A backup job that says “completed” is only the first half of the job. A small restore drill proves that you can find the backup, choose the right version, recover it to a safe location, and open the result.

Safety rule: restore to a new temporary folder, not over the original file. Keep the source file and the backup destination unchanged until the comparison is complete.

What this drill tests

This exercise checks the part that matters during a real incident: retrieval. It is suitable for File History and most file-backup applications that let you restore to another location. It does not prove that a full system image can boot or that every file in a large backup is healthy.

1. Create a small test set

  1. Create a folder named Backup Restore Test inside a folder your backup already protects.
  2. Add a short text document, a photo that opens correctly, and a small ZIP archive.
  3. Open each file once, then note the folder path and current date.
  4. Let the normal backup run. Do not manually copy the test folder to the backup drive, because that would bypass the backup process you are trying to verify.

A useful test set contains different file types but no sensitive or irreplaceable data. If the drill fails, you should be able to delete the test set without loss.

2. Confirm the backup captured the files

For File History, open Control Panel, choose System and Security, then File History. Confirm that File History is on and that the backup drive is available. Select Restore personal files, browse to the test folder, and move to the backup version created after the files were added.

For another backup application, open its restore or browse-backup screen. Confirm the displayed backup date is later than the test files. Do not rely only on a green “success” icon on the main dashboard.

3. Restore to a different location

In File History, right-click the green restore button and choose Restore to. Create a folder such as C:\Restore Test and select it. If your backup application has an “original location” option, leave it off for this drill and choose a separate destination.

Stop if the only option will overwrite the original. Read the restore documentation first or use disposable source files. An overwrite prompt is not something to click through during a safety test.

4. Compare the restored files

  1. Confirm that all three filenames appear in the restored folder.
  2. Compare each file's size with the original using Properties.
  3. Open the text file, view the photo at full size, and extract the ZIP archive.
  4. Check that the files contain the expected content, not merely that Windows recognizes their names.

For especially important archives, exported databases, or project files, open them with the application that created them. A file can exist and still be incomplete or unusable.

5. Record the result

Write down the backup date, restore date, source folder, backup destination, restore destination, number of files checked, and any warning shown. A simple result can read: “3 of 3 files restored to a separate folder and opened successfully.”

If a file is missing, the likely questions are concrete: Was its folder included? Had the backup run after the file was created? Was the correct backup version selected? Did the destination run out of space? Resolve the cause and repeat the drill.

6. Clean up without weakening the backup

After the result is recorded, delete the temporary restored copies. You may keep the original test folder so a future monthly drill can modify one file and add another. Do not delete historical backup data merely to tidy the test unless you understand the backup's retention rules.

What a successful result proves

  • You can locate the backup interface and the correct version.
  • The selected sample files can be restored without overwriting originals.
  • The restored content opens in its normal applications.

It does not prove that every backup file is healthy, that the backup survives theft or ransomware, or that a full Windows recovery will work. Keep an off-device copy and test recovery media separately.

Official reference: Microsoft's File History backup and restore guide.