This article explains using Windows File History Backup and Restore to a WD External Drive with Windows 11 or 10.*END
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File History in Windows 11 and 10 is a built-in backup tool.
It saves copies of your data to an external drive or network share.
Need more help?
Microsoft Article: How to Perform a Backup Using File History in Windows 11 or Windows 10
File History backups vary based on the Windows version. |
How to Backup
Type Control Panel in the search box.
Press the enter key.
Need more help?
Microsoft Article: Locating the search box in Windows 10 and 11
- Change View by: to the Large icons if the view is set to Category.
Click File History.
- Click Select drive.
- Select a drive from available drives or choose Add network location.
- Click Advanced settings.
Click Every hour (default) drop-down list to adjust how often to save files.
Click Forever (default) drop-down list to adjust how long to keep a saved version.
Click Save changes.
- Click Exclude folders.
Click Add to add folders to the excluded list.
Click Save changes.
- Click Run now to start backup.
How to Restore
- Type Control Panel in the search box.
Press the enter key.
Need more help?
Microsoft Article: Locating the search box in Windows 10 and 11
- Change View by: to the Large icons if the view is set to Category.
Click File History.
- Click Restore personal files.
- Choose the version to restore from.
- Select the folders or files to restore.
Click the green button to Restore to original location.
- Click the settings icon.
Choose Restore to. To restore to a different location.
- Select the folder to restore the backup to.
Click Select Folder.