Files
Vow File Search
Find any file as you type, across every drive
- Free: Unlimited file name search on every drive, 10 searches inside files a day
- $4.95 once: Unlimited searches inside files, network drives and NAS shares
Vow Backup & Sync
Backup & folder sync for Windows
Back up your files in two clicks. Plain folders. Your drives.
Pick Documents, Pictures and Desktop, pick a drive, press Back up now. Vow Backup & Sync copies only what changed, previews every run in plain words, keeps old versions and stops before a surprise deletion. No cloud, no account, no subscription.
- No ads
- No malware
- No account
- Light & dark theme
- 1 job, 3 runs a day, with preview, check and restore always free
No ads. Ever.No pop-ups, no banners, no "offers".
No malware or bundlewareThe installer installs one thing: this app.
No account, no uploadIt works on your PC, and your files stay there.
Free daily limits, just $9.95 unlimitedNo subscription. No trial that runs out.
The problem
Backups fail quietly, until the day you need one
Most people only find out their backup stopped working, or never covered the right folders, when a drive dies.
Mirrors that delete by surprise
Point a mirror job at the wrong or an empty folder and it wipes the copy to match. Many sync tools never ask first.
Locked in a backup format
Backups packed into proprietary archives can only be opened by the app that made them, if it still runs.
Did it even run?
Silent failures and no "last good backup" date: you only find out something is wrong when you go to restore.
Subscriptions for copying files
Monthly or yearly plans for a job every PC has always needed, renewing whether you restore anything or not.
A cockpit of options
Dozens of tabs, compare modes and filters before the first copy, and no clue which settings are the safe ones.
Everything pushed to the cloud
Online backup means uploading your whole life to someone else's servers, then waiting days for a big restore.
Vow Backup & Sync fixes all of it.
How it works
Pick. Plug in. Protected.
Your first backup is two clicks away, and every run after that copies only what changed.
- 01
Pick what to protect
Documents, Pictures and Desktop are ticked for you with their sizes, and the external drive with the most room is pre-selected. Drop any other folder on the window.
Pick folders to protect and the drive to keep the copy on - 02
See the run first
Preview tells you in plain words what will happen: new, changed, moved and deleted files, with a list you can filter, before anything is copied.
...then choose how to back up and press Back up now - 03
Back up, then relax
Press Back up now. Only new and changed files are copied, and each job card shows its health, the last run and the space left on the drive.
...then choose how to back up and press Back up now
Features
The power of the pro sync tools, without the cockpit
Backup, mirror and two-way sync for home users, small offices and anyone with an external drive in a drawer.
Plain files, plain folders
Every backup is an ordinary folder you can open and copy without this app, on any PC. No proprietary archive.
Backup, mirror or two-way sync
A growing backup that never deletes, an exact mirror, or two folders kept in step with deletions and conflicts handled.
A plain-language preview
"2 new, 2 changed, 1 moved, 3 to delete": see exactly what a run would do, with a filterable list, before it runs.
A safety brake
A run that would delete an unusual share of files, or everything because a source is suddenly empty, stops and asks.
Go back to any earlier run
Replaced and deleted files are kept by date, so you can browse the backup as it was before any run (Unlimited).
Drive letters don't matter
USB drives are recognised by their volume serial, so the job still finds them when Windows hands out a new letter.
Automatic when you want it
Run when the drive is plugged in, every few minutes or hours, daily, weekly or continuously as files change (Unlimited).
Fast, careful copying
Parallel copies, rename and move detection, files in use read safely, and every copy written to a temp file first.
Check the backup
A byte-for-byte read-back confirms the copy matches your files, and every run can verify as it goes.
NAS and network shares
Back up to a \\server\share path or a mapped drive with a saved, encrypted sign-in (Unlimited).
Light & dark theme
Easy on the eyes, day or night.
Backup & Sync comes with a crisp light theme and a calm dark theme. Switch with one click, or let it follow your Windows setting by itself. It remembers your choice.
- LightClear and bright for daytime and busy offices
- DarkGentle on tired eyes late at night
- Follow WindowsChanges by itself when your PC does
Screenshots
See Vow Backup & Sync in action
Real screenshots of the real app, in both of its themes: 6 light, 6 dark. Click any picture to see it full size.
