This document provides a comprehensive guide on setting up Windows 10 backup options, particularly focusing on File History in both Windows Settings and Control Panel. It details the steps to configure backups, including selecting drives, managing backup schedules, and excluding folders. Additionally, it introduces MiniTool ShadowMaker as a professional alternative for advanced backup options beyond those offered by File History.

1. Title: [Full Review] Windows 10 Backup Options of File History
Keywords: Windows10backup options,backupoptionswindows10,Windowsbackupoptions,
Windows10 file backupoptions, backupoptionsinwindows10,backupoptionsforwindows10
Description: How to set up Windows 10 File History backup options in Windows Settings? How
about in Control Panel? Is there an alternative to File History options?
URL: https://www.minitool.com/backup-tips/windows-10-backup-options.html
Summary: You probably know how to do settings to File History backup. Yet, do you know how to
set up File History in Control Panel? Do you know that many additional advanced backup options can
be assigned to a backup task? This article posted by MiniTool brand will tell you all the related
information.
Usually,the Windows10 backupoptions thatwe talk aboutreferstothe backupoptionsfor
Windows10 File History.Itoffersmanybackupsettingsthatallow youtospecifyyour file backups
and make themmore suitable foryourself.
How to make use of the backupoptionsforWindows10? It isas easyas a piece of cake;all youneed
to do isfollowthe on-screenguide.
There are two placeswhere youcan setup File History:WindowsSettingsandControl Panel.We will
focuson the backup optionsin Windows 10Settings.Also,we willintroduce how tosetupFile
HistoryinControl Panel.
Set up Backup Options Windows 10 in Windows Settings
If you haven’tyetcreatedanyFile Historytaskandare freshnew to it,or if you have evertriedFile
Historybut canceleditandnowthere isno file backuptask,youcan establishyournew File History
task rightnowwithpersonalization.

2. Step 1. Find File History in Windows Settings
Clickon the Win10 icon inthe bottomleftcorneron the taskbar andselect Settings(the cog icon) in
the pop-upmenu.Then,the WindowsSettingswindow will appear,onthe defaultmainmenu
screen,findthe last Update & Securityoptionandclickto choose it.On the nextWindowsUpdate
screen,click Backup in the leftpanel.Finally,youcansee Back up usingFile History at the topof the
rightarea.
Alt=back up usingFile History
Step 2. Add a Drive
If you currentlyhave noFile Historytaskon yourcomputer,youwill see anAdda drive optionwithin
the Back up using File History section.Justclickonthe plusiconand choose a hard drive as your
backupdestination. The diskwhereWindowsisinstalledcan’tbe usedas a backupdestination.
If there is neitheranextrainternal harddrive nor anexternal harddisk connectedtoyourmachine,
youhave to firstprepare one to make it yourbackupdestination.

3. Alt=automaticfile backupison
Afteryousuccessfullyaddabackupdrive,youwill see the Automaticallybackup my files optionis
on.You can switchitoff if you wantto disable yourFile Historybackup.
Step 3. Manage Windows 10 Backup Options
Then,click More optionsto make special settingstoyourfile backup.
#1. Backup Schedule
You are able tocreate a schedule toautomaticallybackupyourcomputerfilesata setfrequencyin
the future.Howoftendoyou wantyour filesorfolderstobe backedup? Justpick one of the
frequencieslistedunderBack up my files.
 Everyhour (default)
 Every10 minutes
 Every15 minutes
 Every20 minutes
 Every30 minutes
 Every3 hours
 Every6 hours
 Every12 hours
 Daily

4. Alt=schedulefilebackup
#2. Backup ImagesSaving
You can decide the backupimagesof whichtime interval tokeeponyour computer.How longdo
youwant to keepyourbackups? SelectaperiodunderKeepmybackups.
 Forever(default)
 1 month
 3 months
 6 months
 9 months
 1 year
 2 years

5. Alt=backupimage maintaintime
#3. Backup Source
Of course,youneedtodetermine whichfoldersyou’dliketocopy.Windows 10 backupoptionslist
the commonfoldersforyouto choose from underthe Backup these folders section;all of them
locate inC:Users<username>.Theyare:
 Savedgames
 Links
 Favorites
 Contacts
 OneDrive
 Desktop
 3D objects
 Searches
 Downloads
 Pictures
 Documents
 Cameraroll
 Videos
 Savedpictures
 Music

6. Alt=backup these foldersinFileHistory
Your listmaybe different.
Also,youare allowedtoadd anyotherfoldersonyourcomputeras your backupsource. Justclick
the plusiconbefore Adda folder.
If you don’twantto image any folderinthe above list,youcandirectlyclickonit andclickthe
Remove button.
Moreover,youcan exclude some foldersfromyourbackupsource withExclude these folders
feature.Once youselectthose folders,theywill disappearfromthe above listif theyare originally
there.

