Backup and Restore Reset File History to Default in Windows 11


  • Staff
File_History_banner.png

This tutorial will show you how to completely reset all File History settings back to default for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

File History regularly backs up versions of your files in the Documents, Music, Pictures, Videos, and Desktop folders and the OneDrive files available offline on your PC. Over time, you'll have a complete history of your files. If the originals are lost, damaged, or deleted, you can restore them. You can also browse and restore different versions of your files. For example, if you want to restore an older version of a file (even if it wasn't deleted or lost), you can browse through a timeline, select the version you want, and restore it.

File History only backs up copies of files that are in all folders and subfolders inside your account's C:\Users\<username> folder. If you have files or folders elsewhere that you want backed up, you can add them to one of these folders.

File History takes advantage of a feature built into the NTFS file system called the change journal to keep track of changes to files. Essentially, when any change is made to a file or folder on your hard disk, the change journal is updated with a description of the change and the name of the file or folder. So to determine which files need to be backed up, File History simply consults the NTFS change journal. Using the change journal is fast and efficient and won't use up a lot of system resources like running a conventional backup routine does.

Resetting File History to default will not delete the saved FileHistory folder on the backup drive.




Here's How:

1 Click/tap on the Download button below to download the BAT file below.

Reset_File_History_to_default_for_current_user.bat​


(Contents of BAT file for reference.)

Code: 
if exist "%UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory" RD /S /Q "%UserProfile%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory"

2 Save the .bat file to your desktop.

3 Unblock the .bat file.

4 Run the .bat file

5 You will notice a command prompt quickly open and close to run the command above to reset File History to default.

6 You can now delete the downloaded .bat file if you like.


That's it,
Shawn Brink


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  • File_History.png
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  • Reset_File_History_to_default_for_current_user.bat
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Last edited:
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I've used Microsoft File History for many years and it has proven invaluable in retrieving earlier versions of files when needed.

I've maintained the same FileHistory backup folder for many years throughout several different computers and several different backup drives. I switched to laptop computers more than 15 years ago and I currently keep FileHistory on a 2TB Samsung T7 portable SSD.

It's interesting that over the years the size of my FileHistory has grown to be over 870GB.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 15 9510 OLED
    CPU
    11th Gen i9 -11900H
    Memory
    32 GB 3200 MHz DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA® GeForce® RTX 3050Ti
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.6" OLED Infinity Edge Touch
    Screen Resolution
    16:10 Aspect Ratio (3456 x 2160)
    Hard Drives
    1 Terabyte M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD
    2 Thunderbolt™ 4 (USB Type-C™)
    1 USB 3.2 Gen 2 (USB Type-C™)
    SD Card Reader (SD, SDHC, SDXC)
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft PowerToys
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Microsoft Visual Studio Code
    Macrium Reflect
    Dell Support Assist
    Dell Command | Update
    LastPass Password Manager
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Tablet
    Manufacturer/Model
    Microsoft Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    i5
    Memory
    8 GB
    Hard Drives
    256GB SSD
    Internet Speed
    900 Mbps Netgear Orbi + 2 Satellites
    Browser
    Microsoft Edge (Chromium) + Bing
    Antivirus
    Microsoft Windows Security (Defender)
    Other Info
    Microsoft 365 subscription (Office)
    Microsoft OneDrive 1TB Cloud
    Microsoft Outlook
    Microsoft OneNote
    Microsoft Visual Studio
    Amazon Kindle
    Interactive Brokers Trader Workstation
    Lightroom/Photoshop subscription
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