Windows File History: Set It Up and Test a Restore

If you have ever overwritten a document and wished you could turn back one save, File History may help. In Windows 10, it can keep earlier copies of eligible personal files on an external drive or network location. Set it up, check that the folder you care about is included, and practise restoring a test file to a different location before you rely on it.

File History works with files and folders. It does not make a complete copy of Windows, your installed apps or every folder on the PC. The steps below follow Microsoft's documented Windows 10 controls; a practice restore lets you confirm what your own setup is saving. Microsoft's File History guide covers the feature for Windows 10 and Windows 11.

What File History saves

File History periodically saves copies of personal files to a separate drive or network location. It backs up libraries, including the standard Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos libraries, as well as common folders such as Desktop. The exact set depends on your setup, so check it instead of assuming every file on the PC is covered.

Some local folders outside the included set can be added to a library. A library is a view that gathers locations; adding a folder does not move its files. This can help when your work is in a different folder on the PC. Not every storage location is supported, so confirm that File History lists the folder before relying on it. Microsoft's Windows Libraries documentation explains how libraries collect locations.

File History is best treated as a way to recover earlier versions of selected files. It is not a full system image and will not reinstall Windows or your applications. If the computer or its backup drive is lost, you need another copy stored somewhere else.

Set up File History in Windows 10

Use an external drive or a network location for the backup. An external drive is straightforward, but it must be connected for Windows to write new copies. If you keep it unplugged between backups, reconnect it regularly.

1. Connect the external drive you want to use.
2. Open Settings → Update & Security → Backup.
3. Under Back up using File History, select Add a drive, then choose the external drive. If File History is already set up, open More options instead.
4. In More options, check the folders under Back up these folders. If an important folder is missing, add it to a Windows library in File Explorer, then check the list again.
5. Select Back up now and wait for the last-backup status to update before unplugging the drive.

If you cannot find the File History controls in Settings, open Control Panel → System and Security → File History. From there, choose Select drive if the wrong drive is selected, then select Turn on. File History also has Advanced settings for choosing how often to save copies and how long to keep older versions.

If Windows asks whether to move existing files on the backup drive or start fresh, read the prompt carefully. Do not choose an option until you understand what it will do to the files already on that drive.

For a custom location, show Libraries in File Explorer if they are hidden: open View → Navigation pane → Show libraries. Right-click the folder, choose Include in library, and select a library or create one. The files stay where they are; the library simply gives File History another location to include. Return to File History and confirm that the folder is covered before relying on it.

Practise restoring a file

A small test now helps you learn the controls without risking an important document.

1. Create a text file named File History practice in Documents. Put a short line such as “first version” in it and save.
2. In File History, select Back up now and wait for it to finish.
3. Change the line to “second version”, save the file, and run another backup.
4. In File Explorer, open the actual Documents folder. Right-click the folder and choose Restore previous versions.
5. Select a version from before the edit. Use the preview or Open in File History option to check that it contains “first version”.
6. Choose Restore to... and save the recovered copy to a new folder, so you can compare it without replacing the current file.

To recover a deleted file, open the folder that used to contain it and choose Restore previous versions there. Select a dated folder version that should contain the missing file, then restore that version to a separate location and copy out the file you need.

Restoring directly can replace the current file or folder, and Microsoft warns that this replacement cannot be undone. Use a separate destination when you want to inspect a backup first. Keep the original file until you have confirmed the restored copy is the one you meant to recover.

If no earlier version appears

Check these points before trying to restore:

• The first backup finished. A version cannot exist for a file that had not yet been copied.
• The containing folder is included. If you added a folder to a library, return to File History and verify that it appears in the saved set.
• The correct drive is connected. File History cannot read older copies from a drive that is missing or has been replaced.
• The version is still retained. Older copies depend on the File History settings and the space available on the backup drive.

If those checks do not explain the missing version, open File History in Control Panel and confirm which drive it is using. Do not delete the File History folder on the external drive while troubleshooting; it contains the saved versions you are trying to inspect.

Know what the backup does not cover

A successful File History run only confirms that Windows saved the folders in its configured set. It does not prove that every important file is included, or that you know how to retrieve a usable version. That is why the practice restore matters.

For files you cannot replace, keep another copy outside the computer as well. File History can be one part of that plan, but a single backup drive is still one device that can fail, be misplaced or be unavailable when you need it.

Once you have checked the included folders and restored the practice file to a separate location, you know both what File History is saving and how to get an earlier copy back.

Sources and further reading

• Microsoft Support, Backup and restore with File History
• Microsoft Learn, Windows Libraries