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Guides and answers for your VPS, the client area, and billing

Backup problems and fixes

What this is

Quick answers to the most common Nightly Backups questions. Each one links to the full guide if you need more detail. Your backups are at https://vpsdime.com/backups.

I don't see my backups

  • No backups, or my VPS isn't on the Backups page. A VPS appears only after its first nightly backup completes. On a Linux VPS, make sure the add-on is enabled (see Turn on Nightly Backups); on a Premium VPS it's already included. Then check back after the next nightly run.
  • I enabled it but still see nothing. Backups run once a night, so the first one shows up after the next nightly run. On the VPS's Information tab, the Backups line should read ENABLED.
  • How far back can I go? Retention is three nights, so you'll have your three most recent backups.
  • I never had Nightly Backups. Can you still restore my VPS? No. Without Nightly Backups (or a Premium VPS, which includes them), we don't keep snapshots, disk images, or any other recoverable copy of your VPS on our side, so there's nothing we can restore from. Enabling the add-on now starts backups going forward only; it can't recover anything from before it was turned on.

A button is disabled, or "Actions Blocked"

  • I can't start a restore, file browser, or download. Only one backup operation can run at a time per VPS. Something else is active: a restore that's running or pending your action, or an open file browser or disk download. Finish or stop it first:
    • A restore waiting on you shows a Go to Restore button. Complete or undo it (see Restore your VPS).
    • An open file browser or disk download shows a Stop button on the Backups page.

Restore problems

  • The restore won't start and asks me to shut down. Power the VPS off first, then click Start Restore. See Restore your VPS.
  • My restore is stuck at "Pending Action." The restore finished and is waiting for you to Complete or Undo it. Start the VPS, check your data, then decide. If you do nothing within 7 days, the restore becomes permanent.
  • The restore failed. Your VPS is unchanged. Try again from the Available Backups tab, or open a ticket with the backup date.
  • My database won't start cleanly after a restore. Backups are crash-consistent (taken while the VPS runs), so a database may need its normal recovery step, and on rare occasions can't recover fully. Run the database's recovery, try a different backup, or open a ticket. Going forward, a regular database export inside the VPS gives you a clean copy in each nightly backup.

File recovery and downloads

  • My file browser link stopped working. The 4-hour window ended, or it was stopped. Start Browse Files again for a fresh session. See Recover individual files.
  • My full disk download link stopped working. The 24-hour window ended, or it was stopped. Start Download Full Disk again.
  • A big download keeps failing. Use the Copy link with a tool that resumes, such as wget -c or curl -C -. See Download a full disk image.
  • Windows or macOS won't open the image. Backups use a Linux filesystem (ext4) that those systems don't read natively. Use WSL2, a small Linux VM, or an ext4 reader.
  • My Linux VPS image won't boot as a virtual machine. A Linux VPS image is a container filesystem with no kernel, so import it into LXD, Incus, or LXC instead of booting it. (Premium VPS images are full bootable disks.)

Billing and plan

  • I removed Nightly Backups and my backups are gone. Removing the add-on stops new backups, and removed features aren't refunded. Download anything you need before removing it. See Turn on Nightly Backups.
  • Do I need to enable backups on my Premium VPS? No. Premium VPS includes Nightly Backups, so there's nothing to add.

Windows VPS

  • I have a Windows VPS and need a restore or files back. Windows VPS backups aren't self-service. Open a ticket and we'll handle the restore for you.

Still need help?

You can open a support ticket. So we can help on the first reply, it's worth mentioning:

  • the VPS hostname or IP,
  • what you were trying to do (restore, recover files, download, or enable backups),
  • the backup date involved,
  • any error you saw (a screenshot helps).
  • "Why don't I see any backups?"
  • "Why is the Actions button disabled?"
  • "My restore is stuck, what do I do?"
  • "My restore failed, can I try again?"
  • "My backup link expired, how do I get a new one?"
  • "Why won't Windows or macOS open my backup image?"
  • "I removed backups, can I still get them?"
  • "Can you restore my VPS if I never enabled backups?"
  • "Do you keep snapshots of my VPS without the backup add-on?"
Last reviewed: 2026-07-02

Related articles

Nightly Backups (overview)Nightly Backups automatically backs up your whole VPS once a night with a 3-day retention, included free on Premium VPS and available as a...Turn on Nightly BackupsHow to add the Nightly Backups add-on to a Linux or Windows VPS from the Extra Features tab for $5/month, confirm it's active, and remove...Viewing your backupsWhere to find your VPS backups, what the Backups list and the Available Backups tab show, and what the Full and Incremental labels mean.Restore your VPS from a backupHow to restore your whole VPS to a backup night, why you shut down first, and how the Complete vs Undo step and the 7-day deadline work.

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