diff --git a/block/backup.c b/block/backup.c
index 16105d40b1..6ae8a05a3e 100644
--- a/block/backup.c
+++ b/block/backup.c
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ typedef struct CowRequest {
 typedef struct BackupBlockJob {
     BlockJob common;
     BlockDriverState *target;
+    MirrorSyncMode sync_mode;
     RateLimit limit;
     BlockdevOnError on_source_error;
     BlockdevOnError on_target_error;
@@ -247,40 +248,83 @@ static void coroutine_fn backup_run(void *opaque)
 
     bdrv_add_before_write_notifier(bs, &before_write);
 
-    for (; start < end; start++) {
-        bool error_is_read;
-
-        if (block_job_is_cancelled(&job->common)) {
-            break;
+    if (job->sync_mode == MIRROR_SYNC_MODE_NONE) {
+        while (!block_job_is_cancelled(&job->common)) {
+            /* Yield until the job is cancelled.  We just let our before_write
+             * notify callback service CoW requests. */
+            job->common.busy = false;
+            qemu_coroutine_yield();
+            job->common.busy = true;
         }
+    } else {
+        /* Both FULL and TOP SYNC_MODE's require copying.. */
+        for (; start < end; start++) {
+            bool error_is_read;
 
-        /* we need to yield so that qemu_aio_flush() returns.
-         * (without, VM does not reboot)
-         */
-        if (job->common.speed) {
-            uint64_t delay_ns = ratelimit_calculate_delay(
-                &job->limit, job->sectors_read);
-            job->sectors_read = 0;
-            block_job_sleep_ns(&job->common, rt_clock, delay_ns);
-        } else {
-            block_job_sleep_ns(&job->common, rt_clock, 0);
-        }
-
-        if (block_job_is_cancelled(&job->common)) {
-            break;
-        }
-
-        ret = backup_do_cow(bs, start * BACKUP_SECTORS_PER_CLUSTER,
-                            BACKUP_SECTORS_PER_CLUSTER, &error_is_read);
-        if (ret < 0) {
-            /* Depending on error action, fail now or retry cluster */
-            BlockErrorAction action =
-                backup_error_action(job, error_is_read, -ret);
-            if (action == BDRV_ACTION_REPORT) {
+            if (block_job_is_cancelled(&job->common)) {
                 break;
+            }
+
+            /* we need to yield so that qemu_aio_flush() returns.
+             * (without, VM does not reboot)
+             */
+            if (job->common.speed) {
+                uint64_t delay_ns = ratelimit_calculate_delay(
+                        &job->limit, job->sectors_read);
+                job->sectors_read = 0;
+                block_job_sleep_ns(&job->common, rt_clock, delay_ns);
             } else {
-                start--;
-                continue;
+                block_job_sleep_ns(&job->common, rt_clock, 0);
+            }
+
+            if (block_job_is_cancelled(&job->common)) {
+                break;
+            }
+
+            if (job->sync_mode == MIRROR_SYNC_MODE_TOP) {
+                int i, n;
+                int alloced = 0;
+
+                /* Check to see if these blocks are already in the
+                 * backing file. */
+
+                for (i = 0; i < BACKUP_SECTORS_PER_CLUSTER;) {
+                    /* bdrv_co_is_allocated() only returns true/false based
+                     * on the first set of sectors it comes accross that
+                     * are are all in the same state.
+                     * For that reason we must verify each sector in the
+                     * backup cluster length.  We end up copying more than
+                     * needed but at some point that is always the case. */
+                    alloced =
+                        bdrv_co_is_allocated(bs,
+                                start * BACKUP_SECTORS_PER_CLUSTER + i,
+                                BACKUP_SECTORS_PER_CLUSTER - i, &n);
+                    i += n;
+
+                    if (alloced == 1) {
+                        break;
+                    }
+                }
+
+                /* If the above loop never found any sectors that are in
+                 * the topmost image, skip this backup. */
+                if (alloced == 0) {
+                    continue;
+                }
+            }
+            /* FULL sync mode we copy the whole drive. */
+            ret = backup_do_cow(bs, start * BACKUP_SECTORS_PER_CLUSTER,
+                    BACKUP_SECTORS_PER_CLUSTER, &error_is_read);
+            if (ret < 0) {
+                /* Depending on error action, fail now or retry cluster */
+                BlockErrorAction action =
+                    backup_error_action(job, error_is_read, -ret);
+                if (action == BDRV_ACTION_REPORT) {
+                    break;
+                } else {
+                    start--;
+                    continue;
+                }
             }
         }
     }
@@ -300,7 +344,7 @@ static void coroutine_fn backup_run(void *opaque)
 }
 
