ZBack

ZBack (spelled Zback by its author) is a small freeware backup and folder synchronisation tool for Windows. It suits technicians and power users who want to copy, mirror or sync folders between a PC, a USB drive and a network share without installing a heavy backup suite. A ZBack download is under 1 MB, and the program runs portable, so it is handy on a technician’s USB stick.

Be aware of its status before you rely on it: ZBack is dormant. The latest version, 2.90.0.a, dates from spring 2020, and there have been no updates since. It still does simple file copying well, but it predates current Windows 11 builds, cloud storage sync clients and ransomware-aware backup practices. Treat it as a light utility for file-level copies, not as your organisation’s backup system.

ZBack at a glance

What it does

• Offers five copy modes: “update files”, “refresh existing files”, “mirror source to target”, “synchronize” and “dated backup and restore”.
• Previews which files will be copied or removed before it touches anything, which matters most in mirror mode.
• Filters by file extension, size, date and subdirectory.
• Handles files larger than 4 GB and Unicode file names.
• Keeps several dated backup versions instead of overwriting the only copy.
• Saves routine jobs as batch command files (*.BAL) that can be run again or automated.
• Copies between local disks, USB drives and computers on the LAN, and accepts folders dragged from Windows Explorer.
• Runs portable from a USB drive, without writing to the registry.

How sysadmins use it

Mirror a user’s data folder to a USB drive before a reinstall

1. Run ZBack from your USB stick on the user’s PC. No installation is needed.
2. Pick the user’s profile data folder as the source and a folder on the external drive as the target.
3. Choose “mirror source to target” and run the preview first. Mirror mode deletes files on the target that no longer exist in the source.
4. Run the job, then spot-check file counts and a few large files on the target.

Keep dated copies of a project share

1. Set the source to the UNC path of the share, for example \fileserverprojects, and the target to a backup disk.
2. Choose “dated backup and restore” so each run lands in a new dated set instead of overwriting the last one.
3. Add filters to skip temporary and cache files (for example *.tmp), and exclude very large media folders if the disk is small.
4. Prune old sets by hand. Do not let the disk fill up silently.

Automate a nightly job

1. Build the job in the interface, then save it as a batch file (.BAL).
2. Look up the exact command-line switches in the help bundled with your copy rather than guessing them.
3. In Windows Task Scheduler, create a task that runs zback.exe with your batch file at night, under an account that can read the source and write to the target.
4. Check the result after the first few runs; ZBack has no central alerting.

Install and first run

• Windows: unpack the archive to any folder or USB stick and start zback.exe. There is no service and no driver. Download portals list the package at under 1 MB.
• Admin rights: not required for your own files. Copying other users’ profiles or protected folders needs an elevated run. Files locked by running applications (Outlook PST files, databases) may be skipped; the published feature lists mention no Volume Shadow Copy support, so close those applications first.
• Network targets: use UNC paths rather than mapped drive letters in scheduled jobs, because mapped drives usually do not exist in a Task Scheduler session.
• Newer Windows: download portals list support up to Windows 10. Test it on Windows 11 before you rely on it, and expect Windows SmartScreen to warn about a rarely downloaded 2020 executable.

Limitations

• No updates since 2020, and no public issue tracker. Bugs will not be fixed.
• Windows only; there is no macOS or Linux version.
• File copy only: no disk imaging, no compression, no encryption, no deduplication and no cloud targets.
• No open-file (VSS) support, as far as the published feature lists show.
• No central management, reporting or email alerts, so it does not scale beyond a few machines.
• The official homepage blocks many automated requests. The version information above was cross-checked on established download portals.

ZBack vs alternatives

FAQ

Is ZBack free?

Yes. ZBack is freeware from Davor Zorc. There is no paid edition.

Is ZBack portable?

Yes. It runs from any folder or USB drive without installation and does not write settings to the registry.

Is ZBack still updated?

No. The last version is 2.90.0.a from 2020. For an actively developed free sync tool, look at FreeFileSync.

Does ZBack work on Windows 11?

Download portals list it for Windows XP to 10. It is a simple file copier and often runs on newer Windows, but this is not officially stated, so test it first.

Is ZBack the same as zbackup?

No. zbackup is an unrelated open-source deduplicating backup tool for Linux and UNIX. ZBack is a Windows folder backup and sync utility.

Can ZBack back up to a NAS?

Yes, to any SMB share reachable from Windows. Use a UNC path and an account with write access, especially for scheduled jobs.

What is a good ZBack alternative?

FreeFileSync for folder sync. Areca Backup or Iperius Backup if you need versioned, scheduled backups with more features.

Last checked against official sources: 1 October 2026 (developer website: dzorc.droppages.com). Versions and licence terms change — confirm on the developer's site before deploying in production.