File History Not Working in Windows 10/11? 8 Fixes You Can Try

File History Backup Not Working Now! Help!

File History is a built-in backup feature in Windows designed to protect your personal files from accidental loss, deletion, corruption, or system failures. It automatically saves copies of your files (in a fixed frequency) to an external drive or network location, so that you can easily restore deleted files or other missing data from available previous versions when needed.

Why File History Backup Won’t Backup?

File History may fail to back up your files in Windows 10/11 due to various issues. Below are the most common causes:

1. Drive Not Connected Properly: The backup drive may be physically disconnected, experiencing connection issues, or not being properly recognized by Windows.

2. Insufficient Storage Space: File History requires at least 10-20% free space on the target drive to function properly and store multiple versions of your files.

3. Service Not Running: The File History background service might be stopped or disabled in Windows Services, preventing the backup process from initiating.

4. Corrupted Configuration: The File History settings or configuration files may have become damaged due to system errors or improper shutdowns.

5. Permission Issues: Windows requires proper write permissions to the backup location, which might be missing or incorrectly configured.

6. Outdated System: Older Windows versions may contain bugs or compatibility issues that prevent File History from working correctly.

7. File System Errors: The backup drive might have file system corruption or bad sectors that interfere with File History operations.

8. Software Conflicts: Third-party applications like antivirus programs or other backup tools might be blocking File History's access to files or the backup drive.

How to Fix "File History Not Backing Up" in Windows 10/11

If File History isn’t working in Windows 10 or 11, your backups may fail due to drive errors, permission issues, corrupted settings, or Windows updates. This guide provides step-by-step solutions to restore File History functionality and ensure your files are safely backed up.

1. Check Your Backup Drive

Ensure the external drive or network location is properly connected. Try using a different USB port or reconnecting the network drive.

Besides, you need to verify the drive has enough free space (File History requires at least 10-20% free space). If the drive is almost full or the free space is not enough to hold the backup data, please remove unnecessary files or change another proper drive in File History: first stop using the current drive and then re-add another drive.

 

2. Restart File History Service

File History relies on a dedicated Windows service to perform backups. If the File History isn't running properly, backups may fail completely. Restarting the service can help clear temporary glitches and ensure File History can access necessary system resources to work well.

Step 1. Open the "Services" console by pressing "Win + R", typing "services.msc", and hitting Enter.

Step 2. Scroll down to locate "File History Service" in the list.

Step 3. Right-click it and select "Restart" (if already running but backups are failing).

For permanent fixes, double-click the service, set "Startup type" to "Automatic", then click "OK".

3. Reconfigure File History

"File History not working" issue might be due to corrupted configuration settings. In such cases, we can try turning File History off and on again to refresh its configuration, similar to restarting a service. This process clears any temporary errors and re-establishes the connection to your backup drive, ensuring proper functionality.

Step 1. Open "Control Panel" by pressing "Win + S" and search for "Control Panel". Click "Open".

Step 2. Click "Save backup copies of your files with File History" in the "System and Security".

Step 3. Under "File History", click on "Turn off" and wait for about 10-15 seconds.

Step 4. Turn it back on, then re-select your backup drive from the available options.

Finally, click "Run now" to manually initiate an immediate backup and verify if the issue is resolved.

4 Fix Permission Issues for File History

File History requires write access to your backup drive or network location, otherwise you will meet the issue that File History won’t backup in Windows 10 or Windows 11. If permissions are incorrect, backups will fail. Here's how to check and fix them:

For Local External Drives (USB/HDD):

Step 1. "Open File Explorer" -> Right-click your "backup drive" -> Select "Properties".

Step 2. Go to the "Security" tab -> Click "Edit".

Step 3. Select your "user account" (or "Everyone" for broader access).

Step 4. Check "Full Control" under "Allow" -> Click "Apply" -> "OK".

For Network Locations (NAS/Shared Folder):

Step 1. On the "computer sharing the folder", right-click it -> "Properties" -> "Sharing" tab -> "Advanced Sharing".

Step 2. Check "Share this folder" -> Click "Permissions".

Step 3. Ensure your "user account" (or "Everyone") has "Change/Full Control" permissions.

Step 4. Click "Apply" -> "OK".

File History needs "write privileges" to save backup files. Incorrect permissions block this access. Granting "Full Control" ensures backups proceed without errors.

5. Check Drive for Errors

File History backups may not working if your storage drive has file system corruption or bad sectors. Running a disk check can identify and repair these issues.

Using Command Prompt (Recommended)

Step 1. Open Command Prompt as Admin": Press "Win + S"-> enter "Command prompt" -> right click and select "Command Prompt (Admin)".

Step 2. Run Check Disk Utility: chkdsk g: /f /r

Replace "g" with your backup drive letter, e.g., "D:". The "/f" is to fix errors and "/r" is to locate bad sectors (takes

Step 3. If prompted, type "Y" and restart your PC to scan before Windows boots.

The chkdsk repairs corrupted files/folders that may block File History.

Via File Explorer (Basic Scan)

Step 1. Open "File Explorer"-> Right-click your backup drive-> "Properties".

Step 2. Go to the "Tools" tab-> Click "Check" under "Error checking."

Step 3. Follow prompts to scan and repair.

6. Update Windows

File History relies on core Windows components that may malfunction if your system is outdated. Microsoft regularly releases updates, which can help fix known bugs in File History service, patch system file corruption and resolve compatibility issues with newer hardware

Step 1. Go to Settings -> Update & Security -> Windows Update-> Check for updates.

Step 2. Install any pending updates and restart your PC.

7. Check for System Errors

"File History not backup"problem may stem from underlying Windows system errors that require deeper diagnostics and repair.

Run System File Checker (SFC)

Open Command Prompt as Adminas mentioned above (in method 5).

Run the command: sfc /scannow

This verifies and restores critical Windows system files

Use DISM Tool (Advanced Repair)

In the same admin terminal, run:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

This fixes Windows image corruption that SFC can't repair.

8. Temporarily Disable Security Software

File History may fail to back up files if other applications are interfering with its operations. Common culprits include antivirus software, which was likely blocking File History. Thus, temporarily disable it.

Step 1. Open your antivirus/security software (e.g., Windows Defender, McAfee, Norton).

Step 2. Look for an option to temporarily disable real-time protection, and turn it off.

Try running File History again. If this works, add File History as an exception in your antivirus settings.

Conclusion

If File History does not working in Windows 10 or 11, try restarting the service, checking drive health, updating Windows, resetting backup settings and other methods listed above. By following these steps, you should be able to restore File History functionality and ensure your files are safely backed up.

If problems continue, consider using alternative backup tools like Windows Backup or third-party software. If you want to restore files without backup, you can try Microsoft’s free Windows File Recovery command tool, or MyRecover, a reliable data recovery tool (GUI) for Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7 and all Server operating system. Just 3 steps (scan the source drive->select files->recover to safe location) can recover data completely.