How to Transfer Data from Windows 10 to Windows 11

The quickest way to move your data from a Windows 10 PC to a new Windows 11 PC is the built-in Windows Backup app. Run it on the old PC to save your folders and settings to your Microsoft account, then sign in with that same account while setting up the new PC and choose to restore the backup. If you have more files than your OneDrive storage holds, copy them across with an external drive instead. Either way, desktop programs don’t move: you reinstall them on the new PC.

Applies to: moving from Windows 10 (version 22H2) to a new PC running Windows 11, including the current version 26H2. If you’re upgrading the same computer instead of replacing it, skip to Upgrading the same PC, because you don’t need to transfer anything.

Which method should you use?

Your situation	Best method
You want files, wallpaper, Wi-Fi networks and your Start pins on the new PC with the least effort	Method 1: Windows Backup
You have a big photo or video library, a slow internet connection, or you’d rather not use the cloud	Method 2: External drive
Your files already live in OneDrive, or both PCs sit on the same home network	Method 3: OneDrive or a network copy
You’re keeping the same computer and moving it to Windows 11	In-place upgrade (files stay put)

Before you start

• Have a personal Microsoft account. Windows Backup needs one, and Microsoft notes that work or school accounts don’t work with the app. If the old PC uses a local account, switch it under Settings > Accounts > Your info. Windows 11 Home and Pro also ask for an internet connection and a Microsoft account during setup, so you’ll use the same account on both PCs.
• Check how much data you have. In File Explorer, right-click Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Videos and Music and choose Properties to see each size. A free Microsoft account includes 5 GB of OneDrive storage. Anything larger needs a paid Microsoft 365 or OneDrive plan, or an external drive.
• Update Windows 10. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and install everything offered. The Windows Backup app arrives through these updates.
• List your programs and licenses. Open Settings > Apps on the old PC and note the desktop programs you use. Find product keys or the account each paid program is registered to, and sign out of or deactivate programs that limit how many PCs you can use them on.
• Turn on browser sync. Windows Backup doesn’t include Microsoft Edge favorites or preferences. Sign in to Edge (or Chrome or Firefox) on the old PC and turn on sync so bookmarks and saved passwords follow you.

Method 1: Transfer with Windows Backup

According to Microsoft’s Windows Backup page, the app saves your Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Videos and Music folders to OneDrive, plus a list of your installed apps, accessibility and language settings, accounts, Wi-Fi networks and passwords, personalization (wallpaper, theme, Start layout) and other Windows settings such as printers and mouse options.

Part 1: Back up the Windows 10 PC

1. Select Start, type Windows Backup, and open the app (its icon is a cloud with a green arrow).
2. Sign in with your Microsoft account if prompted.
3. Expand Folders and turn on the folders you want to move. If one is too big for your OneDrive space, leave it off and copy it with an external drive later.
4. Expand Apps, Settings and Credentials and turn on what you want. Items that are already saved show Backed up.

5. Select Back up. Settings save in a few minutes. Folders keep uploading in the background, so leave the PC on and connected until OneDrive shows that syncing is finished.

You can check progress at any time in the app or under Settings > Accounts > Windows backup.

Part 2: Restore on the new Windows 11 PC

1. Turn on the new PC and start setup. Choose your region and keyboard, then connect to the internet.
2. Sign in with the same Microsoft account you used for the backup.
3. Windows finds the backup and offers to restore it. If you’ve backed up more than one PC, select More options and pick the Windows 10 PC by name.

4. Confirm the restore and finish the remaining setup screens.

When you reach the desktop, you should see your wallpaper and theme, your saved Wi-Fi networks, and your apps pinned to Start and the taskbar in their old places. Selecting a pinned Microsoft Store app installs it. Selecting a pinned app that isn’t in the Store opens a web page where you can download its installer. Your backed-up folders sync down from OneDrive, which can take a while for large libraries.

Microsoft says restoring requires Windows 11 version 22H2 or later. Any new PC sold today runs a newer version than that. If the Windows 11 machine is a brand-new laptop, the choice to restore from your old PC appears during setup, as shown in this new-laptop setup walkthrough.

Already finished setting up the new PC?

You can’t rerun the restore step without resetting the PC, but your files aren’t lost. Sign in to OneDrive on the new PC with the same account, and the backed-up folders sync down. Reapply your wallpaper and other settings by hand, or reset the PC and restore during setup if you’d rather have everything. More detail is in restoring a backup to a new computer.

What about the PC-to-PC option? Microsoft briefly offered a Transfer information to a new PC option in Windows Backup that paired two PCs over the same network. Its transfer support page now says the feature is no longer available and points you to backup and restore instead, so don’t count on seeing it.

Method 2: Copy your files with an external drive

This route has no storage limit beyond the drive’s size, works without internet, and leaves you with a spare copy. It moves files only, not settings.

1. Plug a USB flash drive or external hard drive with enough free space into the Windows 10 PC.
2. Open File Explorer and go to C:\Users\, then open the folder with your user name (for example, C:\Users\Alex).
3. Select the folders you want, such as Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures and Videos, then copy them to the drive. Hold Ctrl to select several at once.

