will happen and cause data loss or system corruption.

To keep the computer safe, backing up the disk data or Windows operating system is an excellent solution.

Then, the drive is formatted to NTFS.

Back up Windows 10 to USB Drive: Two Simple Ways Are Here!

But another error appears The drive is not a valid backup location.

Why is my flash drive not a valid backup location Windows 11/10/8/7?

What if you also cannot back up your system on a USB drive using the built-in tool?

choose all system disks to backup

Just choose one based on your needs.

This is suggested by many users in forums.

It can also backup files on Server.

choose USB drive as the destination path

on a regular basis.

Full backup, incremental backup, and differential backup are supported.

Simultaneously,disk managementcan be enabled.

MiniTool ShadowMaker backup page

Besides, MiniTool ShadowMaker is also a file sync software.

Step 1: Run MiniTool ShadowMaker to get the main interface.

Step 2: ClickSET UP BACKUPbutton in theHomeinterface if there is no backup created by this free backup software.

How to Backup Windows 11 to External Drive (Files & System)

As for system backup, this will automatically select SystemReserved Partitionand System Drive (boot drive) for you.

Related article:Hard Drive Image Software The Best Way to Image a Hard Drive

2.

It should have enough size for backup.

back up system to an external hard drive

How to backup Windows 11 to an external hard drive or USB flash drive?

See this post that focuses on Windows 11 backup for files and system.

This tool also allows you to create routine backup or schedule backup.

system partitions are included in the backup

Take Windows 10 as an example.

Step 2: Decide which place you want to save the backup to.

When clickingOn a hard disk, you’ve got the option to view all the detected partitions.

your folder is shared

And here we suggest choosing the partition of an external drive.

Step 4: Confirm your backup configs: backup location and backup drives.

Then, click theStart backupbutton.

select a network location

This operation will take a few minutes, thus, wait patiently.

When encountering one of these cases, it is troublesome to fix issues.

Therefore, we strongly recommend using the third-party backup software MiniTool ShadowMaker.

where do you want to save the backup

Just follow the steps mentioned in solution 1 for system image creation.

This can effectively troubleshoot the drive is not a valid backup location problem in Windows 11/10/8/7.

See the step by step guide as shown below (take Windows 10 as an example).

the specified network location cannot be used

The only drawback of this method is that it takes many more steps compared to the previous two methods.

Step 1: Connect your USB flash drive to a computer.

Related article:How to Format a Hard Drive with Ease in Windows 11/10/8/7?

Step 5: In the pop-up small window, clickPermissionsto set all permissions toFull Control.

Step 6: Open Windows Backup and Restore (Windows 7) to chooseCreate a system image.

Step 9: Confirm the backup controls.

At last, start the backup.

Is Create a system image not working for USB drive with not a valid backup location error?

Some of you may be wondering about the differences between this program and Windows snap-in backup tool.

Thus it can be seen that MiniTool ShadowMaker is worth recommending if you want to keep your rig safe.

Now its your time to try out the above solutions.

As to any questions related to MiniTool ShadowMaker, yo contact[email protected].