and check Read-only.
4. Open the new drive, go to Users > your old user name, and copy the folders you need to the new PC.
5. When you’re done, right-click the mounted drive in File Explorer and select Eject.

Work on a copy of the image or attach it read-only, so you can’t change the original backup by accident.

Copy files back from a manual backup

If you dragged your folders to a USB drive yourself, restoring is just copying them back.

1. Connect the drive and open it in File Explorer.
2. Open a second File Explorer window (Windows logo key + E) and go to the matching folder on the new PC, such as Documents or Pictures.
3. Select the files on the backup drive, then copy (Ctrl + C) and paste (Ctrl + V) them into the new folder. Copying, rather than dragging, leaves the backup untouched.

If you saved things like browser bookmarks or email data files as exports, import them in each app (for example, the import option in your browser’s settings).

Reinstall your programs and bring back app data

Every method above leaves out installed desktop programs, because programs depend on files and registry entries spread across Windows. Plan on reinstalling them:

• Microsoft Store apps: open Microsoft Store, select Library, and install anything you previously got from the Store under the same account.
• Microsoft 365 or Office: sign in at your Microsoft account page (account.microsoft.com) with the account that owns the subscription or license and install from there.
• Other programs: download them from the maker’s site and sign in or enter your product key. Some paid apps limit how many PCs they can be activated on, so deactivate or sign out on the old PC if it still works.
• Browsers: sign in to Microsoft Edge or your other browser with the same account and turn on sync to bring back bookmarks, saved passwords and extensions.
• Email: accounts such as Outlook.com or Gmail just need you to sign in again. Older Outlook setups that stored mail in a .pst file need that file copied over and opened in Outlook.

Check the restore and undo mistakes

• Spot-check files. Open a few documents, photos and videos from different folders, including recent ones. If they open, the copy worked.
• Compare sizes. Right-click a restored folder, such as Pictures, select Properties, and compare its size and file count with the same folder in the backup.
• Undo an overwrite. If a restore replaced a newer file on the new PC, File History can’t bring the overwritten version back. Restore that file again from a different backup date, or from wherever you got the newer copy. This is why restoring to a separate folder with Restore to is the safer choice when the new PC already has work on it.

Once everything checks out, set up a fresh backup for the new PC so you’re not relying on the old one. The options for Windows 10 are compared in how to back up Windows 10.

Troubleshooting

The new PC doesn’t see the backup drive

Try another USB port, preferably one directly on the computer rather than a hub, and plug in the drive’s power adapter if it has one. Then right-click Start, select Disk Management, and look for the drive. If it shows up without a drive letter, right-click the partition, select Change Drive Letter and Paths > Add, and assign one. If it shows as RAW or Unallocated, stop and don’t format it; that points to damage, and formatting would erase the backup.

File History doesn’t offer the old backup

Make sure the FileHistory folder is still at the top level of the drive and hasn’t been renamed or moved. If the check box for a previous backup never appears, use the File Explorer method in If File History won’t see the old backup.

Windows 11 setup doesn’t offer to restore

Restore is offered only when you sign in during setup with the same personal Microsoft account that made the backup, and only if the backup finished. Signing in with a local account or a work or school account skips it. Check what’s on the account by signing in to OneDrive in a browser from another device.

Some files are missing

File History backs up only the folders on its list, so files saved somewhere else on the old PC (for example, a folder directly on C:) may never have been backed up. Step back through older backup dates with the arrows, and check other drives, OneDrive and email attachments for copies.

FAQs

Can I restore a Windows 11 backup to a Windows 10 computer?

File History, Backup and Restore file backups and manual copies are just files, so they restore fine from Windows 11 to Windows 10. A Windows Backup made in the app is different: the full restore with settings and app pins runs only during Windows 11 setup, so on Windows 10 you get the OneDrive files but restore the rest yourself.

Will restoring a backup bring back my Windows product key or license?

No. Activation isn’t part of a file backup. A new PC normally comes with its own Windows license; if you’re moving a retail license from the old PC, you’ll need to activate it on the new one, and a license that came preinstalled usually stays with the old computer.

Can I use the same drive for the new PC’s backups after restoring?

Yes, as long as it has room. File History keeps each computer’s backup in its own folder, so the new PC’s backups sit beside the old ones. Once you’re sure everything is restored, you can delete the old PC’s folder to free space.

What about my old PC: is it safe to wipe now?

Wait until you’ve used the new PC for a few days and confirmed nothing is missing. Then sign out of apps that count activations, and reset the old PC with Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Reset this PC with the option to remove everything before you sell or recycle it.

Next step

With your files restored, reinstall your everyday programs and sign in to your browser so bookmarks and passwords sync. Then turn on a backup for the new computer so the next move is even easier.