# Change source data path

**URL:** <https://forum.duplicati.com/t/change-source-data-path/9712>\
**Category:** Uncategorized\
**Created:** [April 25, 2020, 9:06pm UTC](https://forum.duplicati.com/t/change-source-data-path/9712 "2020-04-25T21:06:59Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jimb0p](https://forum.duplicati.com/user_avatar/forum.duplicati.com/jimb0p/32/4306_2.png) [@jimb0p](https://forum.duplicati.com/u/jimb0p)\
**Post date:** [April 25, 2020, 9:06pm UTC](https://forum.duplicati.com/t/change-source-data-path/9712/1 "2020-04-25T21:06:59Z")

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Hi, can I change the source data path if the files moved to another drive or do I have to create a new backup? Thx.

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**Author:** ![drwtsn32](https://forum.duplicati.com/user_avatar/forum.duplicati.com/drwtsn32/32/2591_2.png) [@drwtsn32](https://forum.duplicati.com/u/drwtsn32)\
**Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 3:22am UTC](https://forum.duplicati.com/t/change-source-data-path/9712/2 "2020-04-26T03:22:57Z")

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You can just update the source path. Duplicati will need to reprocess those files but it won’t need to reupload the data thanks to the deduplication feature.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![jimb0p](https://forum.duplicati.com/user_avatar/forum.duplicati.com/jimb0p/32/4306_2.png) [@jimb0p](https://forum.duplicati.com/u/jimb0p)\
**Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 3:22pm UTC](https://forum.duplicati.com/t/change-source-data-path/9712/3 "2020-04-26T15:22:54Z")

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> [@drwtsn32](#):
>
> e the source path. Duplicati will need to reprocess those files but it won’t need to reupload the data thanks to the deduplication feature.

Thx a lot. But what if the new source path is a network path (smb over VPN)? Does duplicati download every file again and creates a hash or sth.? Or will it just check the timestamps?

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**Author:** ![drwtsn32](https://forum.duplicati.com/user_avatar/forum.duplicati.com/drwtsn32/32/2591_2.png) [@drwtsn32](https://forum.duplicati.com/u/drwtsn32)\
**Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 7:57pm UTC](https://forum.duplicati.com/t/change-source-data-path/9712/4 "2020-04-26T19:57:27Z")

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If Duplicati hasn’t seen the files before (at this exact path) it is going to read their contents.

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**Author:** ![ts678](https://forum.duplicati.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/8491ac/32.png) [@ts678](https://forum.duplicati.com/u/ts678)\
**Post date:** [April 26, 2020, 11:40pm UTC](https://forum.duplicati.com/t/change-source-data-path/9712/5 "2020-04-26T23:40:53Z")

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Welcome to the forum @jimb0p

Depending on OS, you might be able to have Duplicati scan the the files at the new path before making them SMB-remote. BTW local source is preferred because the scanning for changed files will run faster.

Here’s an example of a file that’s going to have its changes backed up because it looked like it changed:

> 2020-03-25 10:40:43 -04 - [Verbose-Duplicati.Library.Main.Operation.Backup.FilePreFilterProcess.FileEntry-CheckFileForChanges]: Checking file for changes C:\PortableApps\Notepad++Portable\App\Notepad++\backup\webpages.txt@2020-03-24\_110030, new: False, timestamp changed: True, size changed: True, metadatachanged: True, 3/25/2020 1:58:40 PM vs 3/25/2020 1:37:54 PM