# Advanced filter patterns and wildcard reference - Windows and UNIX

Use this page for complete filter syntax, advanced wildcard usage, and edge-case scenarios. For common filtering tasks, see Filters for backup content.

## Wildcard syntax reference

Pattern | Description | Example | Behavior
--- | --- | --- | ---
`*` | Matches any number of characters | `*.doc` | Matches all files with `.doc` extension
`**` | Matches any directory level | `C:\**\file.txt` | Matches file at any depth
`***` | Matches directory and all contents | `C:\Folder\***` | Filters directory and entire subtree
`?` | Matches a single character | `file?.txt` | Matches single-character variations
`[a-z]` | Matches a character range | `file[a-z].txt` | Matches files within range
`[!a-z]` | Matches characters NOT in range | `[!A]*.txt` | Excludes matching prefixes
`<MR>.ext` | Matches files by extension only | `<MR>.bak` | Filters files only, not folders

## Wildcard behavior rules

Rule | Behavior
--- | ---
Case sensitivity | Filters are not case-sensitive
No match | Backup completes even if no files match
Evaluation order | Exclusions applied before exceptions
Directory traversal | `**` matches levels, `***` includes full directory tree
Performance | `***` improves efficiency for large directories

## Path matching behavior

Scenario | Behavior
--- | ---
Match file at any directory level | Uses `**` to traverse all levels
Match entire directory and contents | Uses `***` for full recursive filtering
Match folder pattern at any depth | Combine folder name with `**`
Match across all drives | Use `*:\` prefix (Windows)
Match UNIX directory structures | Use `/`-based paths

## System-defined filters

### SF (system filters)

Filter | Description | Behavior
--- | --- | ---
`<SF,RecycleBin *>` | All recycle bin directories | Filters all recycle bin locations
`<SF,UsbConnectedDrives>` | USB storage | Filters removable media

### WKF (well-known folders)

Filter | Description | Behavior
--- | --- | ---
`<WKF,LocalAppData>\Temp` | User temp directory | Filters local temporary files
`<WKF,TemporaryInternetFiles>` | Browser cache | Filters internet temp files

### BIF (built-in filters)

Filter | Description | Behavior
--- | --- | ---
`<BIF,+MSExchange>` | Exchange data | Excludes Exchange database files
`<BIF,+SQLServer>` | SQL Server data | Excludes SQL database files
`<BIF,+OracleDatabase>` | Oracle data | Excludes Oracle database files
`<BIF,+HyperV>` | Hyper-V data | Excludes virtual machine data
`<BIF,-SystemProtectedFiles>` | System file override | Includes protected OS files

## Advanced expressions

### Include from external file

Pattern | Description | Behavior
--- | --- | ---
`<INCLUDE,C:\list.txt>` | Reads file paths from a file | Filters based on listed entries
### Escape syntax |  |

Pattern | Description | Behavior
--- | --- | ---
`<P:e='>` | Defines escape character | Treats special characters as literals
`<P:e=~>` | Alternate escape character | Allows flexible escaping

### Escape behavior

Scenario | Behavior
--- | ---
Match literal brackets | Prevents wildcard interpretation
Match special characters in names | Uses escape prefix
Match bracket ranges literally | Overrides range matching

## Specialized filtering scenarios

Scenario | Behavior
--- | ---
Filter system paging file | Excludes OS paging file
Filter staging directories | Excludes staging paths
Filter files with special characters | Matches pattern-based names
Filter temporary directories | Removes temp folder content

## Exception behavior

Scenario | Filter | Exception | Result
--- | --- | --- | ---
Exclude all content | `*` | — | Nothing is backed up
Include selective files | `*` | `[!~]*.7z` | Only matching files are backed up
Override directory exclusion | Directory filter | Specific file path | File is included in backup

## System state filtering (windows only)

Caution

Excluding critical system state components can affect restore operations.

Pattern | Description | Behavior
--- | --- | ---
`{ComponentName}` | Filters system component | Excludes component from backup
`{IIS}` | IIS component | Excludes IIS configuration
`{Content Indexing Catalogs}` | Indexing data | Excludes indexing catalogs

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