Written 4 Sep 2026. This is a how-to, not a product card.

Back up a Windows PC to the house share with File History

Point Windows File History at a Samba folder on the old PC. Use a separate share from photos so one laptop does not fill the disk. You don't need a NAS for this.

Haven't made a share yet? Start with a file share. Opening the photos folder from File Explorer first is safer: open the house share from a laptop. Need the computer's address? Find it on the house network. On a Mac instead? That is back up a Mac to the house share with Time Machine. This note is the Windows File History walk on a separate Samba share.

Skip until the share works and the disk is big enough

If File Explorer cannot open a normal share yet, stop and fix that first. File History wants real free space — often tens to hundreds of gigabytes for one laptop's Documents, Desktop, and Pictures. If the old PC is a small SSD that already holds the OS, Pi-hole, and photos, skip this and use a USB disk for Windows backups instead. Don't dump File History into the same tiny photos share you use for day-to-day files.

What this is

File History is the built-in Windows tool that copies your Libraries (Documents, Desktop, Pictures, Music, Videos) to another disk on a schedule. It still lives in Control Panel on Windows 10 and 11. You can point it at a network folder with a UNC path like \\192.168.1.50\filehistory. Samba on the old PC is just that network folder. You are not opening SMB to the internet.

What you need

• A Windows 10 or 11 PC on the house network (Wi-Fi is fine; plug a cable for the first long backup if you can)
• SSH or a keyboard on the computer (Debian or Ubuntu Server)
• Free disk room on the computer — check with see if the computer still has room
• The Samba username and share password from set or change the house-share password
• About twenty minutes for the setup, then leave the first backup running

1. Make a separate folder

Keep File History off the photos folder. Example path:

sudo mkdir -p /srv/filehistory

sudo chown youruser:youruser /srv/filehistory

Swap youruser for the Linux login Samba already uses. Prefer a USB disk or a second internal drive mounted at that path when the system disk is small. See see if the USB backup disk showed up if you are parking this on a stick or USB drive for now.

2. Add a File History share in smb.conf

You already need Samba for the house folder. Open the Samba config:

sudo nano /etc/samba/smb.conf

Leave your existing [photos] block alone. At the bottom, add a second share. Swap the user for yours. Indentation with spaces is fine in this file.

[filehistory]
   path = /srv/filehistory
   valid users = youruser
   read only = no
   browseable = yes
   create mask = 0660
   directory mask = 0770

File History does not need the Apple fruit modules. A normal writable share is enough. Test the file before you restart:

testparm -s

Fix any typo it prints. Then restart Samba:

sudo systemctl restart smbd

If the share password was never set for this user:

sudo smbpasswd -a youruser

3. Confirm File Explorer can open it

On the Windows PC, open File Explorer. Click the path bar and type:

\\192.168.1.50\filehistory

Swap the number for the computer's address. Sign in with the Samba username and share password. Check Remember my credentials. Drop a tiny text file in, then delete it. If that fails, fix the share first: open the house share from a laptop.

4. Point File History at the share

Open Control Panel (search Start for Control Panel). Go to System and Security → File History. On some builds the label is "Save backup copies of your files with File History."

Click Select drive on the left. Click Add network location. Browse to \\192.168.1.50\filehistory or type that UNC path. Select the folder. Click OK / Select folder.

Click Turn on. The first pass copies Libraries. Later passes only copy what changed. Leave the PC awake on house Wi-Fi or ethernet for that first long run.

Optional: Advanced settings lets you change how often it saves (hourly is fine) and how long it keeps versions. Exclude folders you do not care about if the share is tight on space.

5. Check that it is writing

In File History, you should see a recent successful time after the first pass. On the computer:

ls -la /srv/filehistory

You should see a FileHistory folder (Windows creates that layout). Recheck free space: see if the computer still has room. Prefer a cable for the old PC while big backups run: a cable beats Wi-Fi for the old PC.

If File History cannot see the disk

Confirm File Explorer can still open \\…\filehistory on the house network, not guest Wi-Fi. Use the IP address, not a hostname that sometimes fails to resolve. Save the Samba credentials in Credential Manager (Control Panel → Credential Manager → Windows Credentials) if Windows keeps asking and then failing. Run testparm -s again after Samba edits. Restart smbd. If a normal photos share also vanished, start with when the house share disappeared, check the computer.

File History only watches Libraries by default. To include another folder, add it to a Library in File Explorer, or accept that random folders outside Libraries are not in this backup.

What this is not

This is not a reason to buy a Synology, a mesh kit, or cloud backup on day one. It is not an offsite backup. A second copy of the house folder on USB or another PC is still a backup of the house folder / copy to another old computer. It is not a full system image (that is Backup and Restore / wbadmin, a different tool). It is not forwarding SMB to the internet. macOS Time Machine is a different walk — that page is Mac only: back up a Mac to the house share with Time Machine.

What next

Leave the first backup finish. Keep using the photos share for day-to-day files: open the house share from a laptop. Watch disk room: see if the computer still has room. When you want a second copy of the house folder itself, that is still a backup of the house folder. A dedicated file box is later: a first file box (NAS).

Skip

• Skip this if you don't have a Windows PC.
• Skip this if the computer disk is already tight.
• Skip stuffing File History into the photos share.
• Skip buying a NAS for a first Windows file backup.
• Skip exposing SMB to the internet.
• Skip treating File History as your only copy of the house share.