Include and exclude files for backup from CrashPlan

Overview

This article provides a high-level overview of the many ways end users and administrators can include and exclude files for backups. You may want to include or exclude files for backups for many reasons, such as to ensure you back up only high-value files, to reduce network traffic, and to keep archive size manageable.

Considerations

• Child organizations inherit inclusion and exclusion settings from parent organizations unless inheritance is disabled.
• To prevent end users from changing inclusion and exclusion settings in the CrashPlan app, administrators can use the lock option when applying inclusion and exclusion settings in the CrashPlan console.
• In addition to including and excluding files for backup, you can also exclude network interfaces from being used for backup.
  • CrashPlan app: See Exclude networks used for backup . 
  • CrashPlan console: See Organizations - Device Backup Defaults - Network settings reference .

Include and exclude files using the CrashPlan app

Users of the CrashPlan app can exclude files for backups with the following methods.

Manage files

Users of the CrashPlan app use the Manage Files view to select files for backup. Any files not selected are excluded from backup. For more information, see Change the file selection .

To prevent users from changing file selections in the CrashPlan app, you can use the lock option while setting file selection exclusions in the CrashPlan console.

1. In the CrashPlan app, click Manage Files. 
2. Select only those files you want to back up. Any files you do not select are excluded from backup.
3. To remove previously-selected files from backup:
   1. Navigate to the drive, folder, or files that you want to remove, then deselect the check box next to any item you want to delete from your backup.
   2. Click Save.
      If you deselected any files or folders, the Delete Files from Backup warning displays.
   3. If applicable, select I understand to confirm you want to delete deselected files from your backup.
   4. If applicable, select Delete.
4. To ensure that file inclusions and exclusions are processed by the CrashPlan app, initiate a file verification scan by selecting Scan for file changes from the Backup Set Settings Menu. 

File exclusions

Users of the CrashPlan app use the File Exclusions setting to specify file types to exclude from backup, for example, mp3, wmv, etc. For more information, see Exclude or filter files using file type and regular expressions (regex) in CrashPlan.

To prevent users from changing file exclusions in the CrashPlan app, you can use the lock option while setting filename exclusions in the CrashPlan console. 

1. In the CrashPlan app, choose  in the upper-right corner.
2. In the Device Preferences pane, choose Backup Sets.
3. To the right of File Exclusions, click Change.
   The File Exclusions dialog appears.
   
   
4. To exclude file types, type the file extensions in the provided field and click Add.
   Select Use regular expression to exclude files using regular expressions.
5. Click Save.

Inclue and exclude files using the CrashPlan console

You can include and exclude files for backups using the following methods.

File selection

Use the File selection pane to specify files and directories to include and exclude for backup.  

1. Choose Administration > Environment > Organizations.
2. Select an active organization.
3. From the action menu in the upper-right, choose Device Backup Defaults.
4. Choose the Backup tab.
5. Navigate to File selection.
   
6. In the Included files field, add file names and directories that should be included in backups. In the Excluded files field, add file names and directories that should be excluded from backups.
   In addition to adding files names and directories, you can also use substitution variables.
7. To apply the settings, push  them to devices, or lock  them to prevent users from changing file selections in the CrashPlan app.

Filename exclusions

Use the Filename exclusions pane to specify file types to exclude from backup, for example, mp3, wmv, etc. 

1. Choose Administration > Environment > Organizations.
2. Select an active organization.
3. From the action menu in the upper-right, choose Device Backup Defaults.
4. Choose the Backup tab.
5. Navigate to Filename exclusions.
   
6. Choose the platform for which you want to set the exclusion.
7. Choose Regular Expression if you want to add exclusions using regular expressions.
8. In the field provided, enter the file types to exclude, for example, mp3, avi, etc., or enter regular expressions for file types.
   You can also use choose Import to import a text file to add to the list of exclusions, or choose Export to export the existing list of exclusions so you can edit it and then import it.
9. To apply the settings, push  them to devices, or lock  them to prevent users from changing file exclusions in the CrashPlan app.

Hidden filenames

Use the Hidden filenames pane to hide files and folders in the CrashPlan app. Hidden files and folders do not appear in the manage files or restore files menus unless the user selects "show hidden files."

1. Choose Administration > Environment > Organizations.
2. Select an active organization.
3. From the action menu in the upper-right, choose Device Backup Defaults.
4. Choose the General tab.
5. Navigate to Hidden filenames.
   
6. Choose the platform for which you want to set the exclusion.
7. Choose Regular Expression if you want to add exclusions using regular expressions.
8. In the field provided, add filenames and path names of directories that should be hidden from selection for backup or restore.
   You can also choose Import to import a text file to add to the list of exclusions, or choose Export to export the existing list of exclusions so you can edit it and then import it.
9. To apply the settings, push  them to devices, or lock  them to prevent the settings from being changed.

