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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

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$

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.