Ultimate Backup only searches the folders and file types you have told it to search. By default it looks in the folders where photos are most often kept, and it looks for JPG and JPEG photos. If some of your files were skipped, they are most likely in a folder that is not ticked, or they are a file type that is not switched on. Both are fixed from the Settings screen.
Open Settings
- Plug your Ultimate Backup drive into the computer and open the Ultimate Backup app.
- Click Settings in the left-hand menu.
One dialog opens. It is the same on Windows and Mac, and it has three areas: Where to Search at the top, Search Summary at the bottom left, and What to Search at the bottom right.
Where to Search
The sidebar on the left lists the places Ultimate Backup can look:
- HOME - your user folder
- LIBRARY - your Photos Library
- DEVICES - your internal disk and any external drives
- ONLINE SERVICES
Click one and the main list shows the folders inside it, such as Pictures, Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Movies and Music. Each folder has a tick box.
- Click HOME and check that the folder holding your photos is ticked. If it is not, tick it.
- To reach a subfolder, click the > arrow next to a folder. Its subfolders appear with their own tick boxes, so you can tick or untick them one at a time.
- If your files are on an external drive or a network drive, click DEVICES. A drive appears there once it is connected to the computer, and you can tick its folders in the same way.
- Look at the Search Summary at the bottom left. It lists every location that will be searched. Click the x next to a location to remove it.
What to Search
The tick boxes at the bottom right decide which kinds of file Ultimate Backup collects from the folders above.
- If the missing files are not JPG or JPEG, tick More File Types. This adds other formats such as TIF, GIF, PNG, RAW, 3GP, RTF and CSV, and it is also how videos are included.
- If the missing files are documents or another type not covered above, tick Custom Search and type the file ending in the box beside it, for example .PDF. Add .JPG, .JPEG and .PNG to the box as well, or your photos will be skipped. See the notes below for why.
- Leave Exclude Pictures Under 50 KB ticked unless you are missing very small photos.
Save and run the backup again
- Click Save Settings. Your choices are kept for every future backup, so you only need to do this once.
- Go back to Home and click Start Backup.
If you want to undo your changes later, click Reset Search Options (Default Settings) at the bottom of the dialog.
What the options mean
More File Types. Adds formats beyond JPG and JPEG, including TIF, GIF, PNG, RAW and video files. Some of these are much larger than a JPG, so your drive fills up faster when they are included. Videos in particular take a lot of space. If your videos are kept somewhere unusual, add that folder under Where to Search as well, or they will not be found.
Custom Search. Lets you back up any file type by typing its extension in the field, for example .PDF, .PSD, .DOC or .XLS. Be aware that when Custom Search is on, Ultimate Backup searches only for the extensions you typed. If you still want your photos backed up, add .JPG, .JPEG and .PNG to the list too.
Exclude Pictures Under 50 KB. On by default. Clipart, album covers and website logos are usually smaller than 50 KB, so skipping them keeps junk off your drive. If you have small cropped or edited photos that are being missed, untick this box.
Virus Protection. An option that scans files for viruses during the backup.
Allow Duplicates and Clone your Ultimate Backup. Leave these unticked unless our support team asks you to turn them on. Clone ignores your previous backup history.
If you have any trouble getting all your files backed up, contact us and we will be happy to help.