7. Alt=backup to a differentdriveinFile History
#4. Backup Destination
Still,youare enabledtochange yourbackuptarget place.If youfindanotherdiskthat isbetterto
save the backup image files,youcanalteryour backupaddress. Yet,firstof all,youhave to click Stop
usingdrive underBackup to a differentdrive to disconnectthe currentbackupdestination.Then,
selectthe newdisk.
Remove currentbackupdrive won’tdeleteanyfiles,sothe previousbackupimagesare still there.If
youwant to restore yourfilestothe previousstate thatare savedon the removeddisk,just
reconnectitto your File Historyandcarry out the restoration.
#5. Advanced Settings
You can do furthersettingstoyourFile Historytaskbyclicking See advancedsettings below the
Relatedsettings title. Then,youwill enterthe File Historyscreenin Control Panel.

8. Alt=File HistoryinControl Panel
Next,we will switchtothe nextpart.
Set up Windows 10 Backup Options in Control Panel
On the File HistoryscreeninControl Panel, youcanRun now or Turn off the set backup.
In Control Panel,youcanalsospecifythe same settingsforFile History asinWindowsSettings.
1. Select Drive
ClickSelectdrive inthe leftmenuonthe File Historyscreen.In the new window, pickup a drive in
the list.

9. Alt=selectFileHistorydrive inControl Panel
Or, youcan choose a networklocation byclickingAddnetworklocation.
2. Exclude Folders
SelectExclude folders fromthe leftpanel of the File Historyscreen. Inthe nextwindow,clickAddto
add foldersfromyourcomputertothe “blacklist”of File Historybackup.
Alt=excludefoldersfromFile HistoryinControl Panel

10. Or, if youchange yourmindand wantto back up those foldersagain,justclickonthemandselect
Remove.Then,those folderswill be removedfromthe “blacklist”.If theyare originallyfromthe
backupsource list,theywill returntothe backuplist;if theyare originally notinthe backuplist,
remove themfromthe “blacklist”won’tputtheminthe backuplist.To back upthese folders,you
needtomanuallyaddthemto yourcurrent backuplist.
Don’tforgetto click Save changes before youleave thiswindow.
3. File History Frequency
You can alsoset up a backupschedule byclicking Advancedsettingsinthe leftsectionon the File
HistoryscreeninControl Panel.Then,youwill be directedtothisscreen.
Alt=advancedFile HistorysettingsinControl Panel
Clickthe downarrow behindSave copiesoffiles and selectthe properbackupfrequencythatsuits
you. The Windows10 schedule backupoptionshere in the Control Panelare the same asthose in
WindowsSettings.
4. File History Backup Versions
To continue,clickthe downarrowbehind Keepsavedversions andchoose the periodthatmatches
your plan.
Here,itenablesyoutomanage your oldbackupversions. Clickthe Cleanupversions optionand
choose a time interval todelete.
 Olderthan1 year
 All butthe latestone
 Olderthan1 month
 Olderthan3 months
 Olderthan6 months
 Olderthan9 months

11.  Olderthan2 year
Alt=cleanupFile HistoryversionsinControl Panel
The cleanup deletesbackupimage versions of filesandfoldersthatare olderthanthe selectedage,
exceptthe mostrecentversionof afile orfolder.All otherfolderslike versionsthatwere excluded
or removedfromyourlibrariesare alsodeleted.
Tip:
 If yourcomputeris part of a homegroup,you can recommend thisdriveto otherhomegroup
members.
 You can also open File History eventlogs to view recent eventsor errors fromthisAdvanced
File History Settingsscreen in ControlPanel.
Windows 10 Backup Options in MiniTool ShadowMaker
Besidesthe official FileHistory,youcanalsochoose toback up files/foldersonyourPCwiththe help
of a professionalandreliable third-partyprogramsuchas MiniTool ShadowMaker.Beingsimilarto
File History, MiniTool ShadowMakerprovidesalotof backup optionstosetup yourfile backup.
Those optionsinclude all the settingsofferedbyFileHistoryandmanyadvancedmanagement
options thatFile Historydoesn’thave.
You can setup file backupwhile creatingthe backuptask.
SM-Trial
Step1. Downloadandinstall MiniTool ShadowMakeronyourcomputer.
Step2. Launch the software andclick KeepTrial on the firstscreen.
Step3. Then,you will be shownitsmaininterface.There,clickthe Backuptab in the top menu.
Step4. In the Backup tab, selectthe backup Source and Destination.

