Your First Backup
Select folders and run your first backup job.
Create a Backup Set
A backup set is a named configuration that defines which folders to back up, what to exclude, and when to run. As of v1.12.2 you can create file backup sets from either the GUI wizard or the command line — server-class types (Hyper-V, SQL, sysstate, BMR) still need the GUI wizard because they capture too many type-specific options to surface cleanly on a flag-driven CLI.
- •Open the desktop agent and go to the Backup tab
- •Click New Backup Set
- •Enter a name (e.g., Documents, Projects)
- •Click Add Folder and select directories to include
- •Set exclude patterns (e.g., node_modules, .git, *.tmp)
- •Choose a schedule: Manual, Daily, Weekly, or Continuous (CDP)
# Create a file backup set with a single source folder + local destination.
# Multiple sources can be passed comma-separated to --source.
backupengine sets create file Documents \
--source "C:\Users\you\Documents" \
--dest local --local-path "D:\backups"
# Verify it was added.
backupengine sets list
# Optionally bump the upload parallelism (defaults to auto = max(3, cpu/2)).
backupengine config set backup-parallelism 16
# Remove a set you no longer need (does NOT wipe uploaded data — see Cleanup on Delete).
backupengine sets delete Documentsℹ Note
CLI-created sets default to
schedule=manual and email notifications off, so a CLI-driven set never auto-runs and never sends mail unintentionally. Open the GUI to add a recurring schedule or flip email policy with backupengine sets email <name> on.Run Your First Backup
Once the set is saved, kick off a backup. The agent scans files, chunks them with FastCDC, compresses, encrypts, and bundles chunks into pack files (v1.12.0+) for the upload.
- •Open the desktop agent and go to the Backup tab
- •Find your backup set in the list
- •Click Run Now next to the set name
- •Watch the progress bar — chunked, compressed, encrypted, and packed chunks all stream in real time
# Run a specific set (v1.12.2+ — real runner, not a stub). backupengine backup start Documents # Per-file progress prints once per 500 ms; the run ends with the manifest key. # After success, retention prune + chunk-GC sweep run inline (v1.12.4+) so the # destination stays clean — same behaviour as the GUI. backupengine backup list # 10 most recent runs backupengine status # overall agent + last run status
💡 Tip
Your first backup uploads all data. Subsequent backups only upload changed chunks — typically 90%+ faster.