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File History is the programmed system in Windows 10 that goes on safeguarding your private or particular files which are saved in vital places of your computer. The files that are saved in Libraries, Desktop Folders, Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music and the OneDrive files that are obtainable in offline are provided with special and nonstop security by the File History.
Time to time, it inspects the file system and the look for the changes and if found any they are copied to another place. To backup your files when you start utilizing the File History, you have to set up a drive in which you will be saving your files. It is always recommended to use an external drives or network places to take the backup of files. As mentioned earlier that the files located in Libraries, Desktop Folders, Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music and the OneDrive files are only be backed up by File History on Windows 10, so if you wish to backup those files and folders which are located in other places than you have to put them into these locations so that they can be backed up.
We will show you the workings of File History from Settings of Windows 10. If you are ready with your external drives (like the external hard disk or huge spaced USB drive) then we should plunge into the steps now.
How to Backup Data using File History on Windows 10
To learn its workings, you have to first get into the File History. So open Settings from the Start Menu of Windows 10.
Scroll down and go to Update & security.
Among the four available options of Update & Security, you will select the Backup.
The right pane of the File History is the place where you will carry out the work. You will see a couple of options being mentioned there. Click + icon just before Add drive. This action leads to scan for the USB or hard drive you inserted in your PC. After it shows the same click More options link
Click Backup now button.
CONCLUSION
Backing up of the files has become so easy with the File History option of the Settings. All you have to make sure is to insert a drive to carry out the process. The SettingsFile History on Windows 10 has limited options available. But to view the other advanced options you can go to the Control Panel. Looking forward to your views!
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by Martin Brinkmann on January 05, 2016 in Windows - Last Update: July 05, 2017 - 9 comments
File History is a security feature of the Windows operating system that backs up important files automatically when enabled so that they can be restored at a later point in time.
The feature, introduced in Windows 8 and also part of Windows 10, is not enabled by default on Microsoft's newest operating system.
It is unclear why that is the case, but the most likely explanation is that it requires a secondary drive or network location as the backed up data needs to be stored somewhere (actually, it is possible to use File History without a second drive).
Windows 10 File History
File History is a useful feature if no other means of backup are used on the system. While it can be used to restore files, it cannot be used to restore the operating system itself if it stops working.
File History on Windows 10
File History is not enabled on Windows 10 by default, and the first thing that you need to do is set it up in the Settings application.
To enable File History, do the following:
Use the shortcut Windows-i to open the Settings application.
Switch to Update & Security > Backup.
There you find the 'Back up using File History' option.
Click on 'add a drive' to add a local or network drive for use by the feature.
Windows 10 scans all connected drives and displays them in list format on the screen. Select a drive that you want to use.
You will notice that the feature is set to 'on' afterwards automatically.
File History will create a FileHistory folder in the root location of the drive automatically and back up all files to it.
Click on the more options link to configure the feature. The default settings are the following:
Back up files every hour.
Keep backups forever.
Back up the following folders: Saved Games, Links, Downloads, Favorites, Contacts, OneDrive, Desktop, Searches, Music, Videos, Saved Pictures, Public Videos, Camera Roll, Public Music, Documents, Public Documents, Pictures, Public Pictures, Workspace, and all folders under the current user account.
You may change the backup interval between 'every 10 minutes' to 'daily', and the backup storage time between 'until space is needed' and forever.
All folders that files are backed up from by default can be removed, and you may add custom folders on top of that. Skyrim special edition and mods. It makes sense to go through the listing since it is very likely that you don't need files backed up in all selected folders, and that it is likely that some folders are not included that you want files backed up from regularly.
The removal process is slow, as the folder listing is updated every time you remove a single folder from the listing.
How to restore files manually
Windows offers several ways to restore files backed up the the file history feature. Probably the easiest of them all is to right-click on a file in File Explorer to select the 'restore previous versions' option displayed in the context menu.
Switch to previous versions in the properties window that opens up, or, and that is another option to get to the menu, right-click on files and select properties manually instead to access the same menu.
Windows lists all saved file versions in the interface, and the two main options to open a previous version of the file or restore it right away.
You may also click on the arrow icons next to the two buttons to 'open the file in File History', or 'restore it to a custom location'.
