Backup Filters and Exclusions
Backup filters can be used when creating backup Profiles, or in the configuration of individual backup devices via the Management Console.
Benefits
Adding additional filters to the exclusion lists can benefit you in a number of ways:
- Backup speed can increase as there are less files and changes to these files to process
- Bandwidth use can decrease as there is less data to send
- Storage spacecan decrease as less is required due to the drop in data
- Restore speed can increase as there is less data to restore
Predefined filters
Some files are automatically excluded from backup on Windows devices only.
These predefined filters only work on Windows devices by the use of a standard ‘files not to backup’ entry in the Windows Registry, meaning there is no alternative for Linux or macOS devices.
What files are automatically excluded from backup:
- All files indicated in the registry subkey:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\BackupRestore\FilesNotToBackup
Typical examples:
\Pagefile.sys
\hiberfil.sys
%TEMP%\* /s
- All files from the Backup Manager installation folder
- Temporary files of no importance:
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer\IconCacheToDelete
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\DomainSuggestions
C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\CLR Security Config\v2.0.50727.312\64bit
- Files from the Print Spooler folder
There is such a file for every user account registered in the system
There is such a file for every user account registered in the system
- Files/folders matching the following masks:
*\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\*
?:\RECYCLER
?:\System Volume Information
%systemdrive%\$WINDOWS.~??
(for exampleC:\$WINDOWS.~BT
orC:\$WINDOWS.~WS
%SYSTEM_ROOT%/Windows/*.config.cch
?:\swapfile.sys
?:\pagefile.sys
?:\hiberfil.sys
*\AppData\Local\Temp\*
(on Windows Vista and Windows 7)*\Local Settings\Temp\*
(on Windows XP)
File Type Examples
Filters based on file type are the same across all Operating Systems.
Here are some example filters you can add:
- a* - excludes all files starting with the letter "a"
- *.mp3 - excludes all files with the .mp3 extension
C:\Data\*.*
- excludes all files in theC:\Data\..
path and underlying foldersC:\Data\*.mp3
- excludes all files in theC:\Data\..
path, with the .mp3 extensionC:\Data\*.m??
- excludes all files in theC:\Data\..
path, with a three-character extension starting with .m and ending with any two other characters, such as .mob, .mp3, .mov or .mpg
The filters are applied to upcoming backup sessions. Older backups stay as they are.
Suggested Additional Filters
We would strongly advise to add the following additional exclusions to your filters:
Windows temp locations
*\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Scans\mpcache*
*\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Outlook\*.ost
Chrome/Edge/Firefox browser cache and update files
*\Chrome\User Data\*\Cache\*
*\Local\Microsoft\Edge\User Data\Default\Cache\*
*\Local\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles\*\cache\*
N-central cache directories
*\PME\archives\*
*\NablePatchCache\*
*\SolarWinds.MSP.CacheService\cache\*
*\N-able Technologies\UpdateServerCache\*
AV Defender cache files
*\ThreatScanner\Antivirus*\Plugins\cache.*
EDR/SentinelOne
*\ProgramData\Sentinel\data\*