Global exclusions

Use the Global exclusions pane to exclude files from backup no matter where the files are being backed up, whether to local storage (for example, an external drive) or to CrashPlan cloud storage. Files selected with this setting are also removed from all archives. Global Exclusions also apply to all preservation policies. 

1. Choose Administration > Environment > Organizations.
2. Select an active organization.
3. From the action menu in the upper-right, choose Device Backup Defaults.
4. Choose the General tab.
5. Navigate to Global exclusions.
   
6. Choose the platform for which you want to set the exclusion.
7. Choose Regular Expression if you want to add exclusions using regular expressions.
8. In the field provided, add filenames and path names of directories that should be excluded from existing archives and future backups.
   You can also choose Import to import a text file to add to the list of exclusions, or choose Export to export the existing list of exclusions so you can edit it and then import it.
9. To apply the settings, push  them to devices, or lock  them to prevent the settings from being changed.

Recommended global exclusions 

We recommend you set the following global exclusions, to optimize file backups:

(?i)^.*(\.class|-journal|\.Win386\.SWP|PM_HIBER\.BIN|SAVE2DSK\.BIN|SYSTEM\.DAT|TOSHIBER\.DAT|Thumbs\.db|USER\.DAT|\.bck|\.bkf|\.cdt|\.hdd|\.hds|\.icloud|\.ini|\.lrprev|\.manifest|\.mum|\.nib|\.nvram|\.ost|\.part|\.pvm|\.pvs|\.rbf|\.tibx?|\.tmp|\.upd|\.avhdx|\.vdi|\.vfd|\.vhd|\.vhdx|\.vmc|\.vmdk|\.vmem|\.vmsd|\.vmsn|\.vmss|\.vmtm|\.vmwarevm|\.vmx|\.vmxf|\.vsv|\.vud|\.xva|\.qcow2?|iso|pkg|raw|memory\.dmp|/Lightroom.*Previews\.lrdata|\.sparsebundle|\.sparseimage|/(cookies|permissions)\.sqlite(-.{3})?|\.crdownload)$
(?i)^.*(/Apple.*/Installer Cache/|/Cache/|/Cookies/|/Music/Subscription/|/Plex Media Server/|/Steam/|/Temp/|/\.dropbox\.cache/|/\.git/|/iPod Photo Cache/|/node_modules/|/tmp/|/tsm_images/|\.Trash|\.hdd/|\.pvm/|\.cprestoretmp|\.nvm|\.npm|/\.gradle/).*
linux:(?i)^/(usr/(?!($|local/$|local/crashplan/$|local/crashplan/print_job_data/.*))|opt/|etc/|dev/|home/[^/]+/\.config/google-chrome/|home/[^/]+/\.mozilla/|sbin/).*
linux:^/(cdrom/|dev/fd/|devices/|dvdrom/|initrd/|kernel/|lost\+found/|proc/|run/|selinux/|srv/|sys/|system/|var/(:?run|lock|spool|tmp|cache)/|proc/).*
linux:^/lib/modules/.*/volatile/\.mounted
mac:(?i)^.*(/iTunes/Album Artwork/Cache/|/Network Trash Folder/|/Photos Library.*/Thumbnails/|/backups\.backupdb/|/iP.* Software Updates/|/iPhoto Library.*/Thumbnails/|/iPhoto Library/iPod Photo Cache|/migratedphotolibrary/Thumbnails/|\.imovielibrary/.*/Analysis Files/|\.imovielibrary/.*/Render Files/).*
mac:^.*(/Trash/|/\.fcpcache/|MobileBackups/|\.Spotlight-.*/|\.fseventsd|\.hotfiles\.btree|/bin/|/home/|/sbin/|/cores/|/private/|/var/).*
mac:(?i)^.*(\.imovielibrary/\.lock)$
mac:(?i)^.*(\.DS_Store|\.plist|\.strings)$
mac:(?i)^/(usr/|opt/|etc/|var/|Users/((?!XCode).)*/Applications/|Users/Shared/|dev/|Library/(?!($|Application Support/$|Application Support/CrashPlan/$|Application Support/CrashPlan/print_job_data/.*))|proc/|/Users/.*/.vscode/extensions/).*
mac:^/(Applications/|Desktop DB|Desktop DF|Network/|Previous Systems|System/|Users/.*/\.cisco/vpn/log/|Users/.*/\.dropbox/|Users/[^/]+/Library/|\.DocumentRevisions-V100/|\.PKInstallSandboxManager-SystemSoftware|\.adobeTemp/|\.vol/|afs/|automount/|lost\+found/|net/).*
win:(?i)^.*(/I386|/System Volume Information/|/Temporary Internet Files/|/Windows Update Setup Files/|\$RECYCLE\.BIN/|/NTUSER|/Safari/Library/Caches/|/Windows Defender/|/cygwin(64)?/(bin|dev|etc|lib|sbin|tmp|var|usr)/|UsrClass\.dat).*
win:^.*(/Local Settings/Temp|/Local.*/History/|/LocalService/|/MSOCache|/NetHood/|/NetworkService/).*
win:(?i)^.*(/pagefile\.sys|\.etl|\.mui)$
win:(?i)^.:/(Recovery/|boot/|ESD/|Recycler/|Dell/|Intel/|Oracle/|PerfLogs/|Program Files( \(x86\))?/|ProgramData/(?!$|CrashPlan/$|CrashPlan/user_settings/)|Users/All Users/|Users/[^/]+/AppData/|Users/[^/]+/Apple/MobileSync/|Windows(\.old)?/|\$WINDOWS.~(BT|WS)/|\$SysReset/|\$GetCurrent/|_RESTORE/|_SMSTaskSequence/|safeboot/|swsetup/).*
win:(?i)^.:/(Config\.Msi|HIBERFIL\.SYS|HIBRN8\.DAT|autoexec\.bat|boot\.ini|bootmgr|bootnxt|bootsect\.bak|config\.sys|io\.sys|msdos\.sys|ntdetect\.com|ntldr|swapfile\.sys)$
(?i)^.*(\.kgdb|\.db|\.srd|-shm|-wal|-lock|\.musicdb|\.tvdb|\.pid)$
(?i)^.*\.photoslibrary/(private/|resources/|database/).*$
(?i)^.*/(.*\.?leveldb)/.*$

