Overview
The CrashPlan app keeps multiple versions of each file as the file changes are backed up over time. Version snapshots can be downloaded from an archive to revert to a file's previous state. This tutorial explains how to change your version retention settings.
Considerations
This article describes how to configure the version retention feature if your administrator has not defined these settings. However, your administrator may configure and lock the version retention settings.
If the version retention settings are locked, they are disabled in the CrashPlan console. See your administrator to configure these settings.
How it works
CrashPlan is designed to keep more of the recent versions of your backed up files and fewer of the older versions.
Specifying the versions to retain involves:
- Specifying versions to retain for each interval
- Pruning unnecessary files from the backup archive (optional)
- Specifying when to compact the backup archive
Backup frequency
The CrashPlan app backs up new changes to files as often as your backup frequency settings allow. The CrashPlan app watches the file system in real-time (unless that feature is turned off). When a file changes, the next backup is based on your frequency settings. For example, if the backup frequency is set to 15 minutes, then the changes will back up at the next 15 minute interval.
The CrashPlan app retains the newest version in several intervals:
- The last week
- The last 90 days
- The last year
- Previous years
Version retention
CrashPlan selectively prunes out older file versions during the regular archive-maintenance process. This decreases the amount of data tracked as the archive grows, and it decreases memory usage in the CrashPlan app. For example, two months from now, you might not need to download a file from 8:45 a.m. when an hourly snapshot would work.
Avoid increasing the frequency or versions settings beyond the default settings. Increasing these settings requires the CrashPlan app to use more system resources to maintain your backup. Even if you have a small file selection, increasing the version retention can cause a delay in backing up your files due to file monitoring.
You can tell the CrashPlan app to only retain a single version of older files. This may be useful if you have large files that change frequently, but for which older versions provide little value. For example:
- a database
- Photoshop project file
- iMovie project file
- ProTools project file
- Last week: every week
- Last 90 days: never
- Previous years: never
Deleted file retention
If you delete a file from your device that was previously backed up, it remains in the archive for as long as indicated in the deleted files retention setting. Learn more about retaining and restoring deleted files.
Specify versions to retain
Steps
- Sign in to the CrashPlan app.
- Select
Settings.
- Select Backup Sets.
- Next to Frequency & Versions, click Change.
Note: Your administrator may prevent editing the frequency and versions settings. - Select new backup frequency and version retention settings.
Beginning with CrashPlan app version 6.9.4, values are selected from dropdown menus. Earlier versions of the CrashPlan app used sliders. - Click Save.
Remove unwanted versions immediately
Steps
- Sign in to the CrashPlan app.
- Navigate to device preferences.
- Select
- Click Destinations.
- Choose Run Maintenance.
The CrashPlan app sends a request to that destination to immediately remove unwanted versions from the backup archive.
Example
The following example displays the default configuration of the version retention settings:
In this example, the CrashPlan app retains:
- One version every 15 minutes for each day in the last week (since Back up changes every is also set to 15 minutes, this means every backed up version is retained for a week)
- One version every day for dates between one week and 90 days ago
- One version every week for dates between 90 days and one year ago
- One version every month for dates over a year ago