How to Back Up Windows Server (Server Backup)

Step 1 — Install the Windows Server Backup feature

It is not installed by default. Add it with Server Manager or with one line of PowerShell.

Using Server Manager

1. Open Server Manager and choose Manage → Add Roles and Features.
2. Keep Role-based or feature-based installation, select the local server, and click Next past the Server Roles page.
3. On the Features page, tick Windows Server Backup.
4. Click Next, then Install. No reboot is required.

Using PowerShell

Open an elevated PowerShell window and run:

Install-WindowsFeature -Name Windows-Server-Backup -IncludeManagementTools

This installs both the console and the wbadmin command-line tool.

Step 2 — Open the console

Open Windows Server Backup from Server Manager → Tools, or run wbadmin.msc. Select Local Backup in the left pane. From here the two main actions live in the right-hand pane: Backup Schedule for recurring backups and Backup Once for a single, immediate run.

Step 3 — Choose what to back up

Whether you schedule or run once, you pick a scope. The three you will use most are:

• Full server (recommended): everything — all volumes, the system state, and the bare-metal recovery items. This is the simplest choice and covers the most restore scenarios.
• System state: the operating system configuration that defines the server — registry, boot files, COM+ registration, and on a domain controller the Active Directory database and SYSVOL. Use this to roll back configuration or recover a domain controller without imaging entire data volumes.
• Custom / bare-metal recovery: choose Custom and, under Add Items, select Bare metal recovery (which pulls in system state and all critical volumes), or hand-pick individual volumes, files and folders.

Step 4 — Choose a destination

Windows Server Backup can write to three kinds of target, and the choice affects how many restore points you keep:

• A dedicated local disk: the most robust option for scheduled backups. The tool formats and manages the disk, hides it from Explorer, and keeps multiple restore points until the disk fills, then rolls off the oldest.
• A separate volume: a volume on an existing disk. Convenient, but it shares the disk's fate, so it is weaker protection.
• A remote shared folder: a network path. A scheduled backup to a share keeps only the most recent copy, because each run overwrites the last at that location — Microsoft's wbadmin start backup reference warns that backing up again to the same computer and the same remote shared folder overwrites the previous backup.

Step 5 — One-time vs scheduled backup

Backup Once is for ad-hoc moments — before a risky update, migration, or configuration change. It walks you through the same scope and destination choices and runs immediately.

Backup Schedule sets up automatic protection: pick the items, choose once a day or more than once a day with specific times, and choose the destination. Scheduling to a dedicated disk gives you a rolling history of restore points with no further effort.

You can do the same from the command line, which is handy for custom schedules and scripting. For example, a bare-metal-capable backup of all critical volumes plus system state to drive E::

wbadmin start backup -backupTarget:E: -allCritical -systemState -quiet

Run wbadmin from an elevated prompt — Microsoft's wbadmin start backup command reference documents -allCritical as covering the volumes that hold the operating system's state for bare metal recovery, -systemState as adding boot files, the registry, SYSVOL and (on a domain controller) Active Directory, and requires membership of the Backup Operators or Administrators group. Use wbadmin get versions later to list the restore points it has created.

Step 6 — Restore what you need

How you restore depends on what you lost:

• Files, folders, a volume, applications or system state: in the console, click Recover, choose the backup location and the restore point (the date and time), pick what to recover, and follow the wizard. This runs while Windows is up.
• The entire server (bare-metal recovery): boot from Windows Server installation media, choose Repair your computer → Troubleshoot to reach the Windows Recovery Environment, and select System Image Recovery, or run wbadmin start sysrecovery from the recovery command line. This can only be done from the recovery environment because Windows itself is being replaced — Microsoft's wbadmin start sysrecovery reference calls it a system recovery (bare metal recovery) and states the command must be run from the Windows Recovery Console.

Where the built-in tool stops

Windows Server Backup is a genuinely useful, free baseline, but it is deliberately basic. It stores backups on directly attached disks or a single share, it is not built for central management across many servers, long-term retention, or offsite copies, and its scheduled network-share mode keeps only one version. For those needs, layer on a dedicated backup product or a cloud backup service, and always keep a copy away from the server. Whatever you use, test a restore periodically — a backup you have never restored is only a hope, not a plan.

Where to go next

Backup is one pillar of a resilient server. Pair it with resilient storage using Storage Spaces, make sure the underlying build is solid by following setting up Windows Server 2025, and if you also manage desktops, apply the same discipline with backing up Windows 11. For more, browse the wider Windows Server section.

Frequently asked

Is Windows Server Backup installed by default?

No. Windows Server Backup is an optional feature that you add through Server Manager or with PowerShell before you can use it. Once installed you get both the graphical console, opened with wbadmin.msc, and the wbadmin command-line tool for scripting and scheduling. It is free and built into Windows Server, so there is nothing extra to buy.

What is the difference between a system state and a bare-metal recovery backup?

A system state backup captures the operating system configuration that makes the server what it is, including the registry, boot files, and on a domain controller the Active Directory database, but not your data volumes or the whole OS image. A bare-metal recovery backup captures all the critical volumes needed to restore the entire server onto empty hardware from scratch. Use system state to roll back configuration or recover Active Directory, and bare-metal recovery to rebuild a dead server completely.

Can I back up to a network share instead of a local disk?

Yes. Windows Server Backup can write to a dedicated local disk, a separate volume, or a remote shared folder. A scheduled backup to a remote share keeps only the most recent copy, because each run overwrites the previous one at that location, whereas a dedicated local disk can retain several restore points. For safety, a backup destination should always be separate from the volumes you are protecting.

Is Windows Server Backup enough on its own?

For a single server it is a solid, free baseline, but it has limits: it keeps backups on directly attached disks or a single share, it is not designed for centrally managed, long-retention or offsite backups, and a backup that sits next to the server does not survive fire, theft or ransomware. Treat it as your fast local restore option and pair it with an offsite or cloud copy for anything important. Always test a restore before you rely on it.