Updating the schedule and Storage Vaults of existing Protected Items through User Policies in Comet Backup

Kuzma Ivanov

Updated November 11, 2026 10:14

Question

Can I update the schedule and Storage Vaults for existing Protected Items through my User Policies?

Answer

Not directly. There is currently no process to update existing Protected Items through User Policies. Policy changes apply only to new Protected Items.

The schedule set in a policy is not applied retroactively. If it was changed after a Protected Item was created, that item may have no schedule times saved, so backups run only when started manually.

If you'd like to see this added, please vote on the feature request: Option to apply schedule changes made within policies to existing protected items.

To get schedule changes onto existing Protected Items, use one of these methods:

Policy-linked default Protected Item: configure the schedule on a default Protected Item in the policy and select the option that keeps it tied to the policy version. Updates then apply automatically to all users on that policy. Only the enforced type is applied retroactively, so this doesn't work if the option is unchecked, as on older policies.
"Update existing devices": forces local Protected Items to inherit the policy's settings. This generally overwrites local settings, including exclusions.
Replace an unenforced default Protected Item: create a new default Protected Item in the policy with enforcement set to "Always", then delete the original. Confirm when asked "Do you want to delete the existing Protected Items created by this policy?". The device schedules are then updated.
Manual update: add the schedule times to each existing Protected Item, or recreate it. If the policy blocks editing, clear "Prevent editing Protected Items", update the schedules, then enable it again.

Retention rules in a user policy are not written into each Protected Item. They apply through the policy, particularly when "Enforce this retention policy for all Storage Vaults" is enabled.