Create Windows Server Backup Multiple Schedules: 2 Solutions

Can Windows Server Backup Support Multiple Schedules?

📝Quick answer: No, Windows Server Backup does not natively support multiple schedules within a single backup job.

Windows Server Backup (WSB) lets you protect your data with scheduled backups. However, a key limitation is that you can only create one backup schedule at a time. To change this schedule, you must use the Backup Schedule Wizard to modify or delete the existing one before creating a new task.

What to do if you need different backup frequencies for system state, files, and applications? Please read on.

How to Create Windows Server Backup Multiple Schedules

To create multiple schedules, you can run Windows Server backup using Task Scheduler and Wbadmin command.Here’s how to do it:

Step 1. Press Win + R, type taskschd.msc, and press Enter.

Step 2. Under the Action tab, select Create Task for more control.

Step 3. In General, you can name the task (e.g., Weekly Backup). Then check the option Run whether user is logged on or not.

Step 4. Go to the Triggers tab → click New. Then set the specific schedule (daily, weekly, specific time, etc.) and click OK.

Step 5. Go to Actions tab → click New. Then do the following configurations and click OK:

👉Action: Start a program

👉Program/script: wbadmin

👉Add arguments: Type your Wbadmin command, for example:

• start backup -backupTarget:E: -include:C: -allCritical -quiet (for backing up entire C drive)
• start backup -backupTarget:E: -include:C:\Users\Administrator\Documents (for backing up the Documents folder)

✍ Note:
●-backupTarget: Specifies the drive or network share to store the backup
●-include: Specifies the comma-delimited list of items to include in the backup. You can include multiple files, folders, or volumes
●-allCritical: Backs up all volumes necessary to recover the system
●-quiet: Runs the command without prompts

Step 6. Click OK and enter admin credentials if prompted to finish creating this scheduled task. For additional schedules, create another task with a different backup time and a different Wbadmin command.

Best Way to Run Server Backup with Multiple Schedules

While Task Scheduler and Wbadmin can help you set up multiple backup tasks manually, this method can be time-consuming and difficult to manage in the long term. The most efficient and secure way to create multiple Windows Server backup schedules is by using a professional backup solution - AOMEI Backupper Server.

✌ Abundant backup types: Backup system, disks, partitions, files and emails as you want.
✌ Different backup methods: Full, Incremental, and Differential Backup are supported.
✌ Various destinations: Backup to NAS, network shares, external drives, and cloud, etc.
✌ Multiple schedules: Run one-time, daily, weekly, monthly, and event-triggered backups based on your needs.

Download AOMEI Backupper now!

Let’s say you want to backup server OS weekly. Learn how to run Windows Server backup once a week with AOMEI Backupper below:

Step 1. Open AOMEI Backupper Server. Click on Backup → System Backup.

Step 2. The system partitions required for booting will be auto-selected. Choose your backup target such as a local drive, NAS, or external storage.

Step 3. Click Schedule to enable automatic backup. To run Windows Server backup once a week, choose Weekly and specify a day.

Note: If needed, you can specify multiple days in a week to run the backup.

Step 4. (Optional) Click Backup Scheme to enable automatic backup cleanup. Choose a cleanup method (By quantity, By time, and By daily/weekly/monthly) based on your need.

Step 5. Click Start Backup > Add the schedule and start backup now to begin the process. Later backups will run automatically based on the schedule you defined.

Note: To backup important files daily, just go to Backup → File Backup and choose the corresponding schedule mode (Daily or Daily By Interval).

Common Issues and Troubleshooting Multiple Backup Schedules

Configuring multiple backup schedules in Windows Server can improve data protection, but it may also introduce challenges. Below are the most common issues along with practical troubleshooting tips to ensure reliable backup execution.

1. Backup Tasks Overlapping or Failing to Start

If two scheduled backups run at the same time, one may fail or stop unexpectedly.

Symptoms:

• “Another backup is already running” error
• One backup completes, the other never starts

How to Fix:

• Stagger backup times to ensure they do not overlap
• Enable “Run task as soon as possible after a scheduled start is missed” in Task Scheduler

2. Backup Destination Out of Space

Multiple schedules can create excessive backup versions that fill up the storage.

Symptoms:

• Failed backup due to insufficient disk space
• Slow backup performance

How to Fix:

• Manually delete old backups
• Use backup rotation or retention policies. AOMEI Backupper Server offers the Automatic Backup Cleanup feature.

3. Wbadmin Script Errors or Incorrect Commands

Manual command-line backups can fail due to syntax issues or incorrect paths.

Symptoms:

• Task shows “completed with errors”
• Backup does not run at scheduled time

How to Fix:

• Test each Wbadmin command manually before automation
• Run backups with administrator privileges
• Double-check volume labels, network paths, and spelling in scripts

4. Permission and Credential Problems

Scheduled tasks may fail if they don’t have permission to access backup destinations.

Symptoms:

• Access denied error
• Backup to NAS or network share fails

How to Fix:

• Use a domain admin or service account with full access
• In Task Scheduler, select Run with highest privileges
• For network backups, use the net use command to map credentials in the script

Summary

Implementing Windows Server backup multiple schedules is crucial for maintaining continuous data protection and meeting different recovery objectives. While the built-in Windows Server Backup tool only supports a single schedule, you can achieve multiple backup frequencies using Task Scheduler and Wbadmin commands. However, this approach requires manual configuration and ongoing management.

For a more efficient and automated solution, try professional server backup software AOMEI Backupper Server. It allows you to set up multiple backup schedules with different backup methods, destinations, and retention policies—all within an intuitive interface. Download AOMEI Backupper to create Windows Server image backup now!