Recommended Size For File History Windows 11 or Windows 10

Quick Overview: What is File History

File History is a built-in Windows backup feature that automatically saves copies of your personal files—such as documents, pictures, videos, and desktop items—on an external drive or network location. It helps you restore previous versions of PPT, word, excels or other types of files if they’re lost, deleted, or overwritten.

Recommended Size For File History

Before setting up File History, it’s important to estimate the storage size you’ll need. Choosing an appropriate size helps ensure you have enough space to store your file versions without running out of storage too quickly, while also avoiding wasting space on your backup drive. So, what is the recommended size for File History Windows 11 or Windows 10?

Generally, there isn’t a single “recommended size” for File History, as it largely depends on your personal needs. However, you can estimate a suitable size by understanding the factors that influence it.

Factors That Determine Your File History Size

The total space required for File History is affected by several key factors:

✔️Size and number of files being backed up: Large files, such as videos or extensive photo libraries, will need significantly more space than mostly documents.

✔️Frequency of file changes: File History saves a new version each time a file is modified. If you update files frequently, more versions will be created, consuming storage faster.

✔️Desired retention period for old versions: The longer you want to keep previous file versions, the more storage space will be required.

Estimatea Suitable File History Size

To make a practical estimate:

✔️Check the total size of the folders you want to back up: Right-click the folder(s), select Properties, and note the size.

✔️Estimate the growth over time: Consider how much new data you generate each month. For example, if you add 5 GB of documents, photos, or videos monthly, multiply this by the number of months you want to keep backups.

✔️Factor in versioning: If you want to keep multiple versions of frequently edited files, multiply the size of those files by the average number of versions you expect to retain.

✔️Add a buffer: It’s wise to leave 20–30% extra space for unexpected growth or large files.

By combining these factors, you can choose a File History size that balances storage efficiency with adequate backup coverage.

File History Size Estimation Formula (For Reference Only)

Recommended Size=(Total File Size+Monthly New Data×Months)×Average Versions×1.2

★Explanation:

Total File Size: The total size of files you want to back up

Monthly New Data: The amount of new or modified data you generate each month

Months: The number of months you want to retain backups

Average Versions: The average number of versions you want to keep per file

1.2: Extra 20% buffer for unexpected growth

Example Table

Item	Value	Notes
Current Total File Size	50 GB	Documents, photos, videos, etc.
Monthly New Data	5 GB	New or modified files per month
Backup Retention Period	6 months	How long you want to keep backups
Average Versions	3	Average number of versions per file
Buffer Factor	1.2	20% extra space for safety

Recommended File History Size: 288 GB Calculated as (50 + 5×6) × 3 × 1.2

Tips for Managing File History

To optimize File History's performance and storage use, avoid disk full and File History backup not working issue, you cantake the following measures:

Exclude unnecessary folders

If you have large folders containing temporary files, downloads, or system files that don't need versioning, you can add them to the exclusion list in File History settings.This prevents the backup of transient or reproducible files, significantly reducing storage consumption and focusing protection on your important documents.

Step 1. Press the Windows key, type "Control Panel", and open it.

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

Step 3. In the left-hand menu of the File History window, click "Exclude folders".

Step 4. Click the "Add" button.In the new window, browse to and select the folder you want to stop backing up, then click "Select Folder".

Step 5. The folder will now appear in the exclusion list. Finally, click "Save changes" to apply your new settings.

Adjust backup frequency

The default backup frequency is every hour. If you find this creates too many versions, you can reduce the frequency to once a day.

Step 1. In the left-hand menu of the File History window, click "Advanced Settings".

Step 2. In the new window,find the "Save copies of files" option. Click the drop-down menu to see all available frequencies. Once you select a new frequency, File History will automatically save the setting and use it for all future automatic backups.

Set up Automatic Cleanup

Periodically review the files and versions being saved. You can manually delete older versions of files you no longer need to free up space.

Step 1. In the "Advanced Settings" window, look for the section titled "Keep saved versions".Click the button that says "Clean up versions".

Step 2. A new dialog box will appear. Here, you can choose how far back you want to delete. Change this from the default "Forever" to a fixed time like "3 months" or "1 year", or choose "Until space is needed".

Easier Way to Restore Files Without Prior Backup

Tired of complex disk size calculations and endless backup configurations? You can turn to a professional data recovery tool named MyRecover, which can help restore files from HDD, SSD, USB flash drive, SD card and more drives without requiring any prior backups.

Step 1. Install and launch MyRecover. Select the target drive from which you want to restore files and click on “Scan”.

Step 2. As the quick or deep scan completes, check what you need and click on “Recover”(tip: you can preview before recovery).

Step 3. Choose a destination location to save the recovered files and wait for the process to be done.

Wrap Up

When managing File History, determining the proper storage capacity (recommended size for file history) is the crucial first step. By estimating your total file size, considering version frequency and retention period, you can prevent "disk full" errors while ensuring your important data remains adequately protected.

For those seeking a more streamlined approach, professional data recovery tools like MyRecover offer an excellent alternative. With its ability to recover files without requiring prior backups, MyRecover eliminates the complexity of size calculations and configuration management.