How to solve FileHistory Error 201 in Windows 10

 FileHistory is a handy feature in Windows 10 that allows you to backup and restore files in case something goes wrong with your computer. As a reminder, FileHistory has replaced Backup and Restore as the primary backup tool in Windows 10.

As you can see, backing up and restoring files with File History is a pretty simple process. Unfortunately, sometimes the tool fails to back up your files. Error 201 often pops up on the screen when this problem occurs. Let's see how you can quickly solve this problem.

What causes the FileHistory 201 error in Windows 10

FileHistory is a built-in Windows tool that you can use to back up your files. However, when using FileHistory to back up files, especially when adding files to the documents directory, error code 201 may appear. When this error occurs, the operation is aborted.

So, do you know how to fix file history error 201? Generally, File History Error 201 can be caused by a number of reasons such as:

• File name contains special characters
• The path or file name is too long
• Folder compression issue
• Windows error 10
• Corrupt system files

Do you know how to fix this 201 file history error? The following article will show you how to fix the file history not working issue in Windows 10.

How to Repair FileHistory Error 201 in Windows 10

Install pending Windows updates

It turns out that this problem can also be caused by a Windows 10 bug, originally caused by a faulty Windows Update that affected the File History service.

Fortunately, Microsoft has already released a fix for this problem and included it in a Windows update that will be released in late 2019. If your Windows version is already updated, you have already installed the patch and this method is not applicable.

However, if you haven't installed the latest pending updates or are actively blocking them, you can solve the problem by causing Windows Update to install all pending updates (including optional ones). This procedure has been validated by several users to fix error 201 file history.

1. Open the Run dialog box by pressing the Windows + R keyboard shortcut. Then type "ms settings:windowsupdate" and press Enter to open the Windows Update tab in the Settings app.
2. On the Windows Update screen, go to the right pane and click Check for updates.
3. Then follow the on-screen instructions to finish installing any pending Windows updates.
4. If there are many updates waiting to be installed, your computer may ask you to restart before installing each one.
5. In this case, follow the instructions, but after the next boot, return to the same Windows Update screen to finish installing the remaining updates.
6. After Windows has been successfully updated, restart your computer one last time and see if the problem is resolved the next time you start the system.

Start troubleshooting files and folders

You may have a permissions issue that is preventing you from backing up your content using the FileHistory utility. If this scenario applies, you should start this troubleshooting guide by running the File and Folder Troubleshooter.

Several affected users have confirmed that this process fixed the FileHistory 201 error and they were able to use the FileHistory utility normally.

1. Open your default browser, go to the Windows Fire and Folder Troubleshooter download page and click Download.
2. Wait for the download to finish, then double-click the file you just downloaded and click Yes on UAC (User Account Control) to allow admin access.
3. When you get to the first screen of File and Folder Troubleshooting, first click the Advanced hyperlink and then check the Apply repairs automatically check box.
4. When the utility is set up and ready to use, click Next to start the Windows troubleshooting scan for files and folders.
5. Wait for the first scan to complete, then follow the on-screen instructions to apply the recommended fixes (if necessary).
6. Then restart your computer and check if the problem is solved at the next boot.

Remove the special characters from the file names

If the file you are trying to save using File History contains special characters (typical foreign language characters), this may be the cause of Error 201.

There are a number of user reports that solve this problem by removing special characters like ä, ö, ü and ß from the filename. This is strange because the official documentation says nothing about such a limitation.

Therefore, if this problem occurs when saving files with language-specific special characters, remove them from the file name and try the operation again.