How to restore backup files from external hard drive windows 10

That critical and irreplaceable file you were viewing the other day in Windows is lost or won’t open. Are you in trouble? Not if you've been using File History.

Available in Windows 10 and Windows 11, File History will automatically save specific file folders to a backup device, thus allowing you to recover a previous version of a file should it go missing or become corrupted and unusable.

In Windows 10, File History is relatively simple to set up and use; in Windows 11, it’s more difficult to find and implement. The major limitation with File History on both OSes is that it only backs up files from specific folders, such as Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, and Desktop, as well as any offline OneDrive files stored on your PC. You can no longer add other folders to the mix as you were able to do with previous versions of Windows.

If you need to back up any files not saved in the default folders, Microsoft suggests that you add them to one of these folders. If that’s not workable, you should consider a third-party backup program with more options and greater flexibility than File History. Otherwise, here’s how to set it up and save your important documents, photos, and files before something goes wrong.

Set Up a Storage Device

SanDisk Professional G-Drive ArmorATD (Photo: Molly Flores)

First, make sure you have a viable drive connected to, or accessible from, your PC. This could be a simple flash drive, an external drive, or a network location on a network-attached storage drive. If your drive plugs into the computer, make sure to connect it before trying anything else.

For a wireless network drive, it must be connected to power and properly mapped. Note that File History will automatically run on a regular basis, so any external drive you use must always remain connected and accessible.

Set Up File History in Windows 10

In Windows 10, click the Start button and go to Settings > Update & Security > Backup. Under Back up using File History, click Add a drive. Assuming you've connected a workable backup device, Windows displays a list of them. Select the location you wish to use for your backups. 

File History is now enabled, though it's not yet backing up any files. Click the More options link to set up a few parameters.

Click the Back up my files drop-down menu and choose how frequently you wish to back up your files, from every 10 minutes to Daily. Then click the Keep my backups drop-down menu, and select how long you want to retain your backed up files—from Until space is needed to Forever.

By default, File History will begin backing up a selection of default folders, including Desktop, Downloads, Music, and more. However, you can remove some of these folders from the mix. Scroll down the Backup options window and review the list of default folders already included in the backup. Select any folder you don't wish to back up and click Remove to exclude it.

To exclude any folders not listed on the page, click the Add a folder button under Exclude these folders. From File Explorer, select any folders that you wish to exclude.

Once you’re set, click the Back up now button at the top of the screen, and Windows will start backing up the folders and files included in your backup set. After your backup has finished, Windows displays the total size and the date and time of the backup.

Restore Files in Windows 10

Now, let’s say that important file goes missing or has become corrupted. You can use your File History backup to restore it. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Backup and click the More options link. Scroll down to the bottom of the File History window and click Restore files from a current backup.

Windows displays all the folders that have been backed up by File History. Double-click the folder you want, then double-click the file to view it. If it's the file you need, click the green button at the bottom of the window to restore the file.

If the original file is gone, Windows automatically restores it to its previous location. If the file still exists in its original location, Windows allows you to replace it, keep the original file as it is, or compare both files.

If you ever want to change your backup destination, you’ll need to first stop using your current drive. From the Backup screen under Update & Security in Settings, click More options. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Stop using Drive. Go back to the previous screen and click Add a drive so you can restart the process with a new backup destination.

If you wish to stop using File History altogether, just turn off the switch for Automatically back up my files on the Backup settings screen.

Set Up File History in Windows 11

In Windows 11, Microsoft removed File History from the Settings screen and moved it to the Control Panel. The quickest way to use the feature is to click the Search icon in the taskbar and search for File History, then select the result for it.

File History searches for any compatible drive connected to your PC and picks one. If you don’t want to use the chosen drive, click the Select drive link and choose the drive you wish to use, then click OK.

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At the File History screen, click Exclude folders if you to remove any folders from the backup. Unlike in Windows 10, File History in Windows 11 doesn’t display a prebuilt list of folders for you to exclude. Instead, you have to manually add folders. Click Add and then select any folder you wish to exclude. When done, click Save changes.

Click Advanced settings from the File History screen. Click the drop-down menu for Save copies of files to set how often File History should run, from every 10 minutes to daily.

Then click the menu for Keep saved versions to determine how long the file backups should be kept, from Until space is needed to Forever. Click Save changes when finished.

From the File History screen, click the Turn on button to kick off the initial backup.

Restore Files in Windows 11

To restore a missing or corrupted file or document, return to the File History screen in Control Panel. Click the Restore personal files link.

From the list of backed up folders, select the folder with the file you wish to recover. Click the file you need and then click the Restore button. If the file still is in its original location, Windows asks if you want to replace it, skip it, or compare both files. If the original file is gone, Windows automatically restores it to its previous location.

If you ever want to change the backup destination, click the Select drive link, choose the new drive, and then click OK. Windows will ask if you want to move the previous backed up files to the new location. Click Yes to make the move.

You can stop File History from backing up your files at any time by returning to the feature's page in Control Panel and clicking the Turn off button.

Microsoft Windows 11 Preview

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