Where is File History in Windows 11 & How to Enable It

What is File History?

At its core, File History is a continuous, versioned backup solution. Unlike a system image that backs up your entire operating system, File History is focused on your personal data. It automatically back up all your libraries, like Documents, Contacts, Favorites, Pictures, Videos, and Music, as well as any custom libraries you have created. But you have to know, these files won’t backed up with File History: Files that are encrypted with encrypting file system, on a network location, or on a drive that doesn't use the NTFS file system.

File History is available in Windows 10 and Windows 11. So if you ask “Is File History available in Windows 11?”, the answer is a definite yes.

Why Use File History in Windows 11?

Generally speaking, there are multiple reasons for you to use File History in Windows 11 or Windows 10:

• Hardware fails. Solid-state drives can give up the ghost without warning, and traditional hard drives are susceptible to mechanical failure.
• Then there's the human factor—accidental deletions or saving over a file you didn't mean to.
• Ransomware, too, is a modern-day threat that can hold your data hostage.

File History fights against all these digital disasters. By keeping a separate, historical record of your files on an external drive or network location, you're ensuring that a hardware meltdown or a moment of human error doesn't turn into a catastrophic data loss event.

Where to Find File History in Windows 11

It’s easy to find "where is File History" in Windows 11. Check this:

1. Tap Control Panel in the Windows 11 search box, and choose Control Panel.

2. Ensure it’s viewed by small icons. Then tap File History to open it.

Then you can set up File History in Windows 11 to protect your personal files now. Besides, you can also search “File History” or “Restore your files with File History” to find Windows 11 File History.

Where is File History on Windows 10

If you want to access File History on your Windows 10 computer, check this:

1. Press the Windows Key + I to launch Settings.

2. Click Update & Security from the list.

3. Choose Backup on the left side.

4. You can find the section named Back up using File History.

5. Hit Add a drive to choose a location for File History, then follow the guide to set up, and your files will be protected.

How to Configure File History to Back Up Files?

Once you find "where is File History" in Windows 11, you can configure it to back up your precious files.

Choose A Backup Drive for File Histories

If it shows that not usable drives were found, you have to choose a drive or a network location to save these file histories.

1. Tap Select drive on the left side, or click “Select a network location” or something like that to select a location after accessing File History.

2. After selecting your drive, your File History is turned on.

3. You can hit Run now to test.

Tips:✎...

It is highly recommended that you use an external hard drive or a large-capacity USB flash drive. You can also use a network location, such as a NAS (Network-Attached Storage) device or a shared folder on another computer.

The critical rule is this: do not save your File History backup on the same physical drive that your operating system is on. If that drive fails, you lose both your original data and the backup, which defeats the entire purpose.

Your backup drive should have enough space to hold multiple versions of your files—a drive with at least twice the capacity of the data you're backing up is a good rule of thumb.

Selecting Folders to Back Up

By default, File History automatically backs up all the folders in your user account—Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, and so on. However, you might not need to back up everything. To exclude folders you don’t want to back up:

1. Click on "Exclude folders" on the left of the File History interface.

2. Tap Add, then choose the folders you want to exclude. Then tap Save changes.

This exclusion helps to save space and make the backup process faster.

Setting Your Backup Frequency

How often do you want File History to save copies of your files? By default, it's set to every hour, but you can change this to be more or less frequent based on how you work. To change the frequency for File History backup, follow these steps:

1. Tap Advanced settings on the left side of the File History interface.

2. You have 9 options to set up the frequency; choose one of them according to your demands:

• Every 10 minutes
• Every 15 minutes
• Every 20minutes
• Every 30 minutes
• Every hour (default)
• Every 3 hours
• Every 6 hours
• Every 12 hours
• Daily

3. You can also set up how many versions to keep, and choose one of them:

• Until space is needed
• 1 month
• 3 months
• 6 months
• 9 months
• 1 year
• 2 years
• Forever(dafult)

Besides, you can also clean up the versions to free up space.

What If File History in Windows 11 is Not Working?

The File History not working state can mean a few different things:

• The service won't start.
• It fails to back up files.
• The drive isn't recognized.

A great first step is always to simply turn the File History feature off and then on again within the Control Panel interface.

If File History can't see your drive, start with the basics:

• Unplug the drive and plug it back in.
• Try a different USB port on your computer. Check if the drive appears in File Explorer. If it does, the issue might be with permissions.
• Get permissions: Right-click the drive in File Explorer, select Properties, go to the Security tab, and ensure your user account has "Full Control".
• Sometimes, formatting the drive to NTFS (if it's currently FAT32) can also resolve compatibility issues.
• Manually back up your files instead.

Fast Way to Recover Files in 5 Steps

What if your File History is not working to back up your files, and these files get corrupted or lost, or you have to recover files that are not backed up by File History? This is where a robust data recovery tool like MyRecover comes into play.

MyRecover is designed to deeply scan your storage devices to find and restore files that have been lost due to deletion, formatting, or even system crashes.

MyRecover stands out for its user-friendly interface and powerful scanning algorithms.

It can recover a vast array of file types—from documents and photos to videos and emails—from HDDs, SSDs, USB drives, and SD cards.

Its ability to reconstruct lost data, even when the file system is damaged, makes it an indispensable tool in any user's arsenal, acting as a perfect complement to your File History strategy.

Here is how to use MyRecover to recover files easily with simple clicks. Here, demonstrate the steps of recovering deleted files on your Windows 11 computer:

1. Please download and install MyRecover, then run it.

2. Tap Deleted Files Recovery, choose the drive where your deleted files were stored before, and hit Scan.

3. Wait for the scanning to complete, and hit OK.

4. Preview the files you find, select them, and click Recover.

5. Pick a destination to save these recovered files, and hit Select Folder.

Tips:✎...

Do not install MyRecover on the same drive from which you plan to recover data, to avoid overwriting the lost files.

MyRecover will perform a quick scan. If there are no files that you’re looking for, try a deep scan to locate every recoverable file.

After scanning, you can find files by type, path, file size, and file name, so you can search for them and recover files by name easily.

Check the destination for files intact, and keep them safe.

FAQs About File History

Where did File History go in Windows 11?

A: It’s not gone, just relocated! You can now access it through Settings > System > Storage > Advanced storage settings > Backup options. Click "Go to File History" to bridge the new Settings with the classic Control Panel.

Can I use File History and OneDrive at the same time?

A: Absolutely! Using both provides a strong "3-2-1" backup strategy: OneDrive for cloud sync and File History for local, versioned backups, protecting you from both cloud and local disasters.

Why is my File History not backing up all my files?

A: Check the "Exclude folders" list, ensure the backup isn't paused, and look for permission issues. Reviewing the File History log can help identify specific problems.

How do I restore a previous version of a file using File History?

A: Right-click the file in File Explorer, select "Restore previous versions", then choose a version to restore or save to a different location.

Write in the End

Until now, you have known "where is File History" in Windows 11 computers, and learn how to configure it. If you need files to be recovered, File History can do you a big favor if you have set it up. However, what if you did not back up the files and need these files to be recovered? MyRecover is your best choice.

Moreover, you can recover files from an unbootable computer, recover files from a corrupted SD card, recover files after formatting a hard drive, and so on.