12. Alt=MiniTool ShadowMakerbackuptab
Be differentfromFile History,youare allowedtochoose the systemdisk asyourbackupdestination.
However,youare not recommendedtodoso. Instead,anexternal storage location,sharednetwork,
or NASis preferred.
Step5. Still,onthe Backup screen, youcan access a varietyof Windows10 backupoptions.
1. Windows Backup Options Schedule
In the bottomleftcorner,clickonthe Schedule buttonanda small window willpopup. Firstly,
switchon the schedule settingsinthe downleft.Then,chooseabackupschedule andmake detailed
settings forthe selectedschedule.
 Daily backup: Whento start withina dayor the time interval betweentwobackupprocesses
(1 hour,2 hours,3 hours,4 hours,6 hours,or 8 hours).
 Weeklybackup:Whento start withina dayand whichdayswithina weektocarry out the
backuptask.
 Monthlybackup: Whento start withinaday and whichdayswithinamonthdo backup.
 On eventbackup: Triggerbackupoperationonsystem/computerlogonorlog off.

13. Alt=MiniTool ShadowMakerbackupschedule
2. Windows 10 File Backup Options Scheme
Clickon the Scheme buttoninthe lower-leftonthe Backupscreen.Whenyousee the Backup
Scheme window,choose abackuptype,full backup, incremental backup,ordifferential backup.

14. Alt=MiniTool ShadowMakerbackupscheme
#1 Full Backup
Back up all the source fileseachtime. Full backuprequires the mosttime andstorage space among
the 3 typesof backups.Whenit comesto restoration,anybackupversioncanbe usedto recoverall
the source files.
You can specifyhowmanybackupimagesyou’dlike toretain. A full backupwill retain the numberof
backupversionsyouspecified.Whenitreachesthe specifiednumbers,itwillautomaticallydelete
oldbackups.
#2 Incremental Backup
Onlyback upthe changedor newlyaddedfilescomparedwiththe very LASTBACKUP.The
incremental backup needs the leastbackuptime anddestinationspace.Asforrestoringall the
source files,youmusthave the lastfull backupandall the incremental backupsfollowingthe lastfull
backup.
You can alsodecide howmanybackupversionstokeep. The incrementalbackupscheme issimilarto
a group queue. A groupconsistsof a full backupand several incrementalbackups.Whenalater
groupjoinsin,the formerwill be removedfrom the queue.
#3 Differential Backup
Onlyback upthe changedor newlyaddedfilesbasedonthe LASTFULL BACKUP.Differential backup
requires mediumtime andspace forcompleting the backupprocessandstoringbackupimage files

15. respectively. If youwanttorestore all source filesof adifferential backup,youshouldprovidethe
verylastfull backupand the verylastdifferential backup.
Still,youare enabledtomanage yourdifferentialbackupimage numbers. A differential backup
scheme issimilartoa circularqueue.Whenthe queue isfull andif a new memberjoinsin,one of
the membershasto exitfromthe queue.
3. Windows 10 Backup Options in MiniTool ShadowMaker
Next,letsee howmanyadvanced backupoptionsMiniTool ShadowMakercanprovide thatFile
Historydoesn’thave.Justclickonthe Options buttononthe lower-rightside toaccessthe options.
#1 Image CreationMode
Thisoptionoffersyoutwobackupwaysto carry outthe file backuptask.
ALT= MiniTool ShadowMakerimage creationmode
 Only usedsector backup: Onlycopy sectorsusedbythe file system.Thus,itreducesthe
total backup time andbackupimage size.
 Sector by sector backup: Make an exactcopy of the source.Bothusedand unusedsectors
will be backedup.Forensicexaminationof the partitionsremainsunchanged.Forexample,
deletedfilesmaybe recovered.
#2 Maximum Backup Image Size
Thisfeature seta limittothe backup image file size.If animage reachesthe maximumsize limit,it
will be splitintomultiplesmallerimages.Thereare 3 optionsforthe setimage file size.