4. When the copy finishes, safely eject the drive. Plug it into the Windows 11 PC.
5. Open each folder on the drive and copy its contents into the matching folder on the new PC (Documents into Documents, and so on).

Before you call it done, look for files outside your user folders: a second drive such as D:, game saves, exported email archives, and any folder a program keeps its own data in. If a file was in OneDrive on the old PC and set to online-only, it isn’t on the hard drive to copy, but it will appear on the new PC once you sign in to OneDrive.

Method 3: Use OneDrive or a network copy

If OneDrive was already backing up your Desktop, Documents and Pictures on Windows 10 (the OneDrive icon shows those folders under Settings > Sync and backup > Manage backup), there’s nothing to copy. Sign in to OneDrive on the new PC and the files sync down. To start that kind of backup on the old PC, follow the steps for backing up files to OneDrive on Windows 10.

When both PCs share a home network, you can also share a folder on the Windows 10 PC and copy it from Network in File Explorer on the Windows 11 PC. It’s free and fast on a wired connection, but it involves sharing settings, so the full walkthrough lives in the guide to transferring files from PC to PC in Windows 11. Share only the folders you need and stop sharing when you’re done.

Upgrading the same PC instead

If your Windows 10 PC meets Windows 11’s requirements, you can upgrade it rather than buy a new one. An upgrade through Windows Update or Microsoft’s Installation Assistant is an in-place upgrade, which is designed to keep your files and installed apps, so there’s no transfer step. Back up anyway before you start. Microsoft’s Windows 11 download page says the Installation Assistant needs Windows 10 version 2004 or later and 9 GB of free disk space. The full process is in upgrading Windows 10 to Windows 11.

Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. If you need time before switching PCs, you can enroll in Windows 10 Extended Security Updates, which Microsoft’s ESU page says runs until October 12, 2027.

What doesn’t transfer, and how to handle it

• Desktop programs. Office versions bought as a one-time purchase, Adobe apps, games and utilities must be reinstalled from their own website or store. Sign in or enter the product key to activate, and deactivate the old copy first if the license limits how many PCs can use it.
• Browser bookmarks and passwords. These come across only through browser sync, which you set up in Before you start.
• Email stored on the PC. If you use classic Outlook with a POP account, your mail may live in a .pst file on the old PC. Copy it with the external drive and open it in Outlook on the new PC. Email accounts that keep mail on the server simply reappear when you sign in.
• Your Windows license. A new PC comes with its own Windows 11 license. A Windows 10 license that came preinstalled on the old PC generally stays with that PC. If you bought a retail copy, see how licenses move in transferring a Windows 10 license.
• Windows itself. Don’t try to clone the old drive or restore a system image onto the new PC. A system image is meant for restoring the same computer, and moving Windows onto different hardware often causes startup problems.
• Printers and other devices. Plug them into the new PC. Windows 11 usually installs the drivers, and your printer settings may come back with the Windows Backup restore.

Check the transfer and retire the old PC

1. On the new PC, open a few files from each folder you moved, including some of the newest, to check they open.
2. Compare folder sizes with Properties on both PCs. Small differences are normal; a large gap means something didn’t copy.
3. Keep the old PC as it is for a couple of weeks in case you missed something.
4. When you’re sure, sign out of your accounts on the old PC and reset it before you sell, donate or recycle it. The steps to wipe a Windows 10 computer before selling it cover the reset.

Troubleshooting

Windows Backup isn’t on the Windows 10 PC

Install all updates from Windows Update, restart, and search the Start menu again. If it still doesn’t appear, use the external drive method for files and set up OneDrive folder backup from the OneDrive icon.

The new PC didn’t offer to restore

Check that you signed in with the same personal Microsoft account and that the backup finished on the old PC. Restoring is only offered during setup, so if you skipped it, use OneDrive to get your files or reset the new PC and go through setup again.

OneDrive says it’s full

Turn off the largest folders (often Videos or Pictures) in Windows Backup, move those with an external drive, and back up again. Or upgrade your storage plan.

Some files are missing on the new PC

They may still be syncing. Open the OneDrive icon to see progress. Files saved outside the backed-up folders, such as on drive D: or in a custom folder, aren’t included; copy those with an external drive.

FAQ

Can I move my installed programs to the new PC?

Windows’ built-in tools don’t move desktop programs. Windows Backup remembers them and restores their pins, but you reinstall each one. Reinstalling also gives you a fresh, up-to-date copy that’s built for the new system.

How long does the transfer take?

Backing up settings takes minutes. Folder uploads depend on how much data you have and your upload speed; tens of gigabytes can take hours over a home connection. An external drive is usually much quicker for large libraries.

Will my Wi-Fi passwords come across?

Yes, if you back up with Windows Backup. Microsoft lists accounts, Wi-Fi networks and Wi-Fi passwords among the items it saves. Passwords saved in your web browser need browser sync instead.

Is it safe to delete the backup afterward?

Your OneDrive files are your live copies, so don’t delete those. If you want to remove the saved settings, turn off backup under Settings > Accounts > Windows backup, then clear the stored settings from your Microsoft account’s devices page.

Start with Windows Backup on the old PC today, even before the new one arrives. Your settings will be waiting when you sign in, and you’ll know early whether you need an external drive for the rest.