⁦B.⁩ Making backups

Leaving out unneeded files

Why

Not everything is worth backing up: temporary files, unfinished downloads or folders that can be rebuilt with a single command. Exclusions make the backup faster and save space.

Before you start

  • An excluded file does not go into any new version of the backup. Exclude only what you are sure you will never need to recover.
  • The default list leaves out, among others, temporary files (*.tmp), Office lock files (~$*), unfinished downloads (*.part, *.crdownload), system files (Thumbs.db, desktop.ini) and folders that can be rebuilt (node_modules, __pycache__, .venv, venv). On purpose, it does not leave out .git folders with the history of repositories.

Step by step

  1. On the “Backup” page, find the “Exclusions” box.
  2. Enter patterns, one per line, for example:
    • *.iso: all files ending in .iso;
    • Thumbs.db: a file with this name in every folder;
    • node_modules/*: every folder with this name, at any depth, with all its contents;
    • Projects/old/*: one specific folder. A pattern with several parts counts from the folder added to the backup.

    An asterisk stands for any sequence of characters, and a question mark for one character. Upper and lower case do not matter. The slash can be forward or backward.

  3. Click “Preview changes”: excluded files are not counted.
  4. Run the backup. For the exclusions to apply to backups from the template too, save the template again (see “Saving settings as a template”).

“Restore defaults” inserts the recommended list built into the program.

The list for new backups

In the menu on the left, click “Settings”. In the “Default exclusions” box, change the list and click “Save”. The program suggests this list in the wizard and on the “Backup” page for new backups. “Restore factory list” goes back to the list built into the program. Templates saved earlier are not affected.

What you should see

After the backup, the excluded files are not in the new version. Earlier versions keep the files they already contain.

What next

  • In the wizard, the “Projects and code” option adds to the list folders with build output and tool caches, such as build, dist, target.
  • When the backup protects Sigelith evidence, the program by itself leaves out the logs and working files of Sigelith Desktop (see “Protecting Sigelith Desktop evidence”).

If something goes wrong

  • A file that should have been left out still goes into the backup: check the spelling of the pattern. A pattern with several parts, such as Projects/old/*, counts from the folder added to the backup. To leave out a folder with a given name everywhere, enter just the name followed by /*, for example old/*.
  • A file you needed is missing from the backup: one of the patterns matches it. Remove that pattern from the list and run the backup again.