In our previous posts, we have discussed Windows Server system state backup fails, Windows Server Backup unable to browse local disk, Windows Server Backup “Reading data; please wait…”, etc. Here, we talk about the “Windows Server Backup not doing incremental backup” issue.
We have Windows Server 2022 servers. We turned on the Windows server backup feature on these servers. We want to take an incremental backup. But it takes a full backup every time. We tried most solutions found on the internet. How do we get incremental?Microsoft
Windows Server Backup Incremental Backup
Windows Server Backup (WSB) provides the ability to run incremental backups, backing up only changed data when performing scheduled backup tasks, which makes backups faster. Incremental backups are based on the last backup, so if any previous incremental backup is lost, recovery cannot be performed successfully. Therefore, by default, WSB will create a full backup after 6 incremental backups, or run a scheduled backup 14 days from the last full backup.
WSB does not require you to manually delete old backups. Its automatic disk usage management feature automatically deletes old backups when there is not enough space to store new backups. Maybe you are interested in this post – Windows Server Backup not deleting old backups.
Windows Server Backup Not Doing Incremental Backup
Many users report that they meet the “Windows Server Backup not doing incremental backup” issue. There are several reasons for the issue:
- Backup on the target is deleted/not present.
- The source volume snapshot is deleted, from which the last backup was taken.
- 14 incremental backups have occurred since the last full backup.
- More than 14 days have passed since the last full backup.
How to Fix Windows Server Backup Not Doing Incremental Backup
Now, let’s see how to remove the “Windows Server Backup incremental not working” issue.
Fix 1: Restart Volume Shadow Copy
You can restart the Volume Shadow Copy service to get rid of the “Windows server will not perform incremental backup” issue.
1. Press the Windows + R keys together to open the Run dialogue box. Type services.msc in it.
2. Scroll down the list to find Volume Shadow Copy. Right-click it to choose Restart.
Fix 2: Restart Windows Server Backup
Then, you can try to restart Windows Server Backup to fix the “Windows server will not perform incremental backup” issue.
1. Open Windows Server Manager and click Manage.
2. Select Remove Roles and Features and click Next to go on.
3. Choose the Server from the list on which you want to remove roles and features, and then click Next. Then, choose the Server roles and click Next.
4. Uncheck the Windows Server Backup box, and click Next. Finally, click Remove to turn off Windows Server Backup.
5. After that, restart the Windows Server Backup to check if the issue persists.
Fix 3: Recreate the Incremental Backup Task
You can try to recreate the incremental task in Windows Server Backup to fix the “Windows Server Backup not doing incremental backup” issue.
1. Open Windows Server Backup, and click Configure Performance Settings….
2. Then, you can see the Optimize Backup Performance window. You can click Faster backup performance, then click OK.
- Faster backup performance: This option will track the changes since the last backup.
- Custom: You can select specific items and select Incremental backup for the volume you want to backup.
3. Click Backup Schedule…, then follow the screen prompt to configure an incremental backup in Windows Server 2022.
Fix 4: Try Windows Server Backup Alternative
If the above solutions are not working, you can try the Windows Server backup alternative to create the incremental backup task. To do that, the Server backup software – MiniTool ShadowMaker is a great assistant. It is a piece of user-friendly software that provides an all-in-one data backup and recovery solution.
It supports Windows Server 2022/2019/2016/2012/2012 R2. It is designed to back up the operating system, disks, partitions, files, and folders and clone SSD to larger SSD.
1. Download, install, and launch MiniTool ShadowMaker. Then click Keep Trial.
MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe
2. After entering its main interface, go to the Backup page. MiniTool ShadowMaker chooses the operating system as the backup source by default. If you want to backup files, click Folders and Files and check the files you want to back up.
3. Then click DESTINATION to choose a target disk to save the backup image. It’s recommended to choose the external hard drive as the destination.
4. To set the incremental backup, you need to go to Options and click Backup Scheme. By default, the Backup Scheme button is disabled and you need to turn it on. Here, MiniTool ShadowMaker set the incremental backup by default and you just need to set the number of backup image file versions.
5. Then click Back Up Now to start the Windows Server backup process. Or, you can click Back Up Later to delay the backup task. Then, you can find the task on the Manage page.
Bottom Line
Have you encountered the error – Windows Server Backup not doing incremental backup? How to fix the issue on your PC? After reading this post, you know what you should do – try some ways to get rid of the error and try the Windows Server Backup alternative – MiniTool ShadowMaker.
About The Author
Position: Columnist
Having been an editor at MiniTool since graduating college as an English major, Daisy specializes in writing about data backups, disk cloning, and file syncing as well as general computer knowledge and issues. In her free time, Daisy enjoys running and going with friends to the amusement park.