Change the file selection
Overview
The collection of files that Code42 CrashPlan backs up is your backup file selection. Typically, CrashPlan's backup file selection is your User or Home folder. This tutorial explains how to:
- Add files, folders, or drives to your backup file selection
- Remove files, folders, or drives from your backup file selection
Considerations
- If you have questions about what to include in your file selection, see What Should You Back Up? for tips and advice on backing up the files you need.
- You can specify what's included and excluded in your backup by using regular expressions and file naming patterns.
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This article assumes you have permission to change your backup file selection. Your administrator may prevent editing of the backup file selection.
Important information about file deselection
Deselected files are files you choose to delete from your backup file selection. Files no longer selected for backup are deleted from the backup archive the next time CrashPlan performs daily maintenance, and they cannot be restored.
Keep Important Files Selected
To ensure that files remain in your backup archive and can be restored, you must keep them in your file selection. This applies to files backed up from external drives as well. Deselecting locations or files is a destructive, irreversible action. Once files, drives, or directories have been deselected they are deleted from your backup archive and there is no way to recover them.
Deselect files after replacing a device
You should always use caution when deselecting files from your backup selection. However, it's especially important to use caution when updating your backup selection after replacing a device. If files from your previous device are deselected before CrashPlan de-duplicates the files in your backup with the files on your device, then the files are permanently deleted from your backup archive, and there is no way to recover them.
For this reason, in the CrashPlan app version 5.1.1 and later, you are warned the first time you enter the Manage Files browser after replacing a device that "Deselecting files from your previous device can result in permanent loss of those files". If you've recently replaced a device, review these considerations before deselecting files.
Steps
- Go to Home and click Details.
- Select Manage Files.
- Navigate to the drive, folder, or files that you want to add or remove, then:
- Deselect the check box next to any item you want to delete from your backup.
- Select an empty box to add an item to your backup.
- A minus sign
indicates that a subfolder within this folder is selected for backup. New subfolders within the folder will not be automatically added to your backup file selection. - A check mark
indicates that this folder is selected for backup. New subfolders within the folder will be automatically added to your backup file selection.
- Click Save.
If you deselected any files or folders, the Delete Files from Backup warning displays. - If applicable, select I understand to confirm you want to delete deselected files from your backup.
- If applicable, select Delete.
After changing the file selection, CrashPlan synchronizes the files selected for backup with the files already backed up to that destination.