Backintime

Smart remove for backintime

[!NOTE] smart remove: source

keep one snapshot per month for all previous months of this year and all months of the last year
This mean, it's gonna take 3 backup for 3 months, 4 backup for 4 weeks, 7 backup for 7 days.

Exclude files

profile1.snapshots.exclude.1.value=target/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.2.value=SingletonLock
profile1.snapshots.exclude.3.value=SingletonCookie
profile1.snapshots.exclude.4.value=node_modules/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.5.value=lost+found/*
profile1.snapshots.exclude.6.value=lock
profile1.snapshots.exclude.7.value=Games/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.8.value=Applications/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.9.value=/var/tmp/*
profile1.snapshots.exclude.10.value=/var/cache/apt/archives/*.deb
profile1.snapshots.exclude.11.value=/var/backups/*
profile1.snapshots.exclude.12.value=/tmp/*
profile1.snapshots.exclude.13.value=/sys/*
profile1.snapshots.exclude.14.value=/swapfile
profile1.snapshots.exclude.15.value=/run/*
profile1.snapshots.exclude.16.value=/proc/*
profile1.snapshots.exclude.17.value=/home/developer/Downloads
profile1.snapshots.exclude.18.value=/home/developer/Documents/backup-for-cloud
profile1.snapshots.exclude.19.value=/etc/mtab
profile1.snapshots.exclude.20.value=/dev/*
profile1.snapshots.exclude.21.value=*node_modules
profile1.snapshots.exclude.22.value=*~
profile1.snapshots.exclude.23.value=*/.DS_Store
profile1.snapshots.exclude.24.value=*.venv*
profile1.snapshots.exclude.25.value=*.ruff_cache
profile1.snapshots.exclude.26.value=*.pyc
profile1.snapshots.exclude.27.value=*.backup*
profile1.snapshots.exclude.28.value=*.angular/cache
profile1.snapshots.exclude.29.value=.wine
profile1.snapshots.exclude.30.value=.var/app/com.spotify.Client/cache
profile1.snapshots.exclude.31.value=.var/app/**/[Cc]ache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.32.value=.thumbnails*
profile1.snapshots.exclude.33.value=.stversions
profile1.snapshots.exclude.34.value=.pytest_cache
profile1.snapshots.exclude.35.value=.Private
profile1.snapshots.exclude.36.value=.npm/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.37.value=.mypy_cache
profile1.snapshots.exclude.38.value=.local/share/umu
profile1.snapshots.exclude.39.value=.local/share/Steam
profile1.snapshots.exclude.40.value=.local/share/lutris
profile1.snapshots.exclude.41.value=.local/share/containers/storage/overlay
profile1.snapshots.exclude.42.value=.local/share/[Tt]rash*
profile1.snapshots.exclude.43.value=.local/lib
profile1.snapshots.exclude.44.value=.gvfs
profile1.snapshots.exclude.45.value=.dropbox*
profile1.snapshots.exclude.46.value=.config/heroic
profile1.snapshots.exclude.47.value=.config_Backup
profile1.snapshots.exclude.48.value=.cargo/registry
profile1.snapshots.exclude.49.value=.cargo/cache
profile1.snapshots.exclude.50.value=.cache/*
profile1.snapshots.exclude.51.value=__pycache__/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.52.value=.mozilla/firefox/**/cache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.53.value=.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default/Service Worker/CacheStorage/
# TESTING
profile1.snapshots.exclude.54.value=.config/Code/Cache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.55.value=.config/Code/CachedData/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.56.value=.config/Code/CachedExtensionVSIXs/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.57.value=.config/Code/CachedExtensions/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.58.value=.config/Code/GPUCache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.59.value=.config/Code/Service Worker/CacheStorage/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.60.value=.config/Code/Service Worker/ScriptCache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.61.value=.config/Code/User/workspaceStorage/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.62.value=.vscode-server/extensionsCache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.63.value=.vscode-server/data/CachedExtensions/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.64.value=.vscode-server/data/CachedProfilesData/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.65.value=.local/share/zed/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.66.value=.local/state/zed/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.67.value=.config/*/Cache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.68.value=.config/*/GPUCache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.69.value=.config/*/Code Cache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.70.value=.config/*/Service Worker/CacheStorage/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.71.value=.config/*/Service Worker/ScriptCache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.72.value=.pnpm-store/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.73.value=.yarn/cache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.74.value=.yarn/unplugged/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.75.value=.parcel-cache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.76.value=.turbo/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.77.value=.next/cache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.78.value=.nuxt/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.79.value=.storybook-out/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.80.value=.vite/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.81.value=.esbuild/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.82.value=.ipynb_checkpoints/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.83.value=.jupyter/lab/staging/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.84.value=.jupyter/lab/workspaces/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.85.value=.cargo/git/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.86.value=.gradle/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.87.value=.m2/repository/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.88.value=.local/share/docker/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.89.value=.local/share/containers/cache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.90.value=.local/share/containers/storage/overlay-images/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.91.value=dist/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.92.value=build/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.93.value=out/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.94.value=coverage/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.95.value=logs/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.96.value=*.log
profile1.snapshots.exclude.97.value=*.tmp
profile1.snapshots.exclude.98.value=*.cache
profile1.snapshots.exclude.99.value=.config/*/Cache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.100.value=.config/*/Code Cache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.101.value=.config/*/GPUCache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.102.value=.config/*/DawnGraphiteCache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.103.value=.config/*/DawnWebGPUCache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.104.value=.config/*/IndexedDB/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.105.value=.config/*/blob_storage/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.106.value=.config/*/Session Storage/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.107.value=.config/*/Local Storage/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.108.value=.config/*/shared_proto_db/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.109.value=.config/*/Dictionaries/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.110.value=.config/*/Service Worker/CacheStorage/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.111.value=.config/*/Service Worker/ScriptCache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.112.value=.config/*/Crashpad/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.113.value=.config/*/*.log
profile1.snapshots.exclude.114.value=.var/app/*/cache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.115.value=.var/app/*/config/*/Cache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.116.value=.var/app/*/config/*/GPUCache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.117.value=.var/app/*/config/*/Code Cache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.118.value=.local/share/*/Cache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.119.value=.local/share/*/GPUCache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.120.value=.local/share/*/Code Cache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.121.value=.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/ShaderCache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.122.value=.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/GrShaderCache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.123.value=.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/GraphiteDawnCache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.124.value=.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/component_crx_cache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.125.value=.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/extensions_crx_cache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.126.value=.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Guest Profile/GPUCache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.127.value=.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default/GPUCache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.128.value=.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default/DawnCache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.129.value=.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default/optimization_guide_hint_cache_store/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.130.value=.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default/Shared Dictionary/cache/
profile1.snapshots.exclude.131.value=.config/BraveSoftware/Brave-Browser/Default/Service Worker/ScriptCache/

