Upload and Download Backups

Published · Last updated: May 2026 · 3 min read

Who this is for

Users who want to manually upload a backup to cloud storage or download a backup file to their local computer.

Part 1: Upload a Backup to Cloud Storage (Offsite)

Manual offsite upload lets you push a specific, already-completed backup to a cloud storage vault at any time — independently of scheduled uploads.

Prerequisites:

Backup status is completed.
Backup type is NOT snapshot (snapshots cannot be uploaded offsite).
A cloud storage vault is configured — see KB-05-07: Cloud Storage Vault Setup.

Steps

Open the server detail → Backups tab.
Find the backup you want to upload.
Click Upload Offsite (or the cloud upload icon).
Select the cloud storage vault.
Click Upload.

The backup's offsite status changes to uploading and then uploaded when complete.

Important: Snapshot-type backups cannot be uploaded via this feature. They remain with the cloud provider that created them.

Part 2: Download a Backup to Your Computer

CloudAIPilot can stream a backup file directly to your browser for download.

Prerequisites:

Backup status is completed.
Backup type is NOT snapshot (snapshots are not downloadable — use the cloud provider console).

Steps to Download the Full Backup

Open the server detail → Backups tab.
Find the completed backup.
Click Download (or the download icon).

The download streams the entire backup directory as a .tar.gz file. For large backups, this may take several minutes depending on your server and connection speed.

Steps to Download a Single File from a Backup

Find the completed backup.
Use the File Browser option within the backup (if available) to browse the backup contents.
Click on a specific file to download just that file.

This is useful when you only need to recover one file without downloading the entire backup.

Encrypted Backups

Encrypted backups download as decrypted .tar.gz files. CloudAIPilot decrypts the backup before streaming it to you — no manual decryption step is needed.

Common Issues

Issue	Likely cause	Fix
"SNAPSHOT_NOT_DOWNLOADABLE"	Trying to download a snapshot backup	Use the cloud provider console for snapshot recovery.
"NOT_COMPLETED"	Backup is still running or failed	Wait for backup to complete, or trigger a new backup.
"NO_BACKUP_DIR"	Backup files not found on server	Server may have been reprovisioned or disk wiped. Use an offsite copy if available.
Download times out	Very large backup or slow connection	Try again. Downloads are streamed directly from the server — a stable connection is required.
Offsite upload stuck at "uploading"	Network timeout or invalid credentials	Check the cloud storage vault credentials. Delete the failed backup and retry.