SavedSafe

Help guides › File History

Turn on File History

File History is a backup tool built into Windows 10 and Windows 11. Once it is on, Windows copies your Desktop, Documents, Pictures, and other personal folders to a USB drive every hour, and keeps older versions of your files too.

You'll see this whenSavedSafe says File History is "Not set up" or "Optional".

Steps

  1. Plug in an external backup drive. A USB hard drive with plenty of free space works best; a 1 TB drive is enough for most people.
  2. Click the Start button, type File History, and open it.
  3. Windows finds your drive. Click "Turn on". Windows starts copying your files right away.
  4. Keep the drive plugged in, or plug it in at least once a week so new files get copied.
  5. Run SavedSafe again tomorrow to confirm your files are safe.

Good to know

  • If File History says no usable drive was found, unplug the drive, plug it back in, and open File History again.
  • A small USB thumb drive fills up quickly. A larger portable hard drive lasts for years.
  • Keep the backup drive somewhere safe when it is not plugged in. If both the computer and the drive are lost in the same fire or break-in, the backup is lost too.
Done? Run SavedSafe again. When everything is protected, the report turns green.

Related guides