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Restoring a backup

Claude
Authored by Claude · Last updated AI generated documentation written by reading the source code
cloud services

A backup is only worth what it restores. This page covers how a restore runs and how much of your data you can pull back at any given moment.

Starting a restore​

Restores start from the Restore button on the Secure Backups card, on any Media Server signed in to the same Cardinal Account. That is the recovery path: a new machine, a fresh install, sign in, restore.

  • Pick a snapshot. Restores are snapshot-level; there is no per-file selection.
  • Files already present on the target are skipped, matched by content rather than by name, so files you moved or renamed do not download again.
  • Restoring an end-to-end encrypted backup onto a server that does not already hold the key prompts for the passphrase, or for the recovery kit.
  • Restores run as jobs, with live progress in the Jobs view, and survive being watched or ignored.
  • Restoring never deletes anything on the target. The snapshot is merged into what is already on disk.

Download speed is not capped. The upload speed limit applies to backup runs only, so a restore runs as fast as the connection allows.

Restore coverage​

Restore coverage is the amount of data you can restore, shown in GB. One rule governs it:

Fully covered means you can restore everything at least once.

Coverage accrues with each subscription payment and is spent when you restore. Once you have enough to restore your whole backup, the card reads as fully covered and stays there.

Each backup shows how much of it you could restore right now, with the storage class already accounted for — a long term storage backup simply shows a smaller figure for the same balance, because restoring from it costs more.

Your account portal's Backups section shows space used against your quota, your snapshot count, and your coverage balance, alongside the list of your backups.

Backup Restoration Bandwidth​

Backup Restoration Bandwidth packs are one-time purchases in your Cardinal Account portal that top up the same coverage balance. They do not expire.

They exist for one case: you need to restore more than your current coverage allows, and you do not want to wait for it to accrue. If you are not in that position, you do not need them — coverage that accrues on its own reaches full for every subscriber.

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