Storage

How to copy the backup files without losing hard links(incremental)

[!NOTE]

If you don't use the H you end up creating new folder for each hard link which it would make 25G backup 125G

1) Copy the existing backup directory to the new partition (preserving hard-links)

Back In Time stores each snapshot with lots of hard links between unchanged files. A normal file copy would break these links and make all backups huge — but rsync can preserve them:

rsync -avhH --progress /mnt/sda2/backintime /mnt/backups/

-a archive mode (preserves permissions, timestamps) -h human-readable -H important: preserves hard links so your incrementals stay incrementals --progress just shows progress (Hammer’s Blog)

2) Update Back In Time’s config with the new path

Once the backup data is on the new partition, Back In Time still has the old location in its config. You need to edit this manually:

Open your config file, usually at:

~/.config/backintime/config

Find the line (for your profile):

profile1.snapshots.path=/old/backup/path

Change it to your new mount point:

profile1.snapshots.path=/new/backup/path

Save and close.

💡 Now Back In Time will point to the new location and see your existing snapshot history. (Ask Ubuntu)

3) Verify & Run a Backup

After making the config change:

Start Back In Time → you should see your old snapshots listed.
Run a backup — the next snapshot should hard-link unchanged files to the old ones, just like before.

If it shows a full backup copying everything again, it usually means:

Hard links weren’t preserved in the move, or
The path in the config still doesn’t match the actual backup hierarchy.

⚠️ Things to Watch

The new partition must be on a filesystem that supports hard-links (e.g., ext4, XFS, Btrfs). NTFS, FAT32, some network filesystems don’t — Back In Time won’t share unchanged files properly. (backintime.readthedocs.io)
Make sure the partition is mounted before Back In Time runs — if it can’t find the path, it will fail.