Backup
This task is part of Windows app-list backup.
since 0.9.8.11
Purpose
Identifier: \Microsoft\Windows\AppListBackup\Backup
Setup Foundry disables this scheduled task; the task remains installed but is no longer started by its triggers.
This task is part of Windows app-list backup. During a scheduled backup, it starts the Windows component that records the list of installed apps for Windows Backup. On currently supported managed versions of Windows, Microsoft documents a recurring automatic backup that includes the list of installed Microsoft Store apps.
The backup contains information about installed apps, not copies of the applications, their local data, or personal files. This task is therefore separate from file backup and OneDrive folder synchronization.
Notes
Additional effects
Windows can use the saved app list when a new or reset device is set up. For personal Microsoft accounts, Windows restores the previous app pins. Apps available from Microsoft Store can then be obtained from those pins; for suitable non-Store apps, Windows may instead direct the user to the provider’s download page.
On supported organization-managed devices, the app list can also form part of policy-controlled Windows settings backup and restore.
Privacy and security
When Windows Backup is enabled, the recorded app list is associated with the applicable Microsoft account or, for the managed feature, Microsoft Entra account and stored by Microsoft’s backup service. This allows Windows to determine which apps should be offered or restored on another device.
Disabling the task stops its triggers from updating the app list. It does not delete backup data already stored in the cloud. It also does not disable every other backup path: a manually initiated Windows backup or a separate task such as BackupNonMaintenance, where present in that Windows version, can still process backup data.
Effects of the change
Installed apps are not removed or modified. The Start menu, existing pins, app launching, app updates, and local app data continue to work. The task remains in Task Scheduler, but its configured triggers no longer start it.
If no other backup path refreshes the app list, Microsoft’s stored copy can become outdated. A later restore may then omit recently installed apps or newer pins, while apps removed since the last successful backup may still be offered from the older snapshot. An existing older backup remains available.
Windows Backup can still be opened. Disabling this one task does not guarantee that all app-list backups stop, nor does it necessarily produce an immediate error or status change in the Windows Backup interface.
Notes
Microsoft documents Windows Backup and its recurring backup process, but it does not publish a dedicated reference listing every version-dependent trigger and internal action of \Microsoft\Windows\AppListBackup\Backup. The installed tasks, schedule, and companion tasks can therefore vary between Windows builds.
Microsoft documentation
Microsoft Support: Back up and restore with Windows Backup
Microsoft Support: Windows Backup Settings Catalog
Microsoft Learn: Windows settings backup and restore overview