Light theme
Dark theme
Who it's for
Who keeps a Vow backup
Family photos and paperwork
A copy of every photo, tax return and school project on a drive you can grab and go.
Freelancers and small offices
Client work mirrored to a NAS every hour, with old versions kept if a file gets overwritten.
Laptop owners
Back up by itself the moment you plug your USB drive in at your desk.
Two places, one set of files
Keep a project folder in two-way sync with a NAS share or a second disk, conflicts kept safely.
Photographers and creators
Big shoots copied fast, checked byte for byte, without re-copying folders you only renamed.
Anyone who has lost files before
The health banner shows at a glance when your last good backup ran, so a dead drive is just an inconvenience.
Compare
Vow Backup & Sync vs typical backup tools
What you get with the usual backup and sync apps, side by side.
| Feature | Vow Backup & Sync | Typical backup & sync apps |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free every day, or $9.95 once | Paid editions or yearly subscriptions |
| Backup format | Plain files and folders | Often a proprietary archive |
| Plain-language preview of a run | Yes, with a filterable list | Rarely |
| Brake on mass deletions | Yes: it stops and asks | Rare |
| Last good backup at a glance | On every job card | Often buried in a log |
| Built-in scheduler and plug-in trigger | Yes (Unlimited) | Some need Task Scheduler |
| Survives drive-letter changes | Yes, by volume serial | Not always |
| Your files uploaded | Never: your own drives only | Yes, for online backup services |
| Ads, upsells, bundled extras | None | Common in free editions |
"Typical" describes what we found across the most-downloaded alternatives when we built Backup & Sync. Your mileage with any one of them may vary; ours won't.
Pricing
Free every day. Just $9.95 once for the lot.
That is not a typo. Software this powerful usually means a monthly subscription; Backup & Sync is $9.95, once, for life: it's almost a giveaway. Use it free for as long as you like, and unlock Unlimited only if you need more.
Free
$0forever
1 job, 3 runs a day, with preview, check and restore always free.
- 1 backup or sync job, run by hand
- 3 runs a day (resets at midnight)
- Runs with nothing to copy don't count
- Preview, Check and Restore, always free
- Safety brake, filters and the fast engine
- Local disks and USB drives
Best valueUnlimited
$9.95USD, once. Yours for life.
Almost a giveaway. Less than a takeaway lunch for software this powerful: no subscription, no renewals, yours for life on 2 PCs.
Any number of jobs, automatic backups, version history, NAS.
- Any number of jobs and runs
- Automatic: on plug-in, timed or continuous
- Version history and point-in-time restore
- NAS and network destinations
- One payment, yours for life on 2 PCs
- Every future update included
How unlocking works
- 1Use it free first Install Vow Backup & Sync and use it on your own files. No card, no account, no time limit.
- 2Click "Unlimited" in the app Pay $9.95 USD once by card, securely through Stripe in your browser.
- 3It unlocks itself Within seconds, for life, on up to 2 of your PCs. Your license key is emailed to you, and every future update is included.
Payments by Stripe: we never see or store your card. Questions? Ask a real person.
Clean software
Safe to install. Nothing else comes with it.
Most "free" Windows downloads pay for themselves with ads, bundled extras or your data. Vow Backup & Sync doesn't need to: it's paid for honestly, once, by the people who find it useful.
Download Backup & Sync free- No ads, toolbars or "offers"The installer installs one thing: Vow Backup & Sync. No pre-ticked boxes to watch out for.
- No administrator rights neededIt installs just for you, in your own user folder, and leaves the rest of Windows alone.
- Nothing running in the backgroundNo startup programs, no tray nags, no services. When you close it, it's closed.
- Everything includedAll it needs is inside the installer, so you never have to fetch a "required component" from somewhere else.
- Uninstalls cleanlyOne click in Windows Settings > Apps. Your own files are never touched.
- A real company behind itMade, published and supported by XTO Pty Ltd, an Australian company, with real people answering every message.
Step-by-step guide
How to back up your files to an external drive on Windows
A full first backup in a few minutes, then one click, or none, every time after.