Cloud exclusions

Use the Cloud exclusions pane to exclude files from backup to CrashPlan cloud storage, but not from local storage (for example, external drives). Files selected with this setting are also removed from CrashPlan cloud archives.

1. Choose Administration > Environment > Organizations.
2. Select an active organization.
3. From the action menu in the upper-right, choose Device Backup Defaults.
4. Choose the General tab.
5. Navigate to Cloud exclusions.
   
6. Choose the platform for which you want to set the exclusion.
7. Choose Regular Expression if you want to add exclusions using regular expressions.
8. In the field provided, add filenames and path names of directories that should be excluded from existing CrashPlan cloud archives and future backups to the CrashPlan cloud.
   You can also choose Import to import a text file to add to the list of exclusions, or choose Export to export the existing list of exclusions so you can edit it and import it.
9. To apply the settings, push  them to devices, or lock  them to prevent the settings from being changed.

Exclude files using the CrashPlan API

(Crashplan for Enterprise and MSPs only)

Use the CrashPlan API /exclusions resource to define a list of file types and file paths to exclude from collection using regex expressions. You can use the API to set global, cloud, and filename exclusions.

Examples

To view current file exclusions, use the /exclusions/view resource. For example, run the following example to view global exclusions:

curl -X GET 'https://console.us.code42.com/api/v10/exclusions/view/?orgId=<orgId>&exclusionType=GLOBAL' -H 'content-type: application/json' -H "authorization: Bearer <AuthToken>"

To exclude files, use the /exclusions/update API resource. For example, run the following example to update global exclusions:

curl -X POST 'https://console.us.code42.com/api/v10/exclusions/update' 
-H 'content-type: application/json' 
-H "authorization: Bearer <AuthToken>" -d '{"orgId": "<OrgID>", "exclusionSet": {"allOs": ["'\''.*cache.*'\''"], "windows": ["'\''.*.etl'\''","'\''.*/AppData/.*'\''"],"macintosh": ["'\''.*.db'\''"],"linux": ["'\''.*.db'\''"] },"regex": true, "exclusionType": "GLOBAL", "lock": false, "pushToInheritingOrgs": true, "pushToAllOrgs": false }'

In these examples:

• Replace <AuthToken> with an authentication token. 
• Replace <OrgID> with your organization's ID.
• For the exclusionType  value use:
  • GLOBAL  for global exclusions
  • CLOUD  for cloud exclusions
  • USER  for filename exclusions

Summary

• Request URL 
  • United States:

    • If you sign in to the CrashPlan console at https://console.us1.crashplan.com (US1), use
      https:/console.us1.crashplan.com/api/v10/exclusions/ 

    • If you sign in to the CrashPlan console at https://console.us2.crashplan.com (US2), use:
      https://console.us2.crashplan.com/api/v10/exclusions/
  • Ireland: 
    • If you sign in to the CrashPlan console at https://console.eu5.cpg.crashplan.com (EU5), use: 
      https://console.eu5.cpg.crashplan.com/api/v10/exclusions/ 

• Exclusions API resource names: 
  • view : View current file exclusions
  • update : Update file exclusions
• Authentication method: Include an authentication token in the request header.
• Organization ID: To obtain the orgId for all organizations:
  1. In the CrashPlan console select Administration > Organizations > Active.
  2. Select Export All from the action menu.
     View organization IDs in the orgId column of the resulting spreadsheet.
• For more information about CrashPlan API syntax, see CrashPlan API syntax and usage.