Windows Defender Controlled Folder Access and Carbonite

• This article is for Windows only

Windows Defender’s Controlled Folder Access, a feature introduced in Windows 10 Fall Creator’s Edition, can prevent Carbonite from being installed or from performing backup and restore operations.

Controlled Folder Access prevents unknown or unauthorized programs (including ransomware) from writing to common folder locations such as Desktop, Documents, Pictures, and Movies. If enabled, Controlled Folder Access will prevent Carbonite from being installed or updated, and from being able to back up or restore data, leaving your files unprotected. As a result, it is not recommended to actively use both Carbonite and Controlled Folder Access on the same computer.

At this time, Controlled Folder Access is disabled by default. However, if you are backing up a work computer, it is possible that your Systems Administrator may have enabled this feature for you.

You can verify whether this feature is enabled on your machine by navigating to Windows Defender Security Center > Virus & Threat Protection > Virus & Threat Protection Settings > Manage Controlled Folder Access.