Learn about the wbadmin delete backup keepversions command. Our Server Management Support team is here to help you with your questions and concerns.

Use wbadmin delete command to delete old backup files

Did you know that the wbadmin delete backup keepversions command allows us to delete older versions of backups?

Furthermore, this command allows us to keep a specific number of the most recent backups as well. This ensures that we always have a recent backup available in case of data loss or disaster recovery.

When we perform a backup using Windows Server Backup, the backup files are stored in a specified location on our computer or network. Over time, these backup files tend to take up a lot of disk space. Hence it is essential to delete older versions to free up space. This is where the wbadmin delete backup keepversions command comes in handy.

Let’s take a quick look at the syntax for the command:

wbadmin delete backup -keepVersions:<number of versions> -backupTarget:<backup target>

Where:

• delete backup:

  This indicates that we want to delete backups.
• -keepVersions:

  This indicates the number of backup versions we want to keep. While the older versions are deleted, the most recent versions are kept.
• -backupTarget:

  We can specify the location of the backup files that we want to delete with this parameter.

How to delete Old System State Backups

1. First, right-click the Start icon and choose Command Prompt from the menu.
2. Then enter the following command and click enter:

   Type wbadmin delete systemstatebackup -keepVersions:3

   The above command pushes the system to delete all existing system stat backups except the latest three versions.

Our experts would like to point out that this command deletes only those backups that were created using Windows Server Backup. Hence if we have other backup files or versions that we want to delete, we may have to manually delete them or use third-party backup software.

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Conclusion

To conclude, our Support Techs introduced us to “wbadmin delete backup keepversions” command and demonstrated how to use it.