# What is "(do not include files)" when creating a backup manually?
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-do-not-include-files-when-creating-a-backup-manually/33568
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [9월 22, 2015, 9:41오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-do-not-include-files-when-creating-a-backup-manually/33568 "2015-09-22T09:41:59Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@dandv](https://meta.discourse.org/u/dandv)
#### Post date: [9월 22, 2015, 9:41오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-do-not-include-files-when-creating-a-backup-manually/33568/1 "2015-09-22T09:41:59Z")
When attempting to create a new backup, I get dialog with the options `Yes` and `Yes (do not include files)`:
What files is that dialog talking about? Source files so the forum’s condition can be reproduced reliably? Uploaded ones? Would be nice and easy to specify.
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### Author:  [@Tom\_Newsom](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Tom_Newsom)
#### Post date: [9월 22, 2015, 9:42오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-do-not-include-files-when-creating-a-backup-manually/33568/2 "2015-09-22T09:42:42Z")
It means uploaded files and images.
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### Author:  [@dandv](https://meta.discourse.org/u/dandv)
#### Post date: [9월 22, 2015, 9:48오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-do-not-include-files-when-creating-a-backup-manually/33568/3 "2015-09-22T09:48:55Z")
I’ve just triggered a manual backup with “Yes (do not include files)” and it’s ~20x as small as the automatic backup that occurred yesterday:
I’ve just migrated the forum from MyBB and there are no attachments (the migration doesn’t support them). What causes the difference in [size](https://meta.discourse.org/t/why-are-backups-so-large/31401)? Is the last backup incremental? Are linked images from remote URLs downloaded in the first one?
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### Author:  [@zogstrip](https://meta.discourse.org/u/zogstrip)
#### Post date: [9월 22, 2015, 10:18오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-do-not-include-files-when-creating-a-backup-manually/33568/4 "2015-09-22T10:18:45Z")
> [@dandv](#):
>
> What causes the difference in size?
Basically, everything that is inside the “`uploads`” folder.
This folder contains all the images (the ones included in posts, avatars, user cards and profile backgrounds) as well as optimized thumbnails.
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### Author:  [@Fabio\_Machado\_de\_Oli](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Fabio_Machado_de_Oli)
#### Post date: [9월 22, 2015, 10:54오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-do-not-include-files-when-creating-a-backup-manually/33568/5 "2015-09-22T10:54:56Z")
If you have lots of duplicated images, there are tools that identify and replace duplicated files with symbolic links on Linux, in theory it should work well (never tested).
If you have a forum with lots of reaction gifs it would be a good case for file deduplication, I think.
Be carefull if you try this, backup everything and etc
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### Author:  [@zogstrip](https://meta.discourse.org/u/zogstrip)
#### Post date: [9월 22, 2015, 11:02오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-do-not-include-files-when-creating-a-backup-manually/33568/6 "2015-09-22T11:02:24Z")
> [@Fabio\_Machado\_de\_Oli](#):
>
> If you have lots of duplicated images, there are tools that identify and replace duplicated files with symbolic links on Linux, in theory it should work well (never tested).
I highly recommend that you do not mess with files that are in the “`uploads`” folders or you are in for a world of pain.
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### Author:  [@codinghorror](https://meta.discourse.org/u/codinghorror)
#### Post date: [9월 22, 2015, 11:25오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-do-not-include-files-when-creating-a-backup-manually/33568/7 "2015-09-22T11:25:54Z")
Hmm @sam is this another benefit of [avatars.discourse.org](http://avatars.discourse.org) the local server does not have to store a zillion copies of the generic avatars?
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### Author:  [@system](https://meta.discourse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [11월 9, 2018, 10:57오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-do-not-include-files-when-creating-a-backup-manually/33568/8 "2018-11-09T10:57:29Z")
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### Author:  [@sam](https://meta.discourse.org/u/sam)
#### Post date: [11월 12, 2018, 5:49오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-do-not-include-files-when-creating-a-backup-manually/33568/9 "2018-11-12T05:49:24Z")
Yes, our letter avatars only live on our CDN. It does reduce storage.
That said, user uploaded avatars are “optimized” multiple times for various sizes so user uploaded avatars are effectively stored 6 times or so in different sizes in backups.
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### Author:  [@system](https://meta.discourse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [12월 12, 2018, 5:49오전 UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/what-is-do-not-include-files-when-creating-a-backup-manually/33568/10 "2018-12-12T05:49:26Z")
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