I'm upgrading my home desktop to a new Dell Slim running Windows 11, and I'm transferring my files to a 1TB external drive. I've already taken care of files in the Desktop folders, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos, and exported Bookmarks from all my browsers. But I'm worried I might be overlooking something important. Are there any other files or folders I should be aware of? I'll be reinstalling my software and apps as well.
4 Answers
I suggest copying rather than moving your files just to be safe, in case there's any disruption during the transfer that could corrupt or lead to loss of data. After you verify that everything copied successfully, you can delete the originals. Also, it’s smart to back up important files to multiple drives and even a cloud service.
If you have specific applications, check if they offer an option to save your settings. Aside from the standard user folders and bookmarks, you might want to ensure your application settings are carried over.
If you're using Chrome or other Chromium-based browsers, you can easily export your bookmarks or just sign in to your Google account to sync your bookmarks and passwords across devices.
Don’t forget about Steam cloud saves if you're a gamer! They can help you keep your game progress when switching computers.
Yeah, I'm dragging everything to the external hard drive, so I guess that counts as copying! I have two 1TB external drives, so I'll have two backups. The cloud is definitely a smart addition.