Windows 10: File History: Can I exclude all subfolders except one?

Hi


I use File History for routine backup. I have a particular folder, with lots of sub-folders, that I don't want to to include in the back up - EXCEPT for one folder, that I DO want to include.

I've tried excluding the parent folder, then specifically including the subfolder of interest - but File History takes no notice, presumably the exclude overrides any specific includes.

I'd rather not have to include the parent then exclude every other subfolder.

Any thoughts?


PS Tried the MS help line - they're pretty useless, aren't they? After being passed along a chain, and having a hard time getting the guy to understand my as I thought simple request, they simply hung up on me...

:)

 

Exclude subfolder

This folder is being watched:

C:\Users\Shane\Music

I would like to exclude this subfolder:

C:\Users\Shane\Music\_downloads

Files in this subfolder are usually tagged incorrectly, and I like to fix them before moving them into the sorted folders.

Is it possible to exclude a subfolder?

Thanks,

Shane.

 

File History won't exclude folders

The 'remove this drive' technique appeared to work, but when I checked the drive, the folders were still being backed up. Opened the modern file history settings and the folders were still removed from the backup list. I tried to add them manually to the
excluded folders list and they disappeared like before. After a reboot, and I think opening the 'classic' file history control panel without making changes, the removed folders were back on the list and could not be removed.

I also did the same steps above, but manually deleted the backed up folders from the drive after removing them. Still no dice.

Everything is back to where it was before. Somehow I got a folder to stay in the classic and modern control panel exclude lists, but I can't add any more. One thing to note, the exclude list, I think, must contain folders within the backed up folder list.
I know it makes no sense to exclude a folder that isn't backed up anyway (i.e.-not a subfolder of a backed up folder), but it seems a likely place for some weird settings reset bug to occur.

My guess is that there is some interaction between the modern and classic control panels that causes them to reset these lists, compounded by the added functionality of selecting the folders in the modern settings. Something along the lines of the File History
engine checks the classic control panel for exclusions, then checks the modern settings for inclusions, finds a conflict, and reverts to the previous folder lists. Some type of weird tug-o-war over settings, and the underlying triggers are automatically called
from both sides in non-intuitive (to users) ways.

My solution was to ditch FH altogether and switch over to SynBackSE for versioning. Not a solution for everyone, I know, but there is something fundamentally messed up with FH, and I'd rather not gamble with my thesis backups.

 

File History won't exclude folders

I just tried to exclude C:\Users\Donny\Downloads using the legacy control panel File History interface. When I clicked "Select Folder" the folder was added to the excluded folders list. When I clicked "Save changes" and went back into the excluded folders
list, C:\Users\Donny\Downloads was not listed at all.

So certainly not fixed for me.