AOMEI Backupper Standard Review (updated for version 2.0.1)

AOMEI Backupper Standard is a free backup program.  It works by making a full disk image of your hard drive, which can later be restored in the event of a disaster.

AOMEI Backupper main screen

Editor's Rating:
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User Rating:
Rating: 3.2/5 (141 votes cast)

Pros

  • Free
  • Backup entire hard drive with full disk imaging
  • Individual file/folder backup new
  • Scheduling
  • Disk cloning tools

Cons

  • None

The Bottom Line

I found AOMEI Backupper Standard to be an easy to use, full system backup utility.

Backing Up

Backupper works by making an image file of your hard drive, which can then be restored to the exact state the drive was in when the backup was made. Choosing “Disk Backup”, you’ll be guided through the process of selecting which drive to backup, where to store the backup, and finally creating it.

The Backup tab

Backupper has several backup types to choose from.

AOMEI Backupper can take full, incremental, or differential backups.  Incremental backups only back up changes since the last backup, and therefore save the most disk space. There are some advanced settings available, such as compression, splitting the backup, and password protected AES encryption.  It can also copy locked and open files.

Backupper settings

Compression, splitting, and encryption options are available.

The newest version of Backupper has scheduling, so you don’t have to manually run backups anymore.

Restoring

If you want to restore within Windows, you can.  However, the program will need to restart your computer to finish restoring the disk image. To restore in case of a system failure, you’ll need to create recovery media.  Any blank CD, DVD, or USB thumb drive will do.  You’ll want to create this before problems occur, such as when you first install AOMEI Backupper. The boot recovery environment looks very familiar.  You can backup, restore, and perform the same functions as in the desktop version.

Backupper restore

Select which backup to restore.

Since I had multiple backups, I was given the option to select which recovery point to restore.  I then selected which drive I wanted to restore to, and after a few confirmation screens, the software began (and completed) restoring my drive. I was impressed with how easy the system recovery was; I can see how users with little computer knowledge could use AOMEI Backupper to backup and restore their system.  There’s nothing complicated about it, as the software is easy to understand and navigate.

Features

Disk and Partition Clone

Bought a new hard drive?  AOMEI Backupper can copy all your data over, system files and all.

Mount Backups

Backupper is mostly “full disk imaging” software, however you can restore individual files by mounting backups as local drives, and copying/pasting files you want to restore.

Support

AOMEI states they provide full support for their freeware.  I emailed their support department and was responded to within 1 business day.  There are also user guides, videos, and a list of FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) on their website.

Summary

There’s a serious lack of free, full disk imaging software on the market.  So I’m happy to see this isn’t a watered down version of some paid software.  AOMEI Backupper can backup your entire hard drive quickly, easily, and for free.  I highly recommend it.

Specifications
Product Name AOMEI Backupper Standard
Version 2.0.1
License Freeware
Price Free
Operating Systems Window
Backup Types
Files and Folders yes
Full Disk Image yes
Incremental yes
Differential yes
Backup Destinations
Hard Drive yes
Removable Media yes
Network Shares yes
Blu-ray yes
CD/DVD yes
FTP no
SFTP no
Online Storage no
Features
Compression yes
Encryption yes
Email Notifications yes
Error Handling yes
File Versioning yes
Priority Setting no
Scheduling yes
Speed Limiting no
Synchronization no

Geoff Akerlund

Geoff Akerlund

Geoff Akerlund is the founder and editor-in-chief of BackupReview.com. He enjoys attending music festivals, whitewater kayaking on the American River, and board game nights in his free time.

Geoff Akerlund