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Filter Rules

FolderRewind has two filter groups:

  • Blacklist: affects backup stage (matched items are excluded)
  • Restore Whitelist: affects Clean restore stage (matched items are preserved during cleanup)

Where to configure​

  1. Open the target config.
  2. Click Config Settings.
  3. Configure:
    • Blacklist in the Filters section
    • Restore Whitelist in the Restore Policy section

Filters tab in Config Settings

Three filter lists​

FolderRewind has three independent filter lists, each active at a different stage:

ListConfig locationActive stagePurpose
BlacklistFilters -> BlacklistDuring backupExclude matched files/folders
Backup WhitelistFilters -> WhitelistDuring backup (whitelist mode only)Include only matched files/folders
Restore WhitelistRestore Policy -> Restore WhitelistDuring Clean restorePreserve matched items during target directory cleanup

Note: Blacklist and Backup Whitelist are mutually exclusive (switched via filter mode). Restore Whitelist is independent and can be configured in either backup filter mode.

Backup filter mode​

FolderRewind supports two backup filter modes, switched in Config Settings -> Filters:

ModeDescriptionBest for
Blacklist mode (default)Exclude matched files, back up everything elseMost scenarios; exclude cache/logs/temp files
Whitelist modeBack up only matched files, exclude everything elseWhen you only want to back up specific file types
Choosing advice

Use blacklist mode if you only want to exclude a few files. Use whitelist mode if you only want to back up a few specific files.

Blacklist (backup stage)​

Blacklist rules apply during file scan. Common use cases include cache, logs, and temporary files.

In v1.6.1, matching behavior for blacklist/whitelist was tightened to reduce overly broad matches. Prefer writing more precise rules.

Supported matching methods​

  • Exact filename match (for example latest.log)
  • Path-contains match (for example node_modules)
  • Wildcards (*, ?)
  • Regex rules (regex: prefix, with regex option enabled)

Examples​

  • *.tmp
  • cache
  • regex:^logs/.*\\.txt$

Whitelist mode examples​

After switching to whitelist mode, only files matching the rules will be backed up.

Typical use cases:

  • Back up only save data: *.dat, *.json
  • Back up only specific directories: saves, worlds
  • Back up only config files: *.yml, *.yaml, *.toml

Example rules:

  • *.dat
  • *.json
  • saves
  • regex:^saves/[^/]+/level\.dat$

Restore Whitelist (Clean restore stage)​

During Clean Restore, FolderRewind cleans the target directory first. Items in whitelist are preserved during cleanup.

v1.6.1 also fixes the issue where full-path whitelist entries could fail to apply. Full-path rules are now reliable for precise preservation.

Typical use cases​

  • Preserve local config files
  • Preserve machine-specific environment files

Examples​

  • .env.local
  • user-settings.json
  • screenshots

Best practices​

  • Run one manual backup and verify results after adding rules.
  • Start with precise rules, then broaden if needed.
  • Validate regex on a small scope before production use.
  • Avoid a single broad rule that effectively covers an entire parent directory.
  • For critical preserved items, prefer full-path rules to reduce ambiguity.

FAQ​

Regex rule is not working​

Confirm:

  • Rule starts with regex:
  • "Use regex" is enabled
  • Expression is valid

Old files remain after restore​

Check restore mode first. Only Clean restore runs "cleanup + whitelist preserve" logic.