Proven Fixes: File History Doesn’t Recognize This Drive in Win10/11/8

Have you encountered a message saying "File History doesn't recognise this drive" when using it to back up files to an external drive in Windows 11, 10, 8? Here are how to solve it.

By @Delia Last Updated December 27, 2024

Why is my Drive not recognized by file history?

“I've been using File History on my Win10 laptop for a couple of years with no problems, saving to an external drive. For the last couple of weeks, when I go to run it, I get the message: "File History doesn't recognize this drive." How can I fix this?”

– JohnCosgrove

File History Doesn't Recognize This Drive

When trying to backup your files to another hard drive in case the originals are lost, you may find out that File History doesn’t recognize this drive. Sometimes, the error message will be like the system cannot find the file specified. The File History still fails when you try to reconnect it or choose another disk.

Use File History alternative to auto backup files and folders

To simply fix File History is not working, you can use the free and robust backup software AOMEI Backupper Standard to backup your files and folders.

Compared with File History, AOMEI Backupper has many pros:

Superior Performance: AOMEI Backupper is designed to operate faster than File History, ensuring a smooth and time-efficient backup process.

Advanced Backup Features:

  • Incremental Backup: Only backs up changes made since the last backup, saving time and storage space.
  • Automatic System Backup: Schedules and automates system backups to protect your critical data effortlessly.
  • Local Drive Backup: This allows you to store backups to a local drive for quick access and recovery.
  • Compressed Backup Images: Reduces the size of backup files, optimizing storage usage without compromising data integrity.

Versatile Additional Features:

  • Folder Synchronization: Ensures your folders are consistently updated across multiple locations. Hard Drive Cloning: Enables seamless migration of data to a new hard drive, perfect for upgrades or system replacements.

All in all, AOMEI Backupper is an all-in-one tool that caters to diverse backup needs, making it a reliable choice for personal and professional use.

How to backup files and folders with AOMEI Backupper

1. Free download, install, and launch this freeware.

AOMEI Backupper

Best free Windows backup software to prevent PC data loss.

2. Under the Backup tab, choose File Backup.

File Backup

3. Click Add File or Add Folder to specify files or folders in the backup, In the select folder window, you can also set a filter to exclude files from the backup (premium feature).

4. Specify a location path to receive the file image backup. It supports internal/external drives, USB flash drives, network share, NAS, cloud, etc.

5. Finally, you can click Schedule Backup to set a scheduled automatic backup if needed. For more options, click the Options button. Then click Start Backup to start the backup.

🌟Tips:
  • If you are concerned about regular backups causing backup files to pile up and fill up your disk, you can enable  Automatic Backup Cleanup in the Backup Scheme to create a retention policy that will automatically delete old backups. This feature is available in the Professional edition.
  • If you create an AOMEI account, you can also backup files to AOMEI Cloud. It offers you 1TB of free storage for 15 days after you sign up for an AOMEI account.

How to fix File History doesn't recognize this drive.

For troubleshooting, you can try the following solutions to manually fix the problem of File History doesn't recognize this drive.

Solution1. Manually start the service

1. Search for "Services" and open it. Or you can press Win + R, type" services.msc" in the box and press Enter to open it.

2. Locate the "File History Service". Start the service and set the Start type to "Automatic".

Solution 2. Reconnect the drive and turn on File History

1. Show hidden files and folders in File Explorer Options, and also uncheck the option "Hide protected operating system files (Recommended)".

2. Delete the folder in the following path:

C:\Users\[username]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\FileHistory\Configuration\Configuration

3. Go to File History to connect the drive again, and make sure File History is turned on.

Bonus: Why File History cannot recognize a drive

The reason behind the File History drive not being recognized or disconnected may be:

  • File History Service Not Triggered Automatically: The File History Service might fail to start automatically, preventing the system from recognizing the drive.

  • Accidental Deactivation of File History: You may have unintentionally turned off File History, disrupting its functionality and causing the drive to be disconnected.

  • Drive Configuration Changes: After selecting a drive to save copies of your files, any subsequent modifications to the drive (e.g., formatting, renaming, or unmounting) can lead to disconnection or unrecognizability.

But no matter what the reason is that your File History cannot recognize the drive, you can back up your files and data by using the best File History alternative tool- AOMEI Backupper, don’t miss it!

Conclusion

After the backup completes, you can restore partial files or the entire content of the backup at any time. After fixing the problem that file history doesn't recognize this drive, you may also be interested in File Sync, which is also one of the features of AOMEI Backupper. Besides that, AOMEI Backupper also allows you to create a system image backup, make bootable media, and hard drive clone to SSD.