Windows 10: Proper Use of File History Together with OneDrive

I've been using File History for a few years. This past year I began using OneDrive . I just realized that I may be saving redundant copies of some files and wasting a lot of drive space. OneDrive and File History both appear to save copies of Libraries. Am I needlessly saving two copies of the same thing? If so, what are the recommended files to save in each OneDrive and File History? Thanks.

:)

 

File History & OneDrive on Demand

I know that "files on demand" aren't saved on my computer. However, I still have the following problems:

• After starting a new File History backup from scratch (as suggested in the first response) the majority of my Onedrive , including almost all files that are marked as "Always Keep on this Device" are not backed up.

• Even for files marked as "Files on Demand" - surely File History should be able to back them up anyway? The whole point of a good backup system is that you have copies of files in multiple places (and OneDrive's cloud system only counts as 1). The creation
  of the file history would be download heavy as it copies every file to my backup device, but after that it should only have to download single files as changes are made.
  

 

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

 

File History & OneDrive on Demand

Hi,



This might be a conflict with your OneDrive. We suggest trying to remove OneDrive on your file history back up and try to add it again. Re-adding OneDrive usually resolves this kind of issue.

Let us know if this works for you.