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Editorial Team
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Asked: 2026-06-14T08:24:28+00:00

I am learning about the file attribute enum and have a two questions which

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I am learning about the file attribute enum and have a two questions which I can’t find a concrete answer to (although I have my own opinion).

My application checks to see if the Archive flag has been set or not. During my testing, I create a .txt file on my desktop, and removed the flag to archive. I then opened the file, added a line of text and saved the file. The attribute Archive was re-set. This is logical and desirable.

My first question is, what is setting the flag, the program or the OS?

My second question is, should I ever be setting the flags or for the most part can I rely on the OS (assuming that the OS is the thing which sets the flags).

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  1. Editorial Team

    You can control the archive file attribute flag using the ATTRIB command line or the underlying Windows API (e.g. allowing “your code” full control of the flag). However, when a file is modified the archive flag is set. That is not something you have to do in your application or code. The expected usage scenario is this:

    • The operating system will set the flag when a file is created or modified

    • The backup application (e.g. “your code”) will reset the flag when a file has been backed up

    However, relying on the archive flag for backup can be problematic because multiple independent backup applications may be using the flag.

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