The Windows operating system has a powerful backup tool built in - File History, which can back up your files and folders to an external drive for recovery if data is accidentally deleted or corrupted. The following guide details how to create a backup of data using the Windows File History tool and recover data from an external drive if needed.

Note : Learn how to easily transfer user profile data in Windows.

Table of contents

• File History Overview
• 1. Enable file history
• 2. Configuration file history settings
• 3. Recover files from backup
• Benefits of File History in Windows

File History Overview

File history is the first backup tool introduced in Windows 8 and is now an important part of subsequent versions such as Windows 10 and Windows 11. File history automatically backs up the Windows folder to a preset network location, usually a USB or external hard drive.

Using the File History tool, you can capture data backups from multiple folders, including desktop, downloads, documents, music, videos, pictures, libraries, contacts, favorites, offline OneDrive, and application data folders.

The following steps show how to back up your Windows data using the File History tool.

1. Enable file history

After setting up file history for the first time, it becomes very easy to automatically back up files to an external drive.

Open File History from Windows Search.

Alternatively, open the control panel and select "View -> Large Icons/Small Icons". This will guide you to the All Control Panel Projects page.

Select File History from it.

If your computer does not have a network path or USB/external drive connected, you will find that the File History is closed and the On option is disabled.

Connect an external drive to your computer. Click "Open" to enable file history.

that's all! You have enabled file history in Windows and the backup operation has started to your external drive.

All data being backed up can be viewed in a top-level folder called "FileHistory" on the external drive.

By default, file history backs up all folders stored under "C:\Users\Username".

Tip : If you need to transfer your Wi-Fi password to another computer, you need to make a backup first.

2. Configuration file history settings

The next step will be to configure your file history settings. Although file history is automatically backed up after initial setup, you can manually back up at any time by clicking "Run Now".

The additional backup version does not take up extra space on the removable drive.

By default, file history is backed up once an hour. However, you can customize this setting by selecting Advanced Settings.

You can adjust the frequency of file backups from the default hour to the shortest 10 minutes. You can also choose to start backups every 12 hours or daily.

Additionally, you can customize the retention time of backup copies, ranging from the default "permanent" to one to two years.

To delete the old file history version, click Clean Version.

A window will pop up where you can delete old versions of files and folders.

If you want to exclude any folders from your backup, go to the File History home screen and select Exclude folders.

If you are using a shared computing network at work or school, you can add it as the default backup location. Go to the File History home screen, click "Select Drive" and then further click "Add Network Location".

Remember to click "Save Changes" at the bottom of the File History screen window to modify the above settings.

Tip : Learn how to recover deleted files on Windows.

3. Recover files from backup

Finally, after the backup is complete, the next step will be to restore the files from the backup. To do this, make sure your backup drive is connected to your computer.

Open "Recover Your Files with File History" after a Windows search.

Alternatively, click "Recover Personal File" on the File History home screen.

Check the file history recovery window screen. It has multiple file backup versions that you can browse using the slider at the bottom of the screen. We choose the latest backup version.

Select all or part of the folders you need.

When done, click the green "Restore to Original Position" button at the bottom of the screen.

All backup files will be restored to their original folder on the PC.

Benefits of File History in Windows

Three main benefits of using file history to maintain Windows data backup are:

• Ability to store multiple versions of the same file, helping track changes and collaborate
• Backup is simple and automated, once set up, with little user intervention required
• Recover easily and quickly on any Windows computer

File history is undoubtedly the best backup solution built into Windows operating systems. This means it is seamlessly compatible with your operating system, making it ideal for Windows backups.

Another backup "Backup and Restore (Windows 7)" is designed for Windows 7 and previous versions and can be accessed from "View Method -> Large Icons/Small Icons" in the Control Panel. This backup method is basically no longer used because it is not efficient.

Tip : If the system restore function is not working properly, please check out our list of repairs so you can recover it.

While file history can back up your important documents, photos, and videos, that's not enough. Before you perform a troubleshooting activity, you may need to back up the entire Windows registry. Ensuring that you set up a system restore point for your Windows computer regularly is the best way to ensure regular backups.

Image source: Unsplash. All screenshots are provided by Sayak Boral.

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