You restore files from a BackupOnShutdown backup with Restore files…, on this PC or on a new one. If this computer already lists the backup, open it and start from there. On a new PC, or after a reinstall, plug in the drive and choose I already have a backup.
How do I restore on this computer?
Connect the drive or the network folder that holds the backup, open the backup on the dashboard, and choose Restore files… in its details. Restore uses a saved version from an earlier run. The app offers this action once the backup has a recorded successful run; if it isn't available yet, check whether a version was saved at its location.
The wizard guides you through choosing a location, password, version, files, and destination. It can skip the backup and location choices when they're already clear, and only asks for a password if the backup is protected. Keep the computer on and the backup drive connected until the restore finishes.
How do I restore on a new PC?
Install BackupOnShutdown, connect the drive, and choose I already have a backup. That button is on an empty dashboard, and it sits under the list once you already have backups. It opens Open an existing backup, where you choose the folder the backup is kept in, enter the password if you set one, and leave the password empty if you didn't. Then choose Open backup. If that folder contains more than one backup, pick the right one and choose Open this backup.
The restore brings your files back, not Windows or installed programs; install the programs you use separately to open those files — see file backup vs system image.
Once the backup is on the dashboard, use Restore files… as you would on the original computer. Choose a new empty folder on the new PC so you can check the restored files before using them. If the original location is unavailable or the app requires another folder, Choose a folder… lets you select one.
Which location, password, and version should I choose?
- At Restore from which location?, pick the location that has the version you need. Locations can show different dates. If one isn't available, reconnect it and try again.
- For a protected backup, enter its password when asked. The window title includes the backup name, for example Password for “Documents backup”. That password is not your license key. If a location still uses an older password, the password guide explains the choices.
- At From when?, choose the date and time. To recover a file from before an unwanted edit, pick a version from before that edit.
This backup has no saved versions yet. means there is nothing to select. A message that the dates could not be read is a different problem: check the connection and try again, and don't erase the location because of a reading error.
How do I choose what comes back?
At What do you want back?, open folders in the tree and select the files or folders you need, or choose Everything for the whole version. Look over the selection before you continue, so you don't restore more than you meant to.
A version only contains what was saved at that time, so a file you added later won't appear in an older one. If the file isn't there, try another date, and check that its folder was part of the backup and wasn't listed under Folders to skip. Excluding folders shows where that list lives.
Where should the restored files go?
At Where should the files go?, you have two choices.
- Choose a folder… copies the files into a folder you pick and replaces nothing that's already there. A new empty folder is the safer choice when you want to look at the restored files before you keep them.
- Put back in the original place returns files to where they came from and replaces what's there now with the version you picked. The app asks Replace files in the original place? first, and Replace and restore confirms it.
If the original place doesn't exist on this computer, choose a folder instead. A backup that was taken from a Windows network path, such as \\server\share\…, cannot be restored through the app in this version. You can use the restic command-line method below instead. Restore stays unavailable, and the app says "This backup was stored from a network path and cannot be restored in this version."
How do I know the restore finished?
Choose Restore, follow Restoring files…, and keep the drive connected. Cancel stops the restore, but files already written stay where they are, so a cancelled restore isn't a complete result.
When it works, the summary says Files restored, tells you where the files went, and Open folder takes you there. Open an important file in its usual program and check that it's the version you wanted.
If you see The restore did not finish, read Details. Some files may be missing, and the backup itself is unchanged. Check the connection and the folder you chose, then try again. The troubleshooting guide says what to send to support.
Can I restore without the app?
You can also restore with restic, the backup engine BackupOnShutdown includes (version 0.18.1), on a computer without the app or when the app can't restore your files. Install restic 0.18.1 on the recovery computer so the restic command is available, and replace the example paths with your own.
In restic terminology, the backup-location folder is the repository, and one saved version is a snapshot. Use the actual folder containing the backup, not just the drive root. If you chose a folder that already held other files during setup, look under BackupOnShutdown/<backup name>. For a password-protected backup:
restic -r "<backup location folder>" snapshots
restic -r "<backup location folder>" restore <id> --target "<new empty folder>"
Enter the backup password when asked. If you created the backup with password protection off, restic only opens it with --insecure-no-password:
restic -r "<backup location folder>" --insecure-no-password snapshots
restic -r "<backup location folder>" --insecure-no-password restore <id> --target "<new empty folder>"
Create the empty folder outside the backup location. Check the command's result and the restored files, leave the original backup untouched, and don't restore into a folder that holds your current work.
Download BackupOnShutdown if you need it on the new PC. The trial lasts 14 days, with no account or card.