Windows Backup Tool

A compact backup utility to mirror selected folders (e.g., %AppData%) into a target directory on Windows.
It performs incremental copies, supports exclusions, scheduling, and offers a simple GUI.

Why?
I created this tool to ensure that all my game and application save/config files on my GPD Win are backed up to an SD card, excluding unnecessary program folders.
Many utilities copy everything blindly or create massive snapshots. Applications can be reinstalled easily; your save files and settings are what matter.
Moreover, %AppData% has become cluttered with junk from Electron apps. This tool lets you precisely copy only useful files.

Features

• Absolute-path mirroring
  Preserves original folder structure under the target (e.g., C:\Users\Foo\AppData\… → Backup\C\Users\Foo\AppData\…).
• Incremental copies
  Skips unchanged files (by size & timestamp, with optional SHA‑1 checksum).
• Exclusion dialog
  Easily select which folders/files to include or exclude.
• Live size estimate
  Dynamically shows the estimated backup size after applying exclusions.
• Scheduler integration
  Create Windows Task Scheduler triggers: Daily, Weekly, On Logon, On Idle, On Unlock.
• Multi‑threaded
  Concurrent file copying for speed.
• Progress & logging
  Real‑time progress bar and detailed logs.
• Background preferences
  Decide whether to show the console progress window or close immediately, and monitor the time of the last successful backup directly in the GUI.
• Quiet tray indicator
  Optional spinner in the Windows tray while scheduled backups run silently, so games stay fullscreen without stray consoles.
• Floating overlay
  A small translucent bubble can pop up (configurable) when backups finish, providing feedback without minimizing full-screen apps.
• Zero‑install
  Just run the .exe or Python script—no installer needed.

Dialog for excluding folders and files

Quick Start

1. Install dependencies

   pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Launch GUI

   python main.py

   • If no flags are passed, the GUI will be launched. Admin rights will be requested if needed.
   • Choose Backup Target and Source folders.
   • Configure Exclusions via the tree view.
   • Select Schedule triggers and click Save.

Settings are saved to %AppData%\BackupTool\config.json.

CLI Mode

Run a backup using saved settings (for Task Scheduler or scripts):

python main.py --backup

Create a traversal debug log on the Desktop (timestamped) to inspect which folders are entered or skipped:

python main.py --backup --debug

When running the GUI, the same flag enables debug logging for the Run backup button (log is created when the backup starts):

python main.py --debug

Optionally provide a custom log path:

python main.py --backup --debug "D:\logs\backup_debug.txt"

If the Show console progress option is disabled, you can enable Show tray icon while backing up in the GUI.
This keeps scheduled runs completely silent and instead displays a temporary tray spinner that disappears when the job finishes.
To also get a subtle success/error hint, enable Show floating bubble when finished—it fades in/out above other windows without stealing focus.

Launch GUI with a visible console window (for debugging):

python main.py --dev

Note: SHA‑1 verification is supported internally but not exposed in the interface yet.

Scheduling

When you click Save, scheduled tasks are created/removed in Task Scheduler under the BackupTool folder:

• Daily @ 03:00
• Weekly (Mon @ 03:00)
• On Logon
• On Idle (20 min)
• On Unlock

You can toggle these options in the GUI at any time.

Localization

Translations are managed with Babel.
To update:

./update_translations.ps1

• locales/app.pot: template
• locales/<lang>/LC_MESSAGES/*.po/.mo: language files

Qt interface is localized only when the system language is Russian (LANG=ru_*)

Building Executable

Generate a standalone .exe:

pyinstaller --onefile --uac-admin --name BackupTool --add-data "locales;locales" --add-data "icon;icon" --icon icon/icon.ico main.py

--uac-admin: requests elevated privileges when launched
Result is saved in dist/BackupTool.exe.

Logs

• No persistent log file; monitor progress and messages in the GUI log window or console output
• backup_errors_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS.log is saved to Desktop if errors occur

Development

To modify or extend the application:

• Configuration storage is in %APPDATA%\BackupTool\config.json. Models and serialization logic are defined in src/config.py.
• Backup logic is implemented in src/copier.py. To add new behaviors (e.g., checksum algorithms, custom filters), update the run_backup() function.
• GUI components reside in src/gui/:
  • MainWindow.py manages the main settings window and triggers.
  • ExcludeDialog.py handles exclusion tree and size calculation.
  • SizeWorker.py computes backup size in background.
• Scheduling lives in src/scheduler.py. Extend the TASKS dict and add corresponding checkboxes in MainWindow._build_ui() to support new triggers.
• Localization uses Babel and gettext. Wrap strings with _(). Update translations via ./update_translations.ps1 and edit .po files under locales/.
• Executable build relies on PyInstaller. The spec command is shown above.
• Dependencies are maintained in requirements.txt. Install with pip install -r requirements.txt.

Contributions, bug reports and feature requests are welcome via GitHub issues or pull requests.