Troubleshooting
The backup drive is not foundβ
Reconnect the recorded drive, wait for Windows to mount it, and use Choose another destination only if the actual storage changed. O&O AutoBackup checks volume identity and will not trust a matching drive letter alone.
Files were skipped because they are in useβ
Close the program using the files, then run the pair again. Email stores, browser data, databases, and virtual machines are common examples. The next run retries them.
The destination is fullβ
Free space, shorten retention, or move the backup to a larger destination. Managed retention removes eligible old restore points but keeps the newest version of every file.
A scheduled backup did not runβ
Check Settings β Autostart. O&O AutoBackup must start with Windows and remain in the notification area. Also check battery, idle, metered-network, startup-delay, and missing-drive states. The Home page usually names the active reason.
A network or cloud destination is unreachableβ
Confirm the URL or UNC path, internet or LAN connection, credentials, certificate trust, and provider availability. For an unattended network share, verify access under the same Windows account that runs O&O AutoBackup.
An encrypted backup will not openβ
Retry the password with Caps Lock checked. If it was forgotten, use the saved recovery key. There is no back door; without either credential, the data cannot be decrypted.
The backup view appears out of dateβ
If destination files were changed outside O&O AutoBackup, edit the pair and use Repair file list. This forces a slower full read of the destination.
Collect information for supportβ
Record the application version, pair, time, exact message, and steps to reproduce. Enable diagnostic logging only long enough to reproduce the issue, then attach the reviewed log to your private support case.