What is the best way to back up a Windows PC?
The short answer
The easiest solid setup is a cloud backup service like Backblaze or IDrive that runs all the time. Add File History to an external drive for fast local restores. Do you want to restore Windows itself after a disk failure? Then add disk-image backups with Acronis or the built-in tools.
In detail
Backing up Windows involves two separate jobs. The first job is your files. Think of documents, photos and projects. Cloud backup handles these best. It runs automatically and sits off-site. Fire, theft and ransomware cannot reach it. Backblaze covers everything on the machine for one flat price. IDrive does the same across several devices. Add Windows File History on an inexpensive external drive. You then get instant local restores for the everyday moment you overwrite a file.
The second job is the system itself. That means Windows, your programs and your settings. After an SSD fails, a file backup alone means a day of reinstalling. A disk-image backup captures the entire drive. You can then restore the whole machine to a new disk. Acronis is the consumer standard and can save to the cloud or locally. Windows also has a built-in system image and a recovery USB. That route is free but takes more work. For most home users, a monthly image plus continuous file backup is the right rhythm.
The combination sounds like a lot but is not. After one evening of setup it runs by itself. The layers together turn a disk failure into a small errand. That layering is exactly what the 3-2-1 rule describes.