# Recover .kibana index from file backup
**URL:** https://discuss.elastic.co/t/recover-kibana-index-from-file-backup/235456
**Category:** Elasticsearch
**Created:** [June 3, 2020, 4:21am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/recover-kibana-index-from-file-backup/235456 "2020-06-03T04:21:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@EricW](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/EricW)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2020, 4:21am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/recover-kibana-index-from-file-backup/235456/1 "2020-06-03T04:21:46Z")
Hi All,
I was silly enough to delete the .kibana index without a restore, but I do have a file based backup of previous state. Unfortunately, I can't find any documentation that details the process for restoring just this index from file.
Is anyone able to advise the process, or the location of the documentation please?
Elasticsearch/Kibana versions are 5.5.
Thoughts?
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### Author:  [@warkolm](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/warkolm)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2020, 4:27am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/recover-kibana-index-from-file-backup/235456/2 "2020-06-03T04:27:03Z")
Welcome to our community! 😃
What do you mean by file based backup, a [snapshot](https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/snapshots-take-snapshot.html)?
> [@EricW](#):
>
> Elasticsearch/Kibana versions are 5.5.
You should _really_ upgrade. 5.X has been [EOL](https://www.elastic.co/support/eol) for a year now 🙂
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### Author:  [@EricW](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/EricW)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2020, 4:57am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/recover-kibana-index-from-file-backup/235456/3 "2020-06-03T04:57:52Z")
Sadly, no.. To be specific, we have an operating system level file backup of the index files themselves, but no elasticsearch snapshot or similar.
As for the 5.5 topic.. agreed. We're moving off a single node (the current 5.5) to something more sensible in terms of a solution.. not there quite yet though 😀
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### Author:  [@warkolm](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/warkolm)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2020, 5:42am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/recover-kibana-index-from-file-backup/235456/4 "2020-06-03T05:42:19Z")
That's a bit harder. You might be able to delete the current index, shut down the cluster (the node), restore the index directory (if you can find it), then hope it gets picked up as a dangling index. But there's no promises.
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### Author:  [@EricW](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/EricW)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2020, 5:46am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/recover-kibana-index-from-file-backup/235456/5 "2020-06-03T05:46:33Z")
Dang.. had a bad feeling the response might include something like 'no promises' 😀
Ok - I'll give that a go and see if I get lucky . I take it if that doesn't work my last resorts are likely to be restricted to the use of Voodoo and other dark arts? Was really hoping to keep my soul for other higher value targets, but I guess if that's all that's left.. 8)
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### Author:  [@system](https://discuss.elastic.co/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2020, 5:46am UTC](https://discuss.elastic.co/t/recover-kibana-index-from-file-backup/235456/6 "2020-07-01T05:46:35Z")
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