Create and Download Snapshots

Snapshots are ZIP files that you can create from downloading files that are stored in a Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage bucket. A Snapshot is a convenient way to download many files for a single point in time.

Create Snapshots

1. Sign in to your Backblaze account.
2. In the left navigation menu under B2 Cloud Storage, click Browse Files.
3. Select the bucket that contains the files that you want to include in your Snapshot.
4. Select the files that you want to add to your Snapshot, and click Snapshot.
   By default, hidden files are not included in the Snapshot. Select the check box to include hidden files and hidden file versions in your Snapshot.
5. Enter a name for your Snapshot, and click Make a Snapshot.

Snapshots may take several hours to complete depending on the size and the number of files. Do not delete your selected files until the Snapshot is completed.

View and Download Snapshots

1. Sign in to your Backblaze account.
2. In the left navigation menu under B2 Cloud Storage, click Snapshots.
3. Select the Snapshots that you want to download, and select one of the following options:
   • Click(Download Snapshot).
   • Select Download your Snapshot(s), and click Retrieve Snapshot.

Order a USB Snapshot Drive

1. Sign in to your Backblaze account.
2. In the left navigation menu under B2 Cloud Storage, click Snapshots.
3. Select USB Hard Drive, and click Retrieve Snapshot.
4. Select a file system for your USB Snapshot (macOS or Windows), and click Go to Payment.
5. Enter your shipping and payment information.
6. Click Buy USB Hard Drive Snapshot.

You can monitor your USB Snapshot progress on the Snapshots page. When your USB Snapshot is complete, an information icon is displayed with a shipping number and an encryption key to view the contents of the USB drive. USB Snapshot drives that are returned within 30 days from when you receive the USB Snapshot drive are eligible for refunds. For more information and instructions for returning your drive, see Snapshot Return Refund Program.

Locate a Snapshot Encryption Key

1. Sign in to your Backblaze account.
2. In the left navigation menu under B2 Cloud Storage, click Snapshots.
3. Scroll to the Retrieve Snapshot list, and click(details) next to your snapshot drive.

Your Encryption Key is listed on the Details dialog.

Unzip your Snapshots

If you run Windows and your .zip file contains non-english file names or is larger than 2GB in size, the built-in Windows zip utility may not be able to open the file. For best results, Backblaze recommends using 7-zip. WinRar is an alternative to 7-zip.

You do not need to install a third-party utility on a Mac. Double-click the .zip file in Finder to open a built-in Archive Utility. If you have difficulty using Archive Utility, Backblaze recommends using Betterzip.

For operating systems other than Mac OS X or Windows, you can use an Info-ZIP 6.00 compliant unzip tool, for example, http://www.info-zip.org/UnZip.html.

Delete Snapshots

A Snapshot bucket appears on the Browse Files page even after you delete your Snapshots. Click here for more information.

1. Sign in to your Backblaze account.
2. In the left navigation menu under B2 Cloud Storage, click Snapshots.
3. Click(Delete Snapshot).
4. Click Yes! I’m sure.