WD SmartWare File Pending Backup - Why and How to Solve It?

Have you encountered the WD SmartWare file pending backup that leads to files not backed up? This article will show you how to resolve it effectively.

Lily

by Lily Updated on July 6, 2023

Share this: instagram reddit

Quick Navigation:

An error occurs: WD SmartWare file pending backup

Western Digital (WD) has released a kind of data backup software called WD SmartWare. It allows you to constantly backup files to almost all WD storage devices or backup to Dropbox. If you lose some files unexpectedly, you can use this software to restore the files back to an earlier version.

However, users do meet some problems while using this backup tool. For example, many users have encountered WD SmartWare file pending backup - it just will not continue to backup files no matter how long you wait.

It is rather troublesome when you set a schedule backup for essential files. Several days after setting the schedule backup, then you check the backup files, only to find that no backup was created. What a disaster if the files not backed up get lost! Therefore, what can you do when WD SmartWare stops backing up files?

File Pending Backup

How to solve file pending backup WD SmartWare effectively

When you use WD SmartWare to create a backup, SmartWare will add almost all the files you include in the backup in the file pending backup list at the beginning and then start to backup one by one. You may be confronted with WD SmartWare not backing up all files in the following situations:

  • If one of the files to be backed up gets deleted or renamed, then SmartWare cannot locate the file. Therefore, the file will keep in the file backup pending queue.

  • If the file is in use by other programs, it cannot be backed up.

  • If you are trying to backup Outlook PST files, you may get the error of WD SmartWare PST file pending backup, because PST files change frequently, and WD SmartWare will only backup the Outlook files once a day.

In order to get all files backed up, you can recreate the backup at a clean boot, which means no other programs will be started at the startup. If that doesn’t take effect, you can reinstall the WD SmartWare and try an older or newer version of this software. However, if you are done with WD SmartWare because of this problem, you can find a free alternative to WD SmartWare that is handy to use.

Quickly backup files with WD SmartWare alternative

If you find that WD SmartWare not backing up large files in the pending backup list, then you can switch to AOMEI Backupper Standard, free backup software designed for Windows 11/10/8/7.

★ It allows you to backup not only specific files or folders but also the operating system, a local or external hard drive, etc.
★ It supports various storage devices, including WD, Samsung, SanDisk, and Crucial drives. You can backup to any device you prefer.
★ It provides incremental backup and differential backup in order to save backup space and time.

Before starting a backup, it will create a snapshot of all the files that you determine to backup, so it will not go wrong when the files being backed up are in use. Let’s see how easily a backup can be done by AOMEI Backupper.

1. Download and run this free image backup tool.

Download Freeware Win 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
Secure Download

2. Click Backup and select your desired backup type. Here I choose File Backup.

File Backup

3. Give the task a name. Then, click Add File or Add Folder to select the files/folders you want to backup. In the file selection window, you can also drag and drop the needed files/folders into AOMEI Backupper.

Add Folder/File

4. Click the second bar to choose a location on your internal/external hard drive or network shared folder to save the backup image.

Select Destination

5. Click Schedule in the left bottom to create a schedule for the backup if needed. Then click Start Backup to start the backup process.

Start Backup

To sum up

If you cannot get WD SmartWare file pending backup to work, AOMEI Backupper is your best choice. Besides backup and recovery, it also gives you the ability to clone hard drive to an SSD or another HDD for upgrading hard drive. If you want to backup files in Windows Server 2019/2016/2012, etc, then AOMEI Backupper Server is available.

Lily
Lily · Editor
Lily Green joined AOMEI in 2018 and has since become a professional in the areas of data protection and data transfer. She is committed to helping users protect their precious computer data and troubleshoot Windows system errors. She consistently stays vigilant about the latest trends in technology, guaranteeing that the given information aligned with the ongoing advancements in the field.