Back Up Windows to a Network Share (SMB) — Encrypted, Scheduled
Last updated June 2, 2026
Back up Windows PCs to a shared folder or mapped network drive over SMB. AES-256 client-side encryption, schedules, and retention — ideal for an office file server or home server.
Most offices and a lot of homes already have a shared folder on a server or another PC. BackupKit can back up straight to it — an SMB share by UNC path (\\server\backups) or a mapped network drive (Z:\) — on a schedule, with everything encrypted before it crosses the wire to land at rest.
Two ways to point at the share
UNC path
Use the full path, e.g. \\fileserver\team-backups. No drive letter needed, and it works even when no drive is mapped.
Mapped drive
Map the share to a letter (Z:\) in Windows, then point BackupKit at a folder on it. Familiar and simple.
A scheduled backup runs whether or not you're logged in, so make sure the share is reachable with stored credentials rather than only your interactive session. A dedicated backup user with write access to one folder is the clean setup.
Set it up
- Confirm the share is writable from the PC (open the UNC path in Explorer).
- Create a backup job: source folders → the network-share destination (UNC or mapped drive).
- Configure AES-256 encryption, a schedule, retention, and compression.
- Set a missed-run policy so backups catch up if the share was offline at the scheduled time.
- Activate: runs unattended with failure alerts.
Why encrypt on an internal share
A file server is often readable by more people than you'd expect — other staff, IT, anyone who gains access to the box. Client-side AES-256 keeps each backup private regardless of who can browse the share. And since a server in the same building isn't off-site, pair the share job with a cloud or FTP destination for true 3-2-1 coverage.
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