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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.xloud.tech/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

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Overview

File-Level Restore lets you reach into an existing snapshot and pull out a single file, a handful of files, or a folder — without restoring the entire volume first. Pick a snapshot, open its filesystem in the Dashboard, navigate the directory tree, and download the files you need as individual files or a single ZIP archive. This is the fastest way to recover from accidental deletions, configuration mistakes, or corruption of a specific file, without spinning up a new volume or attaching a recovery VM.
Prerequisites
  • An existing volume snapshot or instance snapshot
  • The snapshot must be in a usable state — Available for a volume snapshot, Active for an instance snapshot

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Video Walkthrough

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When to Use File-Level Restore

ScenarioFull RestoreFile-Level Restore
Recover a single deleted config fileOverkillBest fit
Recover a folder of documentsOverkillBest fit
Recover from ransomware that encrypted a whole diskBest fit—
Roll back after a failed OS upgradeBest fit—
Pull a log file from last week’s snapshot for auditingOverkillBest fit
Compare old vs current configurationOverkillBest fit
File-Level Restore is non-destructive — it opens the snapshot read-only. You cannot accidentally modify the snapshot’s contents while browsing it.

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Where to Find It

The Browse Files action appears on the row actions of every eligible snapshot:
Dashboard locationSourceEligible when
Storage → Volume Snapshots → row → Browse FilesA volume snapshotSnapshot status is Available
Compute → Instance Snapshots → row → Browse FilesAn instance snapshotSnapshot status is Active
If you do not see Browse Files, either the snapshot is in a non-ready state, or the File-Level Restore feature is not enabled on your cluster. Ask your administrator.

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Recover Files from a Snapshot

Find your snapshot

Open the appropriate page — Storage → Volume Snapshots or Compute → Instance Snapshots — and locate the snapshot you want to recover from.

Click Browse Files

In the row actions, click Browse Files. The Dashboard opens a full-page file browser tagged with the snapshot type and ID.
The first open of a snapshot can take 20-30 seconds as the Dashboard opens the snapshot’s filesystem. Subsequent opens of the same snapshot are much faster.

Pick the right partition

At the top of the page, a partition dropdown lists every partition on the snapshot with its size and detected OS or filesystem label. The Dashboard picks the most likely default — usually the OS partition. Change it if your target files live on a different partition.

Navigate the filesystem

Use the file table to browse:
  • Click a folder row to enter it
  • Click a breadcrumb segment at the top to jump back to a parent folder
  • Click the Up button to move one folder up
  • Click Reload to refresh the current folder
Each row shows the name, type (file or directory), size, and last-modified time.

Download what you need

Two ways to download:
MethodUse for
Per-row Download iconA single file — downloads directly to your browser
Download Selected as ZIPMultiple files at once — tick the checkboxes, then click the primary button to get a single ZIP archive
Files arrive in your browser’s default download folder.

Close or continue browsing

Click the Back button in the top-left when you are done, or continue browsing to recover additional files from the same snapshot.

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Common Tasks

  1. Go to the snapshot that was taken before the file was deleted
  2. Click Browse Files
  3. Navigate to the folder the file was in (e.g. /etc, /home/you/Documents)
  4. Click the per-row Download icon
The file is restored to your laptop — copy it back into the running VM to finish the recovery.
  1. Browse Files into the snapshot
  2. Navigate to the folder
  3. Tick the checkboxes for the files you want
  4. Click Download Selected as ZIP
Extract the ZIP on your workstation and copy the files back where they belong.
  1. Browse Files into an older snapshot
  2. Download the config file (for example /etc/nginx/nginx.conf)
  3. Download the current version from the running VM
  4. Run your favorite diff tool on the two files
No downtime, no extra volume provisioning.
Many VMs have multiple partitions (EFI, system, data). If the OS partition is picked by default and your file is not there, open the partition dropdown and try the next partition — typically the largest one or the one labeled data.

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Good to Know

  • Read-only by design — browsing a snapshot never modifies its contents.
  • Project-scoped — you can only browse snapshots in projects you have access to.
  • First open is the slowest — opening a snapshot takes 20-30 seconds the first time. Subsequent navigation inside the same snapshot is near-instant.
  • Best for recovery, not discovery — File-Level Restore shines when you know roughly which snapshot and folder to look in. For wide searches, consider restoring the whole volume to a rescue VM.

Volume Snapshots

Create snapshots you can later browse for file-level recovery

Volume Backups

Full volume protection with off-site retention for disaster recovery

Storage Troubleshooting

Diagnose snapshot and volume issues