OCR GCSE Computer Science Complete Practice Exam 2026

Incremental backup software is designed to copy only the files that have been created or modified since the last backup was performed, whether that last backup was a full or another incremental backup. This approach is efficient in terms of both storage space and time, as it limits the amount of data that needs to be transferred and stored during each backup session.

By only archiving the files that have changed, incremental backups help to reduce the backup window. This means that backups can be completed faster, allowing users to resume normal operations quickly. Additionally, using less storage is advantageous for managing storage resources effectively.

In contrast, a full backup includes all files each time it runs, regardless of their change status, while a differential backup includes all changes made since the last full backup, which can lead to larger backup sizes over time. Mirror backups replicate the current state of the data in real-time, removing previous versions of files that have been deleted or altered. Thus, these other types of backups do not focus solely on the most recent changes since the last backup like incremental backups do.