Troubleshoot-file-recovery-options
Back up copies of files and folders that you want to recover must exist if you want to use file recovery. The copies must be accessible, and you must have the appropriate tool to recover files and folders. File History, the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) tool, and Azure Backup do not create backup copies until you configure them. For example, on the Previous Versions tab in the File Properties dialog box, a previous version of the file will not be available until File History or the Windows Backup and Restore (Windows 7) tool creates a backup copy of that file.
If you use Azure Backup, you can store backup copies of files and folders located locally, in a shared folder, or in Microsoft Azure. Backup copies must be available if you want to perform file recovery. For example, if you create backup copies on a removable disk, that disk must be attached to your Windows computer if you want to perform file recovery. If backup copies are stored in a shared folder, you must have network connectivity to the file server, and have permissions to access the shared folder to be able to recover files. If your backup is stored in Microsoft Azure, you must have the following: Internet connectivity, the Microsoft Azure Backup program, vault credentials, and a passphrase to be able to perform file recovery. You always can download current vault credentials from the Microsoft Azure portal.
A passphrase is generated on the computer on which you create a backup, and you use it to encrypt your backup. You should store your passphrase securely, as you will not be able to recover data without a valid passphrase. If you want to recover files on a computer other than the one on which you created the backup, you need to provide vault credentials and a passphrase. You cannot access backup content if you misplace or lose the passphrase that you used for encrypting backup.
Note
If you cannot access a file backup that is stored remotely, you should use standard network troubleshooting. You should perform local storage troubleshooting if a file backup is stored locally and the backup location is not accessible. For example, if the local disk is connected and it displays in Device Manager and Disk Management, you should look for any disk-related entries in Event Viewer.
File History stores backups in a folder hierarchy. You can restore the backup when you use Previous Versions or File History only on the computer on which backup was created. If you want to restore files and folders from a backup, on different computer than that on which you created it, you need to copy and rename the files and folders manually.