Using Timeshift: Backing up Data files Only?

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[Mike]

I haven’t used Timeshift at all….yet.  It appears that the main use is for complete backup.

But,  I’m wondering if Timeshift users here know if you can use Timeshift to just backup a folder (documents…etc.) only (excluding everything else) ?

Mike

• This topic was modified 4 years, 8 months ago by Mike.

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I don’t know the answer to your question. But I’ve never used Timeshift to backup selected files, and tend to think that you can’t do it.

But why not use the backup tool? In Linux Mint 19.2 there is a program called “Backup Tool” that lets you save selected files, folders, programs, etc. It’s pretty straightforward and easy to use.

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DeBonzo: “But why not use the backup tool?”

Interesting. Does one need to have two separate external backup drives, one for Timeshift and the other for Backup Tool?

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I do, but I don’t think it’s required. In fact I don’t think the drive even needs to be external.

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OscarCP

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I use Timeshift regularly. The program is set up to run scheduled daily backups and I run it manually when I do software or system updates.

I know you can set the backup to include the Root and Home folders but it doesn’t look like you can do much more than that.

i also use the Backup Tool to save personal files in my Home folder. It is important to decide what you want to save  each time you backup or your back-up.tar files will get very large and removing folders from the zip archive is slow. I tend to exclude folders that I don’t update often and add hidden folders like .var or .wine which include game files that get updated.

One thing I found annoying was that while I can include folders I can’t seem to add subfolders such as a specific game folder in .wine. When I updated to Mint 20 I had to manually copy/paste a folder to a usb because the stick didn’t have enough space for the full .wine folder.

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