Forum Discussion
File History Broken After KB5101684 & KB5120249?
Hello everyone,(Note: I previously posted this issue on several community channels and feedback hubs, but only received a few hundred views and a few responses. Because this issue severely impacts daily backups on multiple machines, and there has been no clear official response, I am summarizing and refining the technical details here to help other IT users and track the scope of this issue.) This is not spam.
Others also reported an anomaly in the file history log when updating security patch KB5101650 on July 14th.
I am tracking a file history error that exists on two completely different hardware configurations. Both machines were running perfectly before installing these updates, requiring no manual folder redirection or configuration changes.
Affected Environments:
- Laptop: Windows 11 25H2 → KB5101684 (Installed July 29, 2026)
- Desktop: Windows 10 22H2 → KB5120249 (Installed August 12, 2026)
Observed Symptoms:
- Copying physical files to the backup drive (D drive) still works normally.
- The Last Backup timestamp in File History in Control Panel remains unchanged.
- Newly created files (Word documents, images, videos) consistently display No previous version available under Properties.
The automatic backup correction dates for some unbacked-up files and folders (desktop, favorites) have also changed.
Temporary Workaround: To force a logger restore:
- Open Control Panel > File History > Select Choose Drive in the left-hand menu.
- Reselect your existing backup drive and save.
If you encounter the exact same file history failure on Windows 10 or 11, click I'm having this problem too and leave your system version information. Collective data is our best tool for pushing Microsoft engineering to release official patches.
4 Replies
The File History service fails during its startup process, generating an ESENT database error (-621) that prevents the service from enabling. This leads to the behavior you see: clicking "Turn on" does nothing, and the service remains stopped.
I was able to fix it, but new problem keeps showing up
first- i found out the File History stop updating the file's newer version, latest backup in File History is around 1-2 months ago
- I go to delete File History's files to set it up anew > but File History not accepting my drive > i find solution in the internet of deleting File History's cache, fixed > but File history now won't run, clicking "turn on" does nothing, seem to run but then stop, won't turning on > find solution in this site by putting code in CMD as administrator, fixed
BUT NOW, it duplicates files even if the file changes nothing, and as because it keep duplicating, the File Restore menu of File History won't show anything; it keeps saying that "File History is running for the first time..." > i continues to try, but I'm stuck here, files keep duplicating in File History's folders and won't allow me to open its menu to restore file, also there is no version of the file that is already has its backup in File History's folders
So yeah 😅 darkness on all sides, it working but can't use it to restore anything now, even if it keep duplicating the file, so i guess i can only manually pick the file's backup now
