Transfer Files to New PC Windows 11: Backup, Drive or Cloud

A new laptop is exciting until you remember that ten years of photos, documents and desktop clutter are still on the old one. If you want to transfer files to a new PC with Windows 11, the built-in route has changed: Microsoft has retired the direct PC-to-PC transfer it offered during setup, and now points everyone to Windows Backup. This guide covers that method, the low-tech external drive method that needs no account, and the things that never move automatically, so nothing important gets left behind.

Both methods work whether the old PC runs Windows 10 or Windows 11. The new PC is assumed to be on Windows 11 version 24H2, 25H2 or 26H2.

First: PC-to-PC transfer is gone

You may find older guides describing a feature that paired two PCs on the same network with a code during setup. Microsoft’s support page for that feature now says it is no longer available and to use Windows Backup and restore instead. The September 2026 Windows 11 preview update (KB5124010) also states that PC-to-PC Migration is no longer available, and that Windows Backup is the tool for moving files, settings and other supported items to a new PC.

Choose a method

	Windows Backup + restore	External drive
Needs	Microsoft account, internet, OneDrive space	USB drive with enough space
Moves	Main folders, settings, app list, Wi-Fi networks	Any files you copy
Restores during setup	Yes	No, you copy files afterwards
Best for	Typical home users with modest amounts of data	Large photo and video libraries, no cloud

Many people combine them: Windows Backup for settings and documents, an external drive for big media folders.

Method 1: Windows Backup and restore

On the old PC

1. Install all updates in Windows Update so the Windows Backup app is current.
2. Open Windows Backup from the Start menu and sign in with your Microsoft account if asked.
3. Expand Folders and turn on the folders to back up: Desktop, Documents, Pictures, Videos and Music. Microsoft says these are synced to your OneDrive.
4. Turn on Apps (Remember my apps) and Settings. Microsoft lists accessibility, accounts, Wi-Fi networks and passwords, language preferences and personalization such as wallpaper, colours and Start layout among the settings it backs up.
5. Select Back up and wait until it completes.

Watch the storage. Microsoft notes that a free Microsoft account comes with 5 GB of OneDrive storage, and that personalisation preferences are not backed up if OneDrive is full. Check the size of your Pictures and Videos folders first; if they are large, copy them with Method 2 instead and leave those folders off in Windows Backup.

On the new PC

1. Start the new PC and follow setup until you are asked to sign in.
2. Sign in with the same Microsoft account you used for the backup.
3. Windows detects the backup and offers to restore it. If you have backups from several PCs, select More options and pick the right one.
4. Finish setup. Your settings and folders return, and your old Start menu pins appear. Microsoft Store apps can be reinstalled by selecting their pins; other apps direct you to their download page.

If you already finished setup without restoring, you can still get the files: sign in to OneDrive in File Explorer with the same account and the backed-up folders are there.

Microsoft says Windows Backup is focused on consumer devices and that work or school accounts will not work with it.

Method 2: External drive

This works without any account and copes with any amount of data, limited only by the drive.

1. Connect a USB drive or external disk with enough free space to the old PC.
2. Open File Explorer and copy your folders onto it: Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Music and Videos, plus any other folders where you keep files (some programs save to their own folders, so look around C:\Users\YourName).
3. Select Eject before unplugging, as Microsoft advises.
4. Plug the drive into the new PC, open it in File Explorer and copy the folders into the matching folders on the new PC.

Check a few files open correctly before you wipe or sell the old PC. If the drive is not recognised, see Windows 11 USB device not recognized.

What does not transfer

Microsoft’s own list for the retired transfer tool is a useful checklist, and the same gaps apply to the other methods:

• Installed desktop programs. Download them again from the maker and sign in or re-enter licence keys. Make a list on the old PC first: Settings > Apps > Installed apps shows everything.
• Saved passwords and sign-ins in some apps. Use your browser’s sync or a password manager, and check you can sign in on the new PC before retiring the old one.
• BitLocker-encrypted drives. Data on them can only be backed up once you can unlock or decrypt them; have the recovery key ready (BitLocker recovery guide).
• Files already in OneDrive. They do not need moving; sign in to OneDrive on the new PC.
• Email stored in old desktop mail programs. Export it with that program’s own tool, or use an online account that keeps mail on the server.

Moving from Windows 10

If the old PC runs Windows 10, Windows Backup works the same way and the external drive method is identical. Windows 10 support ended on 14 October 2025, and Microsoft’s consumer Extended Security Updates run until 12 October 2027 for enrolled PCs, according to its ESU page as checked on 14 October 2026. Once the files are across, see what happens when Windows 10 ESU ends for options for the old machine.

Before you retire the old PC

1. Open the new PC’s Documents, Pictures and Desktop and spot-check files from different years.
2. Check browser bookmarks and saved passwords.
3. Sign out of accounts and apps on the old PC, and deactivate licences that allow a limited number of devices.
4. Then reset it with Remove everything, as described in Reset this PC, before you sell, donate or recycle it.

Setting up the new PC from scratch? Our Windows 11 settings guide and Windows 11 default apps help you get it the way you like.