Backup

Purpose

Identifier: \Microsoft\Windows\CloudRestore\Backup

Setup Foundry disables this scheduled task; the task remains installed, but its triggers no longer start it.

This task starts the periodic background backup used by Windows settings backup and restore. On supported and appropriately configured devices, the scheduled backup runs automatically about once every eight days.

Windows uses the operation to create a cloud-based restore profile containing permitted user-specific Windows settings and preferences, together with the list of installed Microsoft Store apps. The exact contents depend on the Windows version, account type, selected backup options, and applicable management policies.

The task does not create a full system image or back up personal files. Protection of folders such as Desktop, Documents, and Pictures is handled separately through OneDrive where that feature is configured.

Notes

Additional effects

The resulting backup profile can be used during setup or first sign-in on a new or reset Windows device. Windows can restore supported settings from the profile and make previously installed Microsoft Store apps available again. Separate components perform the restore operation; restoration is not the purpose of \Microsoft\Windows\CloudRestore\Backup.

The Windows Backup app can also initiate an on-demand backup. Microsoft does not publicly document whether every manually initiated backup depends internally on this particular scheduled task.

Privacy and security

When backup is enabled, the selected user-specific settings, preferences, and information about installed Microsoft Store apps are transferred to the Microsoft cloud service associated with the relevant Microsoft or Microsoft Entra account. Microsoft classifies user-specific settings as personal data. For organizational accounts, the data is stored in the region associated with the tenant and is protected by encryption within Microsoft cloud services.

Desktop and lock-screen images can be stored separately in OneDrive when the required subscription is available. Personal documents and other user files are not part of the settings backup created by this task.

Disabling the task stops the recurring transfers initiated by it. It does not delete data that has already been backed up to the cloud. It also does not automatically stop other data flows such as OneDrive folder backup, Microsoft Edge synchronization, or settings synchronization performed independently of this task.

Effects of the change

The task remains registered, but its time-based or event-based triggers no longer run it. Local settings, installed apps, and personal files are unchanged, so ordinary use of the PC is not immediately affected.

If Windows settings backup is enabled, the cloud restore profile is no longer refreshed regularly by this task. Later changes to supported settings or the Microsoft Store app list might therefore be absent from the cloud copy. A subsequent restore on a new or reset device might offer only the state captured by the last successful backup. Restored settings can be outdated, and apps installed afterward can be missing from the app list used during restoration.

Disabling the task does not remove existing backup profiles, uninstall the Windows Backup app, or change the associated management policy. Windows can therefore continue to show the backup feature as enabled even though the scheduled background backup is no longer occurring. An existing profile can still be offered for restoration.

Notes

Microsoft documents the Windows settings backup feature and its recurring scheduled operation, but it does not publish a separate technical reference for the internal \Microsoft\Windows\CloudRestore\Backup task. Its precise triggers and its relationship to manually initiated backups can therefore vary between Windows releases.

Microsoft documentation

Microsoft Learn: Windows settings backup and restore overview

Microsoft Learn: Windows settings backup and restore Frequently Asked Questions

See also

• Entry in the reference