 void backup_start(BlockDriverState *bs, BlockDriverState *target,
-                  int64_t speed,
+                  int64_t speed, MirrorSyncMode sync_mode,
                   BlockdevOnError on_source_error,
                   BlockdevOnError on_target_error,
                   BlockDriverCompletionFunc *cb, void *opaque,
@@ -335,6 +379,7 @@ void backup_start(BlockDriverState *bs, BlockDriverState *target,
     job->on_source_error = on_source_error;
     job->on_target_error = on_target_error;
     job->target = target;
+    job->sync_mode = sync_mode;
     job->common.len = len;
     job->common.co = qemu_coroutine_create(backup_run);
     qemu_coroutine_enter(job->common.co, job);
diff --git a/blockdev.c b/blockdev.c
index ef55b1a15c..4534864802 100644
--- a/blockdev.c
+++ b/blockdev.c
@@ -1489,16 +1489,13 @@ void qmp_drive_backup(const char *device, const char *target,
 {
     BlockDriverState *bs;
     BlockDriverState *target_bs;
+    BlockDriverState *source = NULL;
     BlockDriver *drv = NULL;
     Error *local_err = NULL;
     int flags;
     int64_t size;
     int ret;
 
-    if (sync != MIRROR_SYNC_MODE_FULL) {
-        error_setg(errp, "only sync mode 'full' is currently supported");
-        return;
-    }
     if (!has_speed) {
         speed = 0;
     }
@@ -1541,6 +1538,18 @@ void qmp_drive_backup(const char *device, const char *target,
 
     flags = bs->open_flags | BDRV_O_RDWR;
 
+    /* See if we have a backing HD we can use to create our new image
+     * on top of. */
+    if (sync == MIRROR_SYNC_MODE_TOP) {
+        source = bs->backing_hd;
+        if (!source) {
+            sync = MIRROR_SYNC_MODE_FULL;
+        }
+    }
+    if (sync == MIRROR_SYNC_MODE_NONE) {
+        source = bs;
+    }
+
     size = bdrv_getlength(bs);
     if (size < 0) {
         error_setg_errno(errp, -size, "bdrv_getlength failed");
@@ -1549,8 +1558,14 @@ void qmp_drive_backup(const char *device, const char *target,
 
     if (mode != NEW_IMAGE_MODE_EXISTING) {
         assert(format && drv);
-        bdrv_img_create(target, format,
-                        NULL, NULL, NULL, size, flags, &local_err, false);
+        if (source) {
+            bdrv_img_create(target, format, source->filename,
+                            source->drv->format_name, NULL,
+                            size, flags, &local_err, false);
+        } else {
+            bdrv_img_create(target, format, NULL, NULL, NULL,
+                            size, flags, &local_err, false);
+        }
     }
 
     if (error_is_set(&local_err)) {
@@ -1566,7 +1581,7 @@ void qmp_drive_backup(const char *device, const char *target,
         return;
     }
 
-    backup_start(bs, target_bs, speed, on_source_error, on_target_error,
+    backup_start(bs, target_bs, speed, sync, on_source_error, on_target_error,
                  block_job_cb, bs, &local_err);
     if (local_err != NULL) {
         bdrv_delete(target_bs);
diff --git a/include/block/block_int.h b/include/block/block_int.h
index c6ac871e21..e45f2a0d56 100644
--- a/include/block/block_int.h
+++ b/include/block/block_int.h
@@ -404,6 +404,7 @@ void mirror_start(BlockDriverState *bs, BlockDriverState *target,
  * @bs: Block device to operate on.
  * @target: Block device to write to.
  * @speed: The maximum speed, in bytes per second, or 0 for unlimited.
+ * @sync_mode: What parts of the disk image should be copied to the destination.
  * @on_source_error: The action to take upon error reading from the source.
  * @on_target_error: The action to take upon error writing to the target.
  * @cb: Completion function for the job.
@@ -413,7 +414,8 @@ void mirror_start(BlockDriverState *bs, BlockDriverState *target,
  * until the job is cancelled or manually completed.
  */
 void backup_start(BlockDriverState *bs, BlockDriverState *target,
-                  int64_t speed, BlockdevOnError on_source_error,
+                  int64_t speed, MirrorSyncMode sync_mode,
+                  BlockdevOnError on_source_error,
                   BlockdevOnError on_target_error,
                   BlockDriverCompletionFunc *cb, void *opaque,
                   Error **errp);
diff --git a/qmp-commands.hx b/qmp-commands.hx
index 65a9e26423..2e59b0d218 100644
--- a/qmp-commands.hx
+++ b/qmp-commands.hx
@@ -960,6 +960,7 @@ Arguments:
 
 Example:
 -> { "execute": "drive-backup", "arguments": { "device": "drive0",
+                                               "sync": "full",
                                                "target": "backup.img" } }
 <- { "return": {} }
 EQMP