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Can I Restore Individual Files Or Directories From A Vultr Snapshot?

Updated on 20 November, 2025

Snapshots and Backups capture entire disk images and dont support individual file/directory restoration.

No, Vultr Snapshots and Backups operate at the instance disk level, capturing the full state of the server, including the operating system, configuration, and all data on attached disks. There is no native method to extract individual files or directories directly from a snapshot or backup via the Vultr Customer Portal, API, or CLI.

However, you can retrieve specific files by following these steps:

  1. Create a snapshot of the target instance if needed, then restore it to a new instance. Refer to the How to Take a Snapshot and Redeploy a Vultr Compute Instance for detailed instructions.
  2. Connect to the restored instance via OpenSSH, PuTTY, or the Vultr Console and navigate to the files or directories you need.
  3. Use SCP, rsync, or another secure transfer method to copy the required files to your production or target instance.
  4. Once the files are successfully transferred, destroy the temporary instance to avoid additional charges.