16. Alt=MiniTool ShadowMakermaximumimage file size
 Defaultsize:The image file willbe controlledbythe file systemwrittentoit.For instance,
the FAT32 file systemsupportsupto4 GB file size.If the image file issavedina FAT32
partition,thenthe maximumsize of the image shouldbe nolargerthan4 GB.
 Custom size:It enablesyoutoseta maximumfile sizelimittoyourbackupimage.Yet,the
minimumsize youcansetis 100MB. That isto say,the maximumfilesize yousettothe
image shouldbe nosmall than100MB. Of course,the maximumfilesize youcanchoose is
the file size limitdeterminedbythe file system.
 Fixedsize:CD Drive-500or DVDDrive-6500.
#3 Image File Compression
Also,youare able to compressyourbackup imagestoshrink theirsize toreduce the necessary
storage space.Yet,it may increase the backuptime.
 None compressionlevel
 Mediumcompressionlevel(recommended)
 Highcompressionlevel
#4 Backup Comment
Addcommentsto the backup.It may helpyou identifythe specificbackupimage inthe future,
especiallywhenreceivingdatabyusing bootable media.
#5 Email Notification
You can alsoenable the email notificationfunction.Once the backupsucceedsorfails,youwill be
informedwithanemail.
#6 Exclude Filesfrom Backup
Thisutilityhelpsyoutoavoidbackingupunnecessary WindowsPage File andHibernationFiles.

17. #7 Shut down ComputerWhenBackup Finishes
If you have a large size of filestoback up,it will take alongtime to complete.Tosave yourtime,you
can turn on thisoptionandgo to your otherbusinesses.Whenthe backupisdone,MiniTool
ShadowMakerwill poweroff yourPCautomatically.
#8 Backup Image Encryption
You can protectyour image fileswithpasswordsandthe programoffers3 data encryptionmethods:
 None
 Normal
 AES 128
#9 VerifyBackup Image
MiniTool ShadowMakercanalsocheck the integrityof the backupimagesrightafterthe backup
processisdone.Thiswill addthe time neededtocompletethe backuptaskcompletely.
Once all the above settingsare done,youcan continue tothe nextstep.
Step6. ClickBack up Now to carry out the specifiedbackupimmediately.Or,youcanchoose to Back
up Later.
If you create a backup withoutdetailedsettingsbutyouwanttospecifyitnow,youcan achieve that
inthe backupmanagementtab.
Switchto the Manage tab inthe top menu,find the targetimage,clickonthe downarrow nextto
the Back up Now button,and choose the backuptype.

18. Alt=MiniTool ShadowMakerimage management –backuptype
Or, clickon the three slashesbehindthe Backup Now buttonandselectthe optionsyou’dlike to
change.
 Browse image
 Restore image
 Mount image
 Editscheme
 Verifyimage
 Delete image
 Editschedule
 Locate image
Or, justsimplycarryout the same backup taskagain byclickingthe Back up Now button. If yourun a
backuptask fromthe Manage screen,youcan check Shut down the computerwhen all the running
backup tasks are finishedinthe upperleft.
In the Manage tab,you can alsoadd otherimage filescreatedbyMiniTool ShadowMakerbutnot
showncurrentlytothe Manage screenby the Add Backup buttonin the upperright.
Comparison and Conclusion
Now,youhave learnedall the detailsaboutWindows10 backupoptionsof File History(inboth
WindowsSettingandControl Panel) andMiniTool ShadowMaker.Bothprogramsare powerful and
reliable.Yet,MiniToolShadowMakerprovidesmore advancedandusefulbackupoptionsforyour
file/folderbackup.
Moreover,MiniTool ShadowMakercanalso back upyour systems,partitions/volumes,andeventhe
whole harddiskdrive while File Historycanonly copy yourfilesinfolders.
SM-Trial
Finally,nomatterwhichtool youchoose,hope youhave agood experience of makingabackupof
your computer!