How to transfer files to a new computer without losing anything

1. Before you switch: make a list of what to keep

Almost everything you've saved lives in one folder, C:\Users\YourName. Open File Explorer, click This PC → Local Disk (C:) → Users, and open the folder with your name on it. Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Music, and Videos are all in there.

Right-click that folder and choose Properties to see how big it is. Write the number down, because it decides what size backup drive you need.

Then go down this list. Most of it lives somewhere other than that folder, and it's usually what people realize is missing a week after they switch.

2. Back up your computer to an external hard drive

A plain external USB drive is still the most dependable backup you can buy. It doesn't need internet or a subscription, and you can see it sitting on the desk.

Get one at least twice the size of your user folder. For most people, a 1 TB drive covers it. A regular spinning portable hard drive is fine here and usually cheaper than an SSD, since a backup drive doesn't need to be fast.

1. Plug the drive in. It shows up in File Explorer under This PC with a letter like D: or E:.
2. Make a folder on it with a name you'll recognize later, like Old PC backup 2026-09.
3. Select your Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, and Videos folders and drag them into it. Dragging to a different drive copies rather than moves, so the originals stay put.
4. When it finishes, open a few photos and documents from the USB drive to make sure they're really there.

Make it automatic with File History

Windows has a built-in tool called File History that copies your personal folders to an external drive every hour while it's plugged in, and keeps older versions too. It's worth turning on for the old PC now and the new one later.

• Windows 11: it's no longer in Settings. Open Control Panel → System and Security → File History, pick your drive, and click Turn on.
• Windows 10: go to Settings → Update & Security → Backup and click Add a drive.

To get files back later, open File History and click Restore personal files.

3. Put a second copy in the cloud with Windows Backup

A USB drive sitting next to the computer won't help if there's a fire or a break-in. For the things you could never replace, like family photos and scanned documents, keep a second copy online.

The Windows Backup app is already on Windows 10 and 11. Search for it in the Start menu, sign in with your Microsoft account, choose what to include, and click Back up. It copies your Desktop, Documents, and Pictures to OneDrive, along with your settings, saved Wi‑Fi networks, and the list of apps you got from the Microsoft Store. OneDrive gives you 5 GB free, which is plenty for documents but usually not for a photo collection. If you already use Gmail, Google Photos is another option. Its free 15 GB is shared with your email.

You don't have to put everything online. Just make sure the irreplaceable stuff is in two places.

4. Transfer files to the new computer

Using OneDrive and Windows Backup

If you ran Windows Backup, sign in to the new computer with the same Microsoft account during setup. Windows will offer to restore from your old PC. Say yes, and your settings, wallpaper, Store apps, and OneDrive folders come back on their own.

From an external hard drive

Plug in the drive and drag each folder into its match on the new PC: Documents into Documents, Pictures into Pictures, and so on.

With a transfer program

Paid tools like Laplink PCmover try to move installed programs as well as files. They can save time if you've got a lot of older software, but they don't handle everything, and a fresh install tends to be cleaner. For a typical home PC with a handful of programs, I'd skip them.

5. Move programs, passwords, and printers

Pull up that photo of your program list. Download each one from the company's own website, never from a random download site, since those tend to bundle extra junk. Microsoft Office reinstalls by signing in at office.com. For paid software, the license key is usually in an old receipt email, or you can log in to your account with the company and download it again.

Most printers made in the last several years set themselves up the moment the new PC joins your Wi‑Fi. If yours doesn't, get the driver from the printer maker's support page.

How to transfer passwords to a new computer

Sign in to your web browser (Chrome, Edge, or Firefox) with sync turned on, and your saved passwords and bookmarks come back on their own. If you use a password manager, install it and sign in. Authenticator apps for two-step sign-in live on your phone, so they aren't affected by changing computers.

If you never turned on sync, most browsers can export passwords to a file and import them on the new PC. Do it with a USB stick, not email, and delete the file afterward, because it holds every password in plain text.

6. Wipe the old computer, but not yet

Leave the old PC alone for a few weeks. At some point you'll wonder where some spreadsheet or photo album went, and it'll still be sitting there.

Once you're sure nothing's missing, wipe it before it leaves the house. (My full wiping guide covers SSDs, dead PCs, and Macs.) Windows has a decent wipe built in:

1. Open Settings → Update & Security → Recovery. On Windows 11 it's Settings → System → Recovery.
2. Click Reset this PC, then Remove everything.
3. When it asks, turn on the option to clean the drive. It takes a few hours on a big hard drive, and it makes your old files much harder to dig back up.

A wiped PC is fine to donate, hand down, or sell, and a decent one is often worth more than people expect. If it's still in good shape, an SSD upgrade can turn it into a perfectly usable spare. And if you're still shopping for the new one, here's what to look for in a refurbished PC. If it's past saving, recycle it instead of trashing it.