Step 1: get it freeInstall Vow Backup & Sync free
Download it from this page and run the installer. It needs no administrator rights and no account, and nothing you back up ever leaves your own drives.
Plug in your backup drive
Connect an external USB drive, or use a second disk. The quick start shows each drive's free space and picks the external drive with the most room.
Choose your folders
Documents, Pictures and Desktop are ticked with their sizes. Tick Downloads, Videos or Music too, or drop any other folder on the window. More options opens the full editor.
Press Back up now
The first run copies everything; later runs copy only new and changed files. Live progress shows the files, the speed and the current file, with Pause and Stop.
Get files back with Restore
Open Restore, browse or search the backup, tick files or folders and send them back to where they came from or to another folder. For files already there, choose Replace, Keep both or Skip.
Technical details
Backup & Sync at a glance
- Works on
- Windows 10 (1809+) and Windows 11, 64-bit
- Job types
- Backup, Mirror, Two-way sync
- Destinations
- USB and external drives, second disks · NAS shares (Unlimited)
- Backup format
- Plain files and folders, old versions by date
- Runs
- By hand · plug-in, timed, continuous (Unlimited)
- Internet
- Not needed: works fully offline
- Install
- Per-user, no administrator rights, no account
- Languages
- English
- Theme
- Light, dark or follow Windows: one click to switch
- Version
- 1.0.0, released 7 November 2026
- Publisher
- XTO Pty Ltd (Australia)
FAQ
Questions about Backup & Sync
Is Vow Backup & Sync free?
Yes. One backup or sync job, run by hand up to 3 times a day, is free for as long as you like. Runs that find nothing to copy don't count, and Preview, Check and Restore are always free. Unlimited, a one-time $9.95 USD payment, adds any number of jobs and runs, automatic backups, version history and NAS destinations.
Can I open my backup without the app?
Yes. Backups are ordinary files in ordinary folders on your drive, so you can open them in File Explorer or copy them anywhere. A small hidden .trusty folder records where each folder came from, so the app on another PC can restore it too.
Will a mirror ever delete my files by surprise?
Not without asking. If a run would delete more than a set share of the files, or everything because a source is suddenly empty, it stops and asks. A missing source never deletes anything, and Preview lists every deletion beforehand.
Does it upload anything?
No. Your files are copied only to the drives and network shares you choose. There is no cloud, no account and no upload.
Can it back up automatically?
With Unlimited, yes: when the drive is plugged in, every few minutes or hours, daily, weekly, or continuously as files change, with missed runs caught up. It works from the notification area and starts with Windows only while an automatic job exists.
How is it different from FreeFileSync, SyncBack or File History?
It has the same three job types and every common trigger built in, where FreeFileSync needs Task Scheduler for timed runs. It adds a plain-language preview, a safety brake against surprise mirror deletions, a health dashboard, drive-letter-proof destinations, a point-in-time restore browser on plain folders and a two-click first backup, for $9.95 once with no subscription.
What about files that are open?
Files that are open with shared access are copied normally. Files another program locks exclusively, such as an Outlook PST while Outlook runs, are listed in the run's details and copied on the next run once they are free.
Is it safe to install?
Yes. It is made and published by XTO Pty Ltd, an Australian company. There are no ads, no bundled software and no account, it needs no administrator rights, and it uninstalls cleanly from Windows Settings without touching the backups on your drives.
The Vow collection
More apps you'll never have to go looking for
Same design, same promises, a tiny one-time price. Learn one and you already know them all.
Open every archive, and fix the ones that won't open
- Free: Extract and browse every format with no limit, 3 repairs or joins a day
- $4.95 once: Unlimited repairs and joins, batches of any size, a watch folder
See what's filling your drive, then win the space back safely
- Free: Unlimited scans, the full map and every view, 3 one-click cleanups a day
- $4.95 once: Unlimited cleanups, Clean all safe items, all drives at once, scheduled scans
Done searching. Get Backup & Sync.
Set-and-forget backups to your own drives, in plain folders. Free to use every day, $9.95 once if you ever want Unlimited.
- No ads
- No malware
- No account
- No subscription