Windows 10: File History won't restore error message ‘'File History is saving Copies of your files for...

Hello,


I thought I was careful to set up File History, maybe I've missed something. I have set for hourly backup, 1 month retention, and have specified a few additional folders to back up in addition to the defaults. Data is being backed up, I see a little over 15 GB since I set up File History about a month ago.


However, when I try to restore, I get the message "File History is saving copies of your files for the first time. You won't be able to access copies of your files until this is complete. This might take a while... " . Pardon? I already have gigs and gigs backed up. Also, this process has been running about 3 hours now and is using 0% CPU and less than 15 MB memory. So nothing is happening. What's the point of backing up if I can't restore?

Also concerning, when I go into Settings > Backup > More Options, the message in Overview is always the same: "Your Data is not yet backed up". This message is 2 lines below "Size of backup = 16.5 GB". And pressing on the "Back up Now" button returns a brief "backing up your data" message before reverting to "Your Data is not yet backed up" a few seconds later.


I also see File History is now fragmented into two sections, Win10 Settings app and classic Control Panel. Am I maybe better off to manage everything from Control Panel?


What am I doing wrong and how can I restore? Windows 10 Pro 1803


Thanks!


**Original Title**

File History won't restore

:)

 

File History Drive is full

Hi Katy,

Thank you for posting in Community.

We understand your concern and we will provide the assistance required to help you resolve the issue.

Before we proceed, I would like you to provide the information stated below:

Can you provide the entire error message that you received?

I would like to inform that the error that you receive indicates that the internal storage capacity for File History is almost full. To rectify this, I would suggest that you perform the methods mentioned below:

If your File History drive is full or almost full, but you can free up some space by changing how often File History saves your files and how long it keeps older versions of your files.

To change how long File History keeps files

• 
  Open Control panel, locate and select File History
  
• 
  Tap or click Advanced settings.
  
• 
  Under Versions:
  
  • 
    Next to Save copies of files, tap or click the list, and choose a time interval.
    
  • 
    Next to Keep saved versions, tap or click the list, and choose a time interval.
    
• 
  Tap or click Save changes.
  

For more information refer to the links below

What if something goes wrong in File History?:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/what-something-goes-wrong-file-history

Setting up a drive for File History

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-GB/windows-8/set-drive-file-history

Hope this helps

 

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.

 

File history folder is there but not recognized when trying to restore it

Hi Inés,

For us to provide a suitable solution to your concern and isolate the cause of the issue, we need additional information:

• Where did you save the file history folder?
• What was the exact error message when you tried restoring the file history?
• Can you still search for the file history folder on your PC?

We'll keep an eye out for your response.