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How to Access & Use the File History in Control Panel
3 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Key notes
The Windows File History is used to automatically backup locally stored files to your preferred drive and can be accessed from the Control Panel.
You can choose to save the File History data in an internal or an external drive, however, you must connect the drive to use the feature.
However, not all users are aware of the File History feature in Windows 10/11.
In this post, we will show you how to access & use the File History through Control Panel in Windows 10.
In the meanwhile, if you want to knowhow to activate and deactivate File History in Windows 11, you can refer to our post.
How do I see all items in Control Panel?
In Windows 10, you can access the most common settings from the Windows Settings. But, some settings still exist in the Control Panel.
However, you can switch to the classic mode to view all the features of the Control Panel as explained below.
How do I get to the old Windows Control Panel?
Follow the below instructions to get to the old Windows Control Panel easily:
This method will not just help you to open the Control Panel in classic view, but also help you to see all items in it.
What does File History in Windows do?
File History in Windows works to automatically backup all your recently used folders. Additionally, you can also use it to add, delete, and exclude folders for backup.
However, the File History will only back up files and folders inside theC:\Users<username>location.
How can I use File History in Windows 10/11?
Does Windows 11 support file history?
Yes, the File History feature is present in the Windows 11 Control Panel.
Once you navigate to the old Control Panel, you can access and use the File History in the same manner as explained above.
Where are Control Panel items stored?
Control Panel is a virtual folder created by the system software and not an actual folder.
Each applet/tool in the Control Panel has the .cpl file extension and is found in the Windows\System folder
For more details on the Control Panel files on your computer, you can refer to the officialMicrosoft support page.
To know more about theWindows Control Panel and how to tweak system settings, you can read our detailed post here.
For any other queries related to the control panel or any issue, do leave a comment in the comments box below.
More about the topics:control panel,windows 10,Windows 11
Madhuparna Roy
A diploma holder in computers and with a keen interest in technology, Madhuparna is passionate about writing How-to guides and helping people solve the most intricate Windows issues.
It all started with the evolution of mobile phones and Google, and that has now settled with Windows.
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