Closing Words
File History is a file-based backup application that is built-in to new versions of the Windows operating system. While useful in itself, it should not be the only means of backing up data on the system as it won't help you restore Windows if it fails to boot or if you encounter other operating system related errors.
For files though it is useful as it adds file-versionining to the operating system provided that you add the right folders to the list of monitored directories.
Now you: Do you use file History or another backup solution?
How to use File History on Windows 10
Description
Find out how to use the file backup feature File History on devices running Microsoft's new operating system Windows 10.
Author
Ghacks Technology News
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File History is a handy tool that lets you back up files on your PC to any hard drive connected to it, whether that connection is external via USB or internal via a bus. You can also back up to a network location if one is available. Here's how to use File History to safeguard your important files.
How to add a drive to use with File History
Before starting these steps, you should ensure a secondary drive is connected to your PC or that a network is set up.
Click the Start button.
Click the Settings button. (It looks like a gear and is located in the bottom-left corner of the Start menu.)
Click Update & security.
Click Backup.
Click Add a drive.
Click the drive you'd like to use as a backup. You can also choose to back up to a network location if one is available.
Backup And Restore Vs File History
You now have a drive or network location associated with File History, and it's time to choose which files you want to back up.
How to back up files using File History
File History will automatically back up files from folders it deems important, but you can customize exactly which folders and files its backs up.
Click the Start button.
Click the Settings button. (It looks like a gear and is located in the bottom-left corner of the Start menu.)
Click Update & security.
Click Backup.
Click More options.
Click Add a folder.
Click a folder you want to back up.
Click Choose this folder.
If you add the wrong folder or simply want to remove a folder from the backup list, perform the following two steps.
Click a folder in the Back up these folders list.
Click Remove.
How to change the frequency of backups
If you don't need your files backed up on an hourly basis, you can change how often a backup occurs, as long as the drive is connected or the network location is available.
Click the Start button.
Click the Settings button. (It looks like a gear and is located in the bottom-left corner of the Start menu.)
Click Update & security.
Click Backup.
Click More options.
Click the dropdown arrow beneath Back up my files.
Click a frequency options.
You can also change how long the backups are kept on the drive or network using the following two steps.
Click the dropdown arrow beneath Keep my backups.
Click a time limit.
How to switch the drives that use File History
If your backup drive is full, or if you just want to start using a different drive, you have to manually switch the drive in the File History settings.
Click the Start button.
Click the Settings button. (It looks like a gear and is located in the bottom-left corner of the Start menu.)
Click Update & security.
Click Backup.
Click More options.
Click Stop using drive.
You can now connect a different drive, and back up to it, using the steps listed above.
How to restore files from File History
If something goes wrong and you lose files, you can easily restore them from the File History backup. Make sure the drive that contains the backup is connected to your PC or the network location is accessible.
Click the Start button.
Click the Settings button. (It looks like a gear and is located in the bottom-left corner of the Start menu.)
Click Update & security.
Click Backup.
Click More options.
Click Restore files from a current backup. (You might have to scroll down to find it.)
Click the Restore button. (It is green and has a circular arrow on it.)
Your files contained in the backup will now be restored to their original location.
Best external drives and NAS solutions
If you don't already have an extra hard drive, check out our picks for the best available right now:
If you'd like to take some extra steps and create a network storage solution, have a look at our guide to building your own NAS, or our collection of the best pre-built NAS systems:
More resources
If you want to create an image of your drive to use in the event of a complete failure, Windows has a built-in tool that is quite easy to use. We've also created a guide to walk you through each step of that process:
Using File History and Windows Image Backup are just the tip of the iceberg. If you'd like more info on creating data backups, have a look at our roundup of six easy backup methods:
What is the difference between Backup & Restore that was present on Windows 7 and the 'File History' feature on Windows 8?
naren.katneninaren.katneni
1 Answer
File history keeps multiple copies of files in a backup location where they can be easily accessed via the properties>file history menu or via direct access to storage location.
System Image Backup Vs File History
Backup and Restore saves a single incremental backup to a location. Backup and Restore can also save a complete system image (note: not quite complete). You can use the system image to restore your computer to a previous state. As far as I know you can only use a backup to restore files while on the Windows DVD not file history.