Skip to main content

Installation Guide

FolderRewind supports two installation methods: Microsoft Store and side-loading.

Recommended

Use the Microsoft Store version whenever possible. It is easier to maintain and less likely to cause version conflicts.

Option 1: Microsoft Store​

  1. Open the Microsoft Store page
  2. Click install
  3. Launch FolderRewind from the Start menu after installation

Do not install the Store version and the offline side-loaded package side by side.

Option 2: Side-loading​

This is for users who cannot access Microsoft Store or prefer offline packages.

Prerequisites​

  1. Open Windows Settings
  2. Go to System > For Developers
  3. Enable Developer Mode
  4. Allow PowerShell script execution

Installation steps​

  1. Open GitHub Releases
  2. Download the latest package
  3. Extract the archive
  4. Right-click install.ps1 and run it with PowerShell
  5. Launch FolderRewind after installation

New in side-loaded v1.6.0​

GitHub mirror source​

Starting with v1.6.0, side-loaded builds can switch the preferred GitHub source / mirror source in Settings.

This affects:

  • app update checks and downloads
  • online template index retrieval
  • template file downloads

Microsoft Store updates are not affected by this setting.

If the official GitHub source is slow in your network environment, switch to a mirror or provide a custom mirror URL.

Better side-loaded update flow​

v1.6.0 also improves the side-loaded update experience, especially when a source is slow or temporarily unavailable.

What to do right after installation​

1. Create a test config first​

Use a test folder and run one end-to-end backup flow before protecting important data.

2. Run automatic core validation​

Open Settings and run Automatic Core Feature Validation. It checks key workflows on the current machine, including:

  • backup
  • restore
  • safe delete
  • keep-count cleanup
  • shared-lock file handling

If this is your first run after upgrading to v1.6.0, it is strongly recommended.

System requirements​

ItemRequirement
OSWindows 10 1809 or later / Windows 11
Architecturex64 / ARM64
Runtime.NET 10 (bundled with the app)
Disk spaceAbout 180 MB, excluding backup data

Next step​

Continue with First Backup.