Manage backups

By default, your Agent backs up files based on administrative policy. The set of files that the Agent backs up is called your backup set. You can manage the contents of your backup set to better suit your needs by adding or removing files, as policy allows. For example, suppose that administrative policy does not include the folder C:\reports in backups by default. To protect the content this folder, if policy allows, you can add it to your backup set.

Connected provides two methods for managing backups:

  • Manage backups through the device's file system (Windows only)

    On Windows-based computers, you can include or exclude files directly through Windows Explorer. This method works best to quickly add or remove a few items while you are logged on to your computer.

    NOTE: To manage backups through the file system, the Agent must be running.

    To manage backups through the device's file system

    1. In Windows Explorer, browse to an item that you want to either add or remove from backup.

    2. Right-click the item, point to Connected, and then click either Add to backup or Remove from backup.

      If you select a folder, the Agent either includes or excludes the folder and its contents (including any subfolders), as policy rules allow.

      Suppose administrative policy contains a locked rule to exclude PDF files from backup. Now assume you add the folder C:\reports, which contains report1.txt and report2.pdf, to your backup set. When you do, the Agent adds the folder and report1.txt. It does not add report2.pdf because policy excludes PDF files. If you later add report3.doc to C:\reports, the Agent automatically adds it to your backup set because it resides in a protected folder and is not excluded by policy.

      If the Connected menu is listed but dimmed, the current admin policy prevents you from changing the item's selection. The menu is not available for items on network, removable, or locked encrypted drives because the Agent does support those locations. For more details, see the FAQ Why can't I select a particular file or folder for backup?

    Although the item does not display a badge to indicate your selection, the Connected icon in the notification area briefly displays a message to confirm your action.

  • Manage backups through a web browser from any device

    You can use the Connected web application from any device to manage the backup sets for any of your protected devices.

    NOTE: The web application must communicate with your computer's Agent to retrieve your current backup selections for display. To do so, your computer must be turned on, have an active network connection, and the Agent must be running. The computer can be locked, but not in standby or hibernation mode.

    The Manage Backups page of the web application contains the following tabs:

    • File System tab. Lets you view and modify device backup selections. Files and folders that appear dimmed and cannot be selected are locked by the admin policy that governs your Agent.

      This tab uses the following icons to identify which files the Agent protects and whether you can change those selections.

      • unlocked included file icon  File currently included in backups, but policy allows you to exclude it.
      • locked included file icon  File always included in backups by policy. You cannot override this locked selection.
      • excluded file icon  File currently excluded from backups, but policy allows you to include it.

      • locked excluded file icon  File always excluded from backups by policy. You cannot override this locked selection.

      For folders, which can contain a mix of included and excluded items, icons do not indicate an overall backup selection status. Instead, folder icons indicate whether you can select a folder in order to include or exclude it.

      • closed folder icon / open folder icon  Folder available for selection. You can include or exclude the folder and, as policy allows, any of its contents.

      • locked folder icon  Folder unavailable for selection. Policy prevents you from including or excluding the folder or any of its contents.

      • inaccessible folder icon  Folder unavailable for selection. You lack permission to access the folder so you cannot include or exclude it or any of its contents.
      • locked excluded folder icon  Folder always excluded from backups by policy. In addition, you lack permission to access the folder or any of its contents.

      This tab provides access only to locations that backups support. Therefore, it does not include network, removable, or locked encrypted drives or folders skipped by smart scan technology, if enabled by policy. For more information, see the FAQ Why can't I select a particular file or folder for backup?

    • View User Rules tab. Lists all files and folders on the device that you have explicitly chosen to include or exclude from backups.

      This tab lists both new and existing user rules. New rules are those you have created but have not yet saved. If you have new rules, unsaved user rules icon appears by the tab's name to remind you to save them. Existing rules are rules you previously created through the web application or through the device's file system. Rules appear in the order created from newest to oldest. The first rule in the list (newest) has highest priority and the last rule has the least.

    To manage backups through a web browser

    1. Access the web application's Manage Backups page in either of the following ways:

      Right-click the Connected icon (green square with the white letters "CMX") in the Windows notification area (for macOS, click the icon in the menu bar), point to Connected web application, and then click Manage backup.

      1. In the upper-right corner of the Connected web application, click your name and then click My Profile.
      2. Click Manage Backups.

      3. Under DEVICES, click the device whose backup selections you want to view or manage, and then click EDIT RULES.

    2. For each item that you want to add or remove from backups, do the following:

      1. In the left pane of the File System tab, browse to the folder that contains the item.

      2. In the right pane, click the item to select it. You can select multiple items in the same folder if you want to include or exclude all of them.

        To select multiple items, press and hold either the Command (macOS) or Ctrl (Windows) key while you click each item. To select a group of contiguous items, select the first item, and then press the Shift key while you click the last item.

      3. Click either Add to backup or Remove from backup.

        If you select a file, its icon automatically changes to reflect your selection. However, if you select a folder, its icon does not change because it can contain both included and excluded files based on locked admin rules.

        NOTE: Your selections are only pending until you save them. You have unsaved user rules if unsaved user rules icon appears on the View User Rules tab.

    3. To view all rules that you have created for this device, including those that you have not saved yet, click the View User Rules tab.

      You can delete any of your rules, new or existing, while viewing the list.

    4. Click Save User Rules.