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 |