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--- title: Restore individual files in Azure NetApp Files using single-file snapshot restore description: Describes how to recover individual files directly within a volume from a snapshot. services: azure-netapp-files author: b-hchen ms.service: azure-netapp-files ms.topic: how-to ms.date: 06/23/2025 ms.author: anfdocs ms.custom: sfi-image-nochange # Customer intent: "As an IT administrator, I want to restore individual files from a snapshot in Azure NetApp Files, so that I can quickly recover specific data without the need for entire volume restoration." --- # Restore individual files using single-file snapshot restore If you don't want to [restore the entire snapshot to a new volume](snapshots-restore-new-volume.md) or [copy large files across the network](snapshots-restore-file-client.md), you can use the single-file snapshot restore feature to recover individual files directly within a volume from a snapshot. This option doesn't require an external client data copy. The single-file snapshot restore feature enables you to restore a single file or a list of files (up to 10 files at a time) from a snapshot. You can specify a specific destination location or folder for the files to be restored to. ## Considerations * If you use this feature to restore files to be new files, ensure that the volume has enough logical free space to accommodate the files. * You can restore up to 10 files at a time, specified in a total length of 1024 characters. * All the directories in the destination path that you specify must be present in the active file system. The restore operation doesn't create directories in the process. If the specified destination path is invalid (doesn't exist in Active file system), the restore operation fails. * If you don’t specify a destination path, the files restore to the original file location. If the files already exist in the original location, they are overwritten by the files restored from the snapshot. * A volume can have only one active file-restore operation. If you want to restore additional files, you must wait until the current restore operation completes before initiating another restore operation. * *During the file restore operation*, the following restrictions apply: * You can't create new snapshots on the volume. * You can't delete the snapshot from which the files are being restored. * Policy-scheduled snapshots can't complete during a single-file snapshot restoration operation. The scheduled snapshot is skipped. ## Steps 1. Navigate to the volume that contains the snapshot to use for restoring files. 2. Select **Snapshots** to display the list of volume snapshots. 3. Identify the snapshot you want to use, select the three dots `...` then select **Restore Files** from the menu. [  ](./media/snapshots-restore-file-single/snapshot-restore-files-menu.png#lightbox) 5. In the Restore Files window that appears, provide the following information: 1. In the **File paths** field, specify the file or files to restore using their relative paths. * You can specify up to 10 files each time. If you're providing multiple files, the file paths be separated by commas or entered on new lines. * The maximum length of the File paths field must not exceed 1,024 characters and 10 files. * Regardless of the volume's protocol type (NFS, SMB, or dual protocol), directories in the path must be specified using forward slashes (`/`), not backslashes (`\`). 2. In the **Destination Path** field, provide the location in the volume to where the specified files are to be restored. * If you don’t specify a destination path, the files are restored to their original location. If files with the same names already exist in the original location, they're overwritten by the files restored from the snapshot. * If you specify a destination path: * Ensure that all directories in the path are present in the active file system. Otherwise, the restore operation will fail. For example, if you specify `/CurrentCopy/contoso` as the destination path, the `/CurrentCopy/contoso` path must already exist. * By specifying a destination path, all files specified in the **File Paths** field will be restored to the destination path (folder). * Regardless of the volume’s protocol type (NFS, SMB, or dual protocol), directories in the path must be specified using forward slashes (`/`) and not backslashes (`\`). 3. Select **Restore** to initiate the restore operation.  ## Examples The following examples show you how to specify files from a volume snapshot for restoration. These examples use NFSv3. ### NFS volumes (NFSv3/NFSv4.1) ```bash bash# sudo mkdir volume-azure-nfs bash# sudo mount –t nfs –o rw,hard,rsize=65536,wsize=65536,vers=3,tcp 10.1.1.8:/volume-azure-nfs volume-azure-nfs bash# cd volume-azure-nfs/.snapshot bash# ls daily-10-min-past-12am.2021-09-08_0010 daily-10-min-past-12am.2021-09-09_0010 bash# cd daily-10-min-past-12am.2021-09-08_0010 bash# ls contoso department1 department2 bash# cd contoso bash# ls vm-7891.vmdk vm-8976.vmdk ``` File to be restored to the active file system: `volume-azure-nfs/.snapshot/daily-10-min-past-12am.2021-09-08_0010/contoso/vm-8976.vmdk` Destination path in the active file system: `volume-azure-nfs/currentCopy/contoso` The path `/volume-azure-nfs/currentCopy/contoso` must be valid in the active file system. From the Azure portal: 1. Select **Snapshots**. Select the three dots on the line of snapshot `daily-10-min-past-12am.2021-09-08_0010`. 2. Select **Restore Files**. 3. In **File paths**, specify the file to be restored in the active file system: **`/contoso/vm-8976.vmdk`**. 4. Specify the **Destination path** for the restore operation: **`/currentCopy/contoso`**. ### SMB volumes ``` C:\> net use N: \\scppr2-8336.contoso.com\volume-azure-smb N:\> cd ~snapshot N:\ dir Directory of N:\~snapshot 09/11/2021 12:10 AM <DIR> . 09/22/2021 07:56 PM <DIR> .. 09/08/2021 01:47 PM 102,400,000 daily-10-min-past-12am.2021-09-08_0010 09/09/2021 11:00 PM 106,400,000 daily-10-min-past-12am.2021-09-09_0010 N:\> cd daily-10-min-past-12am.2021-09-08_0010 N:\> dir Directory of N:\~snapshot\daily-10-min-past-12am.2021-09-08_0010 09/11/2021 12:10 AM <DIR> . 09/22/2021 07:56 AM <DIR> .. 02/27/2021 01:47 PM 102,400 contoso 04/21/2021 11:00 PM 106,400 department1 N:\> cd contoso N:\> dir Directory of N:\~snapshot\ daily-10-min-past-12am.2021-09-08_0010\contoso 09/11/2021 12:10 AM <DIR> . 09/22/2021 07:56 PM <DIR> .. 02/27/2021 01:47 PM 102,400 vm-9981.vmdk 04/21/2021 11:00 PM 106,400 vm-7654.vmdk ``` File to be restored to active file system: `N: \~snapshot\daily-10-min-past-12am.2021-09-08_0010\contoso\vm-9981.vmdk` Destination path in the active file system: `N: \currentCopy\contoso` The path `N:\currentCopy\contoso` must be valid in the active file system. From the Azure portal: 1. Select **Snapshots**. Select the three dots on the line of snapshot `daily-10-min-past-12am.2021-09-08_0010`. 2. Select **Restore Files**. 3. In **File paths**, specify the file to be restored in the active file system: **`/contoso/vm-9981.vmdk`**. 4. In **Destination path**, enter the destination: **`/currentCopy/contoso`**. ## Next steps * [Learn more about snapshots](snapshots-introduction.md) * [Resource limits for Azure NetApp Files](azure-netapp-files-resource-limits.md) * [Azure NetApp Files Snapshot Overview](https://anfcommunity.com/2021/01/31/azure-netapp-files-snapshot-overview/)