Windows 10: file history, adding folders to backup

How do you backup file history? windows 10 pro

:)

 

Unable to remove folders from File History backups

I have revisited this issue, having abandoned File History for Windows 7 Backup some time ago. It seems like my original issue with File History has been fixed.

Steps I took:

• Switch off File History in Metro Control Panel
• Click "More options"
• Click "Stop using this drive" (Control Panel shuts down at this point)
• Delete all files on backup drive
• Click "Add a drive" in File History in Metro Control Panel and choose your backup drive
• Turn off File History
• Click "More options"
• Remove all folders that aren't Libraries (one by one - tedious). Typically this will be everything except Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, Camera Roll and Saved Pictures
• Click the back arrow
• Enable File History
• Click "More options"
• Click "Back up now"

File History will get busy backing up at this point, and "More options" will not load. However once the the backup has completed, "More options" will load, and all the non-library folders will not be re-added. Success!

Similar instructions were posted previously but they did not resolve the issue for me at the time. However, they do now, so it must have been updated.

I have found one important remaining issue: if all folders are removed from the backup, the libraries will be automatically re-added. This in itself is not an issue. What is an issue is that when the folders are automatically re-added, incremental backups
are disabled and every time a backup is run, a full copy of every library will be made and the backup drive space will be exhausted very quickly. This (new) issue needs to be fixed.

 

Backup These Folders in File History

My Pictures and My Videos folders are inside the My Documents folder. In File History all three folders are listed in the Backup These Folders list. Does this mean that because of this, files in Pictures and Videos are backuped twice? Once when backing up
My Documents and once when backing up My Pictures and My Videos (included in My Documents)

 

How to remove folders from File History

• I had the same problem, and I solved in this way:
  Control Panel -> System and Security-> File History -> Turn off
  Settings -> Update & Security -> Backup -> More options -> Stop using this drive
  Delete the File History folder in your external drive.
  Start using File History again.
  After performing these steps, I can easily add folders to "Excluded Folders" and they remain excluded. I checked in the actual files and folders saved on the external disk, and it works.
  I did not modify the default settings about how often and how long backup is saved, File History is working ok now. So I guess it is important to click "Stop using this drive" in order to reset File History.
  Hope this will be helpful