If you turn File History on without configuring it correctly, you are going to learn the hard way that it keeps the saved versions of your files in its backup location forever, until you run out of space and you have to do something about it. The first time we used it, the File History drive got full in just a few weeks. Here is how to clean up the File History drive of old files you do not need and configure File History so that its backup drive doesn't run out of space quickly:
Free up storage space on your File History drive, when it is full
If File History complains that its backup drive is full, and it can no longer back up your files, open the Control Panel, and go to "System and Security -> File History." More details about using the File History from the Control Panel can be found here: Working with File History from the Control Panel: What you can and can't do!
Make sure that the backup drive is plugged into your computer and, in the column on the left of the File History window, click or tap "Advanced settings."
Click Advanced settings in File History
You are shown a list of advanced settings. To free up storage space, click or tap the link that says: "Clean up versions." It is found in the Versions section.
File History - Click on Clean up versions
The File History Cleanup window opens. You are asked to select the criteria based on which to delete older versions of files and folders so that you can free up storage space. The default value is "Older than 1 year." Click on it and select different criteria.
Choose which older versions of files you want to delete
"Older than 1 month" or "All but the latest one" are settings that are going to free up a lot of space. Then, click or tap Clean up.
Click the Clean up button
The deletion process starts and, depending on how much data is stored, you might have to wait a while. When the cleanup is finalized, you are informed. Click or tap OK, and the File History drive should have some free space available for backing up your data.
The File history cleanup is completed
What to do to make sure that File History is not going to run out of space anytime soon
Unless you improve your settings, the File History drive is going to be full again, sometime soon. To make sure that this problem happens rarely or never, you can choose to keep the saved versions of your files for a lot less than forever.
In the Advanced Settings of File History, click the drop-down list for "Keep saved versions" and select a short time frame like one or three months. Then, press Save changes.
File History - Advanced Settings
You can make the same change from the Settings app too: open Settings and go to Update & Security and then to Backup. On the left side of the Settings window, click or tap More options, beneath the switch that enables or disables File History.
File History - click on More options
Then, choose a different value for "Keep my backups." Again, one month or three months is a better idea than forever.
Another thing you could try is to exclude some libraries or folders that don't need a backup.
How much space did you free up on your File History drive?
If you follow the steps in this guide carefully, and you are a bit aggressive with your choices, you can free up a lot of storage space, for your future backups. Before closing, tell us whether our guide has helped and how much storage space did you free up.
This article is wrong and doesn’t work. It may have been correct when published four years ago, but its recommended portal, “CLEAN UP TABS” is no longer displayed as a tab or otherwise. This may be due to Windows Updates, but this article is useless until it’s updated, it would seem.
Chuck ·
Thank you for the guide, gave me the information I needed to know, in a clear manner.
I did not clear up much space from my file history, as I recognized that something needed to be done to manage the drive shortly after setup.
Terry Holovach ·
File History does not work in Windows 8.1 regardless of how you set it up. I used it for 3-4 years and then it stopped backing up regardless of storage space, configurations or settings. It is not a good BACKUP solution, in fact, real bad.
Fred Schaeffer ·
Excellent teaching.
Dave ·
I purchased a 1 TB external HD and I have about 800 GB of video, photos, music, etc. not operating files, so I know I have plenty of room. I plugged in the drive to start fresh and yes it is going to take a while, so I don’t leave it on continuous, so I turn off, and un connect HD from time to time and when I shut down PC when I leave the house or go to sleep. I noticed that it is making a copy of files in my library but I also noticed some of the files are out of place with a different name. Like I might have a list of movies in my video and on the back up HD, there is a list of many of the movies, but I found some of the movies in a different folder rather than [C] [Users] [ my computer name] [Video] [movie name.mp4] The file is in the folder [$OF] [653] and then the file has this name [6362 (2015_04_25 09_02_51 UTC).mp4]
What does that mean? Also if I manual delete or add files to this HD, does it affect the file history backup? Like if I put a photo from my laptop on the HD, thats not on my PC that I am backing up, will file history delete it. Also if I delete a movie like Avatar on my HD but not my PC, will it confuse file history backup? I am also learning on these things. so I may do a full HD erase and start over. If thats the case will file history know that it needs to start a full backup of my files again since it already did it once. Or does it know I formatted the HD and it needs to do it all over again.? Thank you
Adeel Sami ·
Does Windows 8 allow to take backup using File History feature for other computer drives as well?
Marjorie Wright ·
My Contacts aren’t being saved on my external drive. Please can anyone tell me how to save these?
Ed ·
My file history Drive Crashed–how do I delete the previous Drive and select a new drive. It will not let me select a new drive. I need to clear the files history and start all over.
Ciprian Adrian Rusen ·
So you have replaced an external drive with a new one?
If yes, then turn off File History, plug in the external drive and see what letter it gets assigned (most probably it is the same drive letter as you old one), turn on File History and configure it to use the new drive.
Discussion (9)
This article is wrong and doesn’t work. It may have been correct when published four years ago, but its recommended portal, “CLEAN UP TABS” is no longer displayed as a tab or otherwise. This may be due to Windows Updates, but this article is useless until it’s updated, it would seem.
Thank you for the guide, gave me the information I needed to know, in a clear manner.
I did not clear up much space from my file history, as I recognized that something needed to be done to manage the drive shortly after setup.
File History does not work in Windows 8.1 regardless of how you set it up. I used it for 3-4 years and then it stopped backing up regardless of storage space, configurations or settings. It is not a good BACKUP solution, in fact, real bad.
Excellent teaching.
I purchased a 1 TB external HD and I have about 800 GB of video, photos, music, etc. not operating files, so I know I have plenty of room. I plugged in the drive to start fresh and yes it is going to take a while, so I don’t leave it on continuous, so I turn off, and un connect HD from time to time and when I shut down PC when I leave the house or go to sleep. I noticed that it is making a copy of files in my library but I also noticed some of the files are out of place with a different name. Like I might have a list of movies in my video and on the back up HD, there is a list of many of the movies, but I found some of the movies in a different folder rather than [C] [Users] [ my computer name] [Video] [movie name.mp4] The file is in the folder [$OF] [653] and then the file has this name [6362 (2015_04_25 09_02_51 UTC).mp4]
What does that mean? Also if I manual delete or add files to this HD, does it affect the file history backup? Like if I put a photo from my laptop on the HD, thats not on my PC that I am backing up, will file history delete it. Also if I delete a movie like Avatar on my HD but not my PC, will it confuse file history backup? I am also learning on these things. so I may do a full HD erase and start over. If thats the case will file history know that it needs to start a full backup of my files again since it already did it once. Or does it know I formatted the HD and it needs to do it all over again.? Thank you
Does Windows 8 allow to take backup using File History feature for other computer drives as well?
My Contacts aren’t being saved on my external drive. Please can anyone tell me how to save these?
My file history Drive Crashed–how do I delete the previous Drive and select a new drive. It will not let me select a new drive. I need to clear the files history and start all over.
So you have replaced an external drive with a new one?
If yes, then turn off File History, plug in the external drive and see what letter it gets assigned (most probably it is the same drive letter as you old one), turn on File History and configure it to use the new drive.