Windows 10: Can File History backup the contents of drives other than the C:\ drive?

Hi. My C:\ drive is a 256GB RAM drive. All my documents are stored on a 2GB drive labelled M:\, name "Data".


In the past I've always used Windows Backup and have always been able to restore files as and when required. When I installed Windows 10 I set up Windows backup. Now I find nothing has been backed-up from my Data drive.


Can File History be used to backup files on my Data drive?


The Help states: "File History only backs up copies of files that are in the Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, and Desktop folders and the OneDrive files available offline on your PC. If you have files or folders elsewhere that you want backed up, you can add them to one of these folders."

This seems to suggest the answer is "No".

However, in File History/Backup options I can add folders from my Data drive.

How about if I redirect "Documents" to my Data drive?

It's also not clear to me whether File History creates and initial full backup before then backing-up new versions.

Thanks.

:)

 

File History drive

Hi Joseph,

Thank you for contacting Microsoft Community.

I would like to inform you that if your File History drive has been disconnected for too long, or it doesn't have enough space to save temporary versions of your files. To continue saving copies of your files, you'll need to reconnect your File History drive.
Plug in your external File History drive or reselect your network. You can start a backup manually or wait for the next scheduled backup or reselect the drive. Here is the steps:

To manually start a backup

• 
  Open File History by pressing Windows key> type File History
  > Click on File History.
  
• 
  Tap or click Back up now.
  

To reselect your drive

• 
  Open File History by pressing Windows key> type File History
  > Click on File History.
  
• 
  Tap or click Select drive.
  
• 
  On the Select a File History drive page, tap or click your current drive or network location, and then tap or click
  OK.
  

Hope it helps. Let us know if you need more help and we'll be glad to assist.

 

Disconnect and reconnect File History drive

Hi David,



Thank you for writing to Microsoft Community Forums.



To stop file history using a drive, you can try the steps listed below.



Ideally, File History will save copies of your files every hour, so disconnecting and reconnecting the backup drive every hour would be a tedious task. However, if you still would like to go for it, you may try the steps listed
below.

• Open Settings and go to Update & Security > Backup using File History.
  
• Scroll down to Backup to a different drive
  and choose Stop using the drive to disconnect the drive.
  
• Later, when you would like to reconnect, go to
  Settings>
  Update & security>
  Backup>
  Add a drive to reconnect the drive.
  

Additional Info: Use File History to backup and restore
in Windows 10



Let us know how it goes.

Regards,

 

Use File History to Backup OneDrive Content

Technical Level : Intermediate

Summary

This article details how to backup OneDrive content to another storage medium using the built-in Windows backup tool File History. For more details about File History, read this page:

Restore files or folders using File History

This is valid on Windows 10 and Windows 8.1.

Details

OneDrive is a great tool for syncing and sharing files via Microsoft accounts, however, it's a syncing tool first and files can be permanently deleted. A good practice is to use File History in conjunction with OneDrive so any changes are automatically backed
up to a different location without fear of files being deleted.

Setup OneDrive to Sync all Critical Files Worthy of Backup

Before you can backup anything in OneDrive using File History, configure it so OneDrive syncs everything to your computer:

• (Windows 10 and Windows 7) Choose the files and folders you want to sync to your computer
• (Windows 8.1) Choose the folders and files you want to "Make Available Offline"

Wait for OneDrive to finish syncing all content before continuing to the next step.

Setup a Drive for File History

After you configure OneDrive to sync the content you need, setup a drive to use File History:

Set up a drive for File History

Large, slow drives are ideal for File History, whether they're inside of the computer or connected via a USB on the outside. When you setup File History it should automatically backup all Library folders, OneDrive folders, and other
common Windows folders. If you don't see your OneDrive folders, manually add them.

Once configured, File History will run on the frequency you chose and will backup your OneDrive files if there are changes; File History uses a more intelligent backup process and will only backup if it detects changes. If a file
changes frequently, you'll see many versions, possibly a version every time File History runs, otherwise, you may see the original version if it never changes.

If you lose a file and need to restore it, follow these instructions to restore a file from File History:

Restore files or folders using File History