Windows Live Writer is software that lets you write and save blog content on your computer, allowing for offline editing and previewing. But it does not have any built-in backup options, and does not allow you to change the location where it saves your content.
Backup tools like SugarSync and Dropbox can both be used to automatically sync and backup your Windows Live Writer content, though it is easier to do so using SugarSync, while Dropbox requires a few extra steps.
Backup Windows Live Writer Content Online With SugarSync
SugarSync allows you to automatically backup and sync content from any folder on your computer. You just need to allow SugarSync to backup and sync your Windows Live Writer content folder, which is named “My Weblog Posts”.
- Install SugarSync with a free 5 GB account or paid account, if you don’t already have it.
- Under your “My Documents” folder, find the “My Weblog Posts” folder. Right-click on the “My Weblog Posts” folder, then go to “SugarSync”, and “Add Folder to SugarSync”.
That’s all. Now your Windows Live Writer drafts, posts, and pages will be backed up and kept updated automatically using SugarSync.
Backup Windows Live Writer Content Online With Dropbox
Dropbox allows you to automatically backup and sync content from a single primary folder and all its subfolders. If your “My Weblog Posts” folder is a subfolder of your primary Dropbox folder, then nothing more needs to be done as, of course, it is already being backed up and synced.
But this is probably not the case for most people. So since the location of Windows Live Writer’s saved files cannot be changed, using Dropbox to backup your content requires a workaround.
The basic workaround solution involves moving the “My Weblog Posts” folder, while making Windows Live Writer think that the folder location has not changed. The details are given below (credit for this solution goes to the original post by another author here).
- Install Dropbox with a free 2.5 GB account (with 500 MB referral bonus) or paid account, if you don’t already have it.
- Install Link Shell Extension, or Link Shell Extension (64-bit). This will allow steps 4 and 5 to be completed.
- With Windows Live Writer closed, move the “My Weblog Posts” folder from your “My Documents” folder, to anywhere in your Dropbox folder.
- Right-click on the “My Weblog Posts” folder in Dropbox, then select “Pick Link Source”.
- Back in your “My Documents” folder, right-click on an empty space and select “Drop As”, then “Junction”. In “My Documents”, the “My Weblog Posts” folder will now have a folder icon with a small link at the bottom, as shown below.
Now your Windows Live Writer content will be backed up and synced using Dropbox.