Recovering Files

To be available for restore, a file must have been backed up previously.  We recommend you turn on the Microsoft Office AutoRecover feature in each application (Word, Excel, etc.) to maximize your chances of recovering a file lost the same day.

By policy, UW-IT retains deleted files no longer than 90 days. Files which still exist may have prior versions still available for a longer period.

Recovering Previous File versions

Files can be recovered on a self-service basis. Backups are stored and can be accessed as described below:

• These files are read-only, and should be copied to your regular directory. Follow the directions below to recover the file(s) you may need
  1. Find your department folders in I:groups.
  2. Open the folder you wish to find the snapshot(s).
  3. Right click on the folder and on the menu pick list, click on “Properties”.
  4. On the Properties Window, click on the “Previous Versions” tab.
  5. You can then choose the date you wish to view the file shapshot.

Backup Schedule

• DAILY snapshots are created daily at 7PM. Going backward from today we keep seven DAILY snapshots.
• WEEKLY snapshots are created every Saturday at 7PM. Going backward from today we keep four WEEKLY snapshots.
• A full copy of the previous day’s files may not be available until late morning.

Additional Considerations

• Availability of backups older than four weeks are not guaranteed. If you see a backup folder in snapshots that is older than four weeks, it may be deleted at any time.
• All available backups are in the snapshots folder. If the file was deleted longer than four weeks ago or is otherwise not in the snapshots folder, we have no other way of recovering it.