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A backup captures a point-in-time copy of a virtual machine’s disk. You can restore that backup into a new virtual machine whenever you need to recover data or clone the machine. Backups run in the background and don’t affect the running instance.

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Creating a backup

1

Start a backup

Open the virtual machine and click Actions > Back up…, or open the Backups tab and click Create backup.
2

Confirm

Review the details and click Create backup. The machine keeps running while the backup is captured in the background.

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Backups tab

The Backups tab on the virtual machine’s detail page lists every backup as an expandable card showing when it was created, its status, and its size. Expand a card to see the virtual machines restored from that backup, each linking to the machine it created. You can also copy a backup’s ID from its card. Each backup moves through the following statuses:
  • Creating: The backup is being captured. It can’t be restored or deleted yet.
  • Ready: The backup is complete and available to restore or delete.
  • Failed: The backup didn’t complete. You can delete it, but you can’t restore from it.
  • Archived: Deletion was requested and the backup is being removed.
While a backup is being created or removed, the tab updates on its own, so statuses and sizes refresh without a manual reload.

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Restoring from a backup

Restoring always creates a new virtual machine and leaves your original machine unchanged.
1

Open the restore modal

On the Backups tab, expand the backup you want and click the restore action. The backup must be in the Ready status.
2

Name the new machine (optional)

Enter a name for the restored machine, or leave it blank to generate one from the source machine.
3

Choose a region

Pick a region for the new machine. The picker lists the locations your plan is available in; out-of-stock locations are disabled and show a No stock badge.
4

Start the restore

Click Restore. The restore runs in the background, and the new machine appears in the backup’s restore list as it’s created.

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Deleting a backup

On the Backups tab, expand a backup, click the delete action, and confirm. A backup can be deleted once it’s in the Ready or Failed status. Deleting is permanent and can’t be undone, but virtual machines you’ve already restored from the backup aren’t affected.