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Quick Start

Welcome to FolderRewind (Backup Time Machine). It is a modern backup tool for important files, project data, and game saves, and also the successor to MineBackup.

About the English docs

The current English documentation is AI-translated and may contain inaccuracies. Please double-check key details before applying them in production.

Upgrade recommendation

If you are upgrading from an older version, run several backup-and-restore drills in a test directory before relying on the new version in production.

What FolderRewind now helps with​

FolderRewind can help you:

  • create versioned, optionally encrypted backups with the 7-Zip engine
  • manage long-running history with smart incremental chains, chain-length control, and safe delete
  • use automatic core feature validation to verify that backup, restore, safe delete, and related workflows work correctly on the current machine
  • create and reuse config templates that preserve backup policy, filters, and path rules
  • use template sharing, importing, and official template search to deploy the same setup across devices or users
  • use cloud archive workflow (rclone) to sync local backup directories to OneDrive or other cloud storage
  • use settings search and runtime status display to find options faster and understand current app state
  • configure a GitHub mirror source for side-loaded builds to improve update checks and online template access
  • extend the app through the plugin system, especially for scenarios like Minecraft

Start in 3 steps​

Step 1: Install​

Install from Microsoft Store first, or see the Installation Guide for side-loading.

Do not install the Store build and the side-loaded offline build at the same time.

👉 Install from Microsoft Store

Step 2: Create a config​

You now have two common paths:

  1. Click New Config and create a config manually
  2. Click Create from Template and apply an existing template directly

If you already have a stable setup, you can also save the current config as a template in config settings.

Step 3: Run a first backup and validate​

After opening the config management page:

  1. add the folders you want to protect, or confirm the folders found by the template
  2. run one manual backup
  3. immediately do a test restore, or run Automatic Core Feature Validation from Settings

This helps catch environment, path, permission, or toolchain issues early.

Recent capabilities worth attention​

v1.7.0: cloud archive and automation upgrades​

v1.7.0 focuses on long-running and multi-device workflows:

  • complete cloud archive workflow support (recommended with rclone)
  • auto backup can target selected items instead of always running full-config scope
  • condition-based backup mode (for example, trigger backup after game exit)
  • expanded template path-rule coverage
  • settings page search and runtime status display

If you plan to enable cloud sync, start here:

v1.6.0: template workflow​

Template workflow​

v1.6.0 adds a complete template workflow:

  • save a config as a template
  • create a config from a template
  • export a template to a file
  • import a shared template
  • search and import official templates
  • prepare a template share package or submit directly to GitHub

If you maintain multiple similar configs, this can remove a lot of repeated setup work.

v1.6.0: automatic core feature validation​

Settings now includes Automatic Core Feature Validation. It creates a temporary workspace and validates:

  • initial full backup
  • no-change skip
  • smart incremental backup
  • shared-lock backup
  • clean restore and overwrite restore
  • safe delete
  • keep-count pruning

This is especially useful after upgrading, changing machines, or before enabling unattended automation.

Next steps​