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Quick Start

Welcome to FolderRewind — a modern backup tool for important files, project data, and game saves. FolderRewind is the successor to MineBackup.

:::caution Note English is a secondary language for this project — if you spot inaccuracies, contributions are welcome. :::

:::caution Upgrade recommendation If you are upgrading from an older version, read v1.8 Upgrade and Startup Recovery and 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

New Config dialog showing the config name, type, and icon options

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​

The FolderRewind 1.8 series brings backup control, migration, and remote integration into one safety chain:

  • Selected-region backup: Minecraft users can choose x1,z1,x2,z2 regions; restores force Overwrite.
  • Folder rename: migrate local folders, history identities, config references, and automation targets, with rollback attempts on failure.
  • Performance presets and advanced parameters: balance speed, thread count, and priority with automatic, lightweight, extra-light, or custom policies.
  • KnotLink Server v3 and parameterized protocol v2: let tools and plugins discover commands and coordinate backup workflows safely.
  • Safer restore: validate the backup first, then choose Clean or Overwrite according to normal or partial-backup rules without clearing unbacked data.

Before upgrading an older release or switching install channels, read v1.8 Upgrade and Startup Recovery. Minecraft users can start with the Selected-region Backup Guide and Folder Rename Guide.

Next steps​