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Recover files and folders
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Recover files and folders

You can restore files and folders:

Restore files through the Veeam Service Provider Console portal⁠

Backups of any type created via Veeam Agent are suitable for restoring files and folders via the portal. You can restore files on a disconnected system and without connecting to the machine.

During the restore process, the backup agent mounts the file system from the backup to the /mnt/backup (Linux) or C:\VeeamFLR (Windows) directory. For more information about file recovery, see Performing File-Level Restore in Veeam documentation.

  1. In the Veeam Service Provider Console portal, go to Management → Protected Data.
  2. Mark the virtual machine whose files you want to recover.
  3. Click File-Level Restore Portal. The Restore Portal opens in a new tab.
  4. In the menu on the left under Restore Point, click Select.
  5. Select a restore point and press Select.
  6. If you have multiple backup policies bound to the virtual machine, select a policy from the Job field in the left menu.
  7. Select the files and folders you want to restore. If indexing was enabled in the backup policy settings, you can use the Search tab to search for files.
  8. Click Add to Restore List.
  9. Open the Restore List tab.
  10. If you want to restore files to their original location without overwriting existing files, click Restore → Keep. If a file with this name exists, the restored file will be renamed with the prefix RESTORED-.
  11. If you want to restore files to the original location while overwriting existing files, click Restore → Overwrite. If a file with this name exists, it will be replaced with the file from the backup.
  12. If you want to download files in an archive, click Download and enter the administrator credentials of the source machine. The files will be downloaded through the source machine, which may affect the download speed.
  13. Optional: On the Audit tab, verify that the files have been restored. The backup from which the files were restored will be dismounted from the source machine 30 minutes after the Recovery Portal tab is closed or there is no activity.

Recover files with Veeam Recovery Media⁠

  1. Connect Veeam Recovery Media to the machine.
  2. In BIOS/UEFI, prioritize booting from this media.
  3. Turn on the machine and wait for Veeam Recovery Media to load. The SSH server will start automatically and provide connection parameters.
  4. If SSH is not required, click Proceed without SSH.
  5. Accept the license agreement and click Continue.
  6. Click Configure network → Edit a connection.
  7. Configure the network settings for Internet access and press OK.
  8. Press Back.
  9. Click Activate a connection.
  10. When the settings are complete, press OK.
  11. Select the Restore files type. Wait for the file system mount to complete.
  12. To display the files after the mount is complete, click Start file browser. The Midnight Commander manager opens. The files on the machine (/mnt/system) are displayed on the left, and the files in the backup (/mnt/backup) are displayed on the right.
  13. Mark the files and directories to restore and copy them to the machine.
  14. To exit the file manager, press F10.
  15. To complete the process, click Stop backup mount, shut down the machine and remove the drive from Veeam Recovery Media.

Restore files using a backup agent⁠

Any type of backup created via Veeam Agent (Entire computer, Volume level, File level) is suitable for restoring files and folders. Files are restored on a running system with the backup agent installed.

File recovery is available:

Learn more about preparing for file recovery in the Before You Begin (Linux, Windows) instructions of Veeam documentation.

Restore files through the backup agent interface⁠

During the restore process, the backup agent mounts the file system from the backup to the /mnt/backup directory.

  1. Start the interface:

    veeamconfig ui

  2. Press R.

  3. Select a policy and press Enter.

  4. Select a restore point and press Enter. Wait for the file system mount to complete.

  5. Press Enter.

  6. Press Esc.

  7. In the /mnt/backup directory, verify that the mounted file system is available.

  8. Copy the required files and directories from the mounted system to the machine (e.g., with the cp command).

  9. Bring up the backup agent interface:

    veeamconfig ui

  10. To unmount the backup, press U.

  11. If the message "Target is busy" is displayed, the copy process is not yet complete or the working directory is inside the mounted backup (/mnt/backup) . Exit to the user's home directory with the cd command without parameters.

  12. To exit the Backup Agent interface, press Esc.

Recover files using the command line⁠

For more information about restoring using the command line, see Restoring Files and Folders with Command Line Interface in the Veeam documentation.

  1. Display a list of available backups (policies):

    veeamconfig backup list --all

  2. Copy the Backup ID of the desired policy.

  3. Look at the available restore points:

    veeamconfig point list --backupid <backup_id>

    Specify <backup_id> — Backup ID of the policy.

  4. Copy the OIB ID of the desired restore point.

  5. Mount the file system from the restore point:

    veeamconfig point mount --id <oib_id> --mountdir <path>

    Specify:

    • <oib_id> — OIB ID of the restore point;
    • <path> — path to the directory where the file system will be mounted.

  6. Wait for the message Restore point is mounted.

  7. Copy the Session ID.

  8. Copy the required files and directories from the mounted backup (e.g., with the cp command).

  9. After the restore, unmount the restore point:

    veeamconfig session stop --id <session_id>

    Specify <session_id> — Session ID.