People search "HMI backup software" because they want a free solution to a real problem. The good news: every major HMI brand ships with tools that can back up a project file. The less good news: a project file isn't the whole picture, and the built-in tools vary a lot in how much context they preserve.
This post walks through what each brand's backup tool actually does, where it falls short, and when those shortcomings matter.
What a Real HMI Backup Needs to Include
Before looking at specific tools, the yardstick. A recoverable backup needs:
- The project file itself (the source file the editor uses)
- The editor version that built it, so you can open it again
- Comms configuration (protocol, baud rate, station address, controller make and model)
- Register / tag map with plain-language notes on what each tag does
- Screen hierarchy so the next person can navigate the project
- Alarm list and thresholds
- Recipes and setpoints
- Controller program when the HMI and PLC are paired
- Change log
- System description (what the panel controls, who owns it)
The built-in tools mostly handle items 1-2. Some touch 3-8. Almost none of them handle 9 or 10. That's where the gap is.
Weintek EasyBuilder Pro
What it does well. EasyBuilder Pro has a solid "Download / Upload" pair. Project upload pulls the .emtp file off a running panel. The file contains screens, comms config, tags, alarms, and recipes. If you've got the upload password and the right EasyBuilder version, backup is a clean one-click operation.
EasyAccess 2.0 adds remote backup capability for panels registered to a domain, which is genuinely useful for fleet management.
What it doesn't do. The tag list inside the .emtp has register numbers but no plain-language notes unless the programmer added them. No change log. No system description. Recipes are exported separately if you want human-readable copies.
When the built-in is enough. You've got the upload password, you're backing up your own panel, and the programmer wrote good tag comments.
When it's not. You've inherited the panel, the programmer didn't comment anything, or the upload password is lost.
Kinco HMIware / DTools
What it does well. Similar upload mechanism to Weintek. DTools can pull the project file off a running GL or HP series panel if you have the password. Recipe data can be exported.
What it doesn't do. The tooling is less polished than EasyBuilder. Version compatibility is stricter. Open a project in the wrong DTools version and you can get silent data loss on convert.
When the built-in is enough. You're on a single panel, you know the DTools version that built it, and you own the password.
When it's not. Multi-panel sites where keeping DTools versions aligned is a chore, or any panel where the original programmer is gone.
Siemens TIA Portal (WinCC)
What it does well. TIA Portal has proper versioning. Archive projects as .zap files. ProSave on legacy panels (TP177, MP277, MP377) can pull backup files to USB. "HMI Device Maintenance" backup pulls the panel image including recipes, alarms, and user data.
What it doesn't do. Version lock-in is brutal. TIA Portal v15 won't open a v16 project without upgrade. WinCC Flexible projects can't be opened in TIA Portal at all without migration. Moving between major versions is a genuine migration project.
Legacy ProTool projects (pre-2006 installations that are still running) can't be opened in modern Siemens software. If you've got a panel running a ProTool project, the built-in tools are no help.
When the built-in is enough. You're running a current Comfort Panel, on current TIA Portal, with upload passwords known.
When it's not. Legacy TP / MP / OP panels, WinCC Flexible projects needing migration, locked ProTool projects, or any mixed-version Siemens site.
Delta DOPSoft
What it does well. DOPSoft uploads and downloads the project to most DOP series over USB. Screen captures and recipe export are available.
What it doesn't do. Upload passwords on newer DOP-100 series are tight. Older DOP-B series is more forgiving but the software itself is finicky with Windows compatibility. Older DOP projects sometimes won't open cleanly in modern DOPSoft.
Touchwin EditTool
What it does well. Upload from running TH and THA panels is generally straightforward. No strong protection on older panels.
What it doesn't do. EditTool is the least polished of the major brand software. Compatibility issues with modern Windows. Documentation is thin. It's the brand most likely to need hand-documentation alongside any software backup.
What the Built-In Tools All Miss
Across every brand, the built-in tools cover the file. They don't cover the context.
- Register map with plain-language notes. Register D100 might be "target temperature" or "line speed setpoint" or "recipe number". The tool doesn't know. If the programmer didn't comment it, the next person has to work it out from scratch.
- Change log. What was modified last Thursday and why. No built-in tool tracks this.
- System description. What does this panel control? Who owns it? What happens if it dies? This belongs on paper, not in the project file.
- Controller pairing. The HMI backup is only half the story if the PLC on the other end isn't also backed up and matched to the same version.
- Verification. Does the backup actually restore? Nobody knows until you try.
When DIY Is Enough
- Single-site, single-panel operation
- You own all the passwords
- The panel's been running a while and the setup is stable (no recent changes to document)
- You've got time to sit down, do it properly, and verify the restore works
This is a real scenario, and if it's you, go for it. Use the brand's own tool, store the file somewhere that isn't the laptop it was made on, and write yourself a one-page system description.
When a Service Makes Sense
- Multi-panel sites where keeping track of versions, passwords, and files gets away from you
- Inherited equipment where you're not sure what's on the panel or how it got there
- Panels where the upload password is lost or the programmer is unreachable
- Legacy Siemens or obscure brands where the built-in tools don't cover the ground
- Situations where you need a proper register map, change log, and system description, not just the file
What a service adds is the context. A proper HMI backup service delivers the file plus the register map, comms documentation, screen sitemap, alarm list, and a one-page handover so the next tech can pick up the job cold.
How We Approach It
When we back up an HMI, the deliverable is:
- The project file in its native editor format
- Editor version info so you can open it again in five years
- Register map with plain-language notes on every active tag
- Comms documentation (protocol, cable pinout, controller info)
- Alarm list, recipes, screen hierarchy
- Corresponding PLC backup where the HMI and controller are paired
- A one-page system description for the handover folder
Get in touch if that level of documentation is what your site needs. Weintek, Kinco, Touchwin, Delta, Siemens HMI and more, across Australia.