# How to download the backup file without SMTP function?
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469
**Category:** Self-hosting
**Created:** [September 26, 2021, 7:49am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469 "2021-09-26T07:49:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@xu2](https://meta.discourse.org/u/xu2)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 7:49am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/1 "2021-09-26T07:49:54Z")
How to download the backup file without SMTP function?
Because mail ports are blocked on my vps, I can’t use outgoing SMTP, so how do I download the backup file?
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### Author:  [@Benjamin\_D](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Benjamin_D)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 8:28am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/2 "2021-09-26T08:28:06Z")
Hi,
for a standard setup, the backup files are located here `/var/discourse/shared/web_only/backups/default`
_edit: nope, standalone instead of web\_only_
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### Author:  [@xu2](https://meta.discourse.org/u/xu2)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 8:37am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/3 "2021-09-26T08:37:10Z")
/var/discourse/shared/web\_only/backups/default: No such file or directory
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### Author:  [@Benjamin\_D](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Benjamin_D)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 8:57am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/4 "2021-09-26T08:57:46Z")
🤔
my bad 😅 that was for a two containers setup, could you try:
`/var/discourse/shared/app/backups/default`
_edit: nope, standalone instead of app_
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### Author:  [@xu2](https://meta.discourse.org/u/xu2)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 8:58am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/5 "2021-09-26T08:58:37Z")
/var/discourse/shared/app/backups/default: No such file or directory
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### Author:  [@Benjamin\_D](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Benjamin_D)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 8:59am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/6 "2021-09-26T08:59:33Z")
Is there something in the /var/discourse/shared directory ?
Could you have enabled S3 uploads and backups ?
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### Author:  [@xu2](https://meta.discourse.org/u/xu2)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 9:01am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/7 "2021-09-26T09:01:08Z")
no, I just want download my discourse backup and restore it on a new server.
Because the old one doesn’t support mail ports.
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### Author:  [@Benjamin\_D](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Benjamin_D)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 9:03am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/8 "2021-09-26T09:03:10Z")
What do you have there: `/var/discourse/shared` ?
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### Author:  [@xu2](https://meta.discourse.org/u/xu2)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 9:04am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/9 "2021-09-26T09:04:39Z")
I can visit it with ssh, but I don’t know what’s in there.
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### Author:  [@Benjamin\_D](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Benjamin_D)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 9:05am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/10 "2021-09-26T09:05:47Z")
`sudo ls /var/discourse/shared`
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### Author:  [@xu2](https://meta.discourse.org/u/xu2)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 9:07am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/11 "2021-09-26T09:07:04Z")
root@C20210920172461:~# sudo ls /var/discourse/shared
standalone
root@C20210920172461:~#
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### Author:  [@Benjamin\_D](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Benjamin_D)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 9:08am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/12 "2021-09-26T09:08:13Z")
Ah that was standalone, my bad again, sorry, `sudo ls /var/discourse/shared/standalone/backups/default`
_edit: third times a charm !_
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### Author:  [@xu2](https://meta.discourse.org/u/xu2)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 9:09am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/13 "2021-09-26T09:09:10Z")
root@C20210920172461:~# sudo ls /var/discourse/shared/standalone/backups/default
lowendhost-2021-09-22-033652-v20210915222124.tar.gz lowendhost-2021-09-26-034900-v20210915222124.tar.gz
root@C20210920172461:~#
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### Author:  [@Benjamin\_D](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Benjamin_D)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 9:26am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/14 "2021-09-26T09:26:56Z")
Then here you’ll find the appropriate instructions:
> [@Restore a backup from the command line](https://meta.discourse.org/t/restore-a-backup-from-the-command-line/108034/1):
>
> ### Transfer Backup
>
> SSH into the destination server, or otherwise create the backup folder there:
>
> `mkdir -p /var/discourse/shared/standalone/backups/default`
>
> Upload your backup file to the destination server.
>
> `scp /path/to/backup/backup.tar.gz root@192.168.1.1:/var/discourse/shared/standalone/backups/default`
>
> Of course, replace the above paths, filenames, and server names with the ones you are using – but you do want the backup file to end up in
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### Author:  [@xu2](https://meta.discourse.org/u/xu2)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 9:27am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/15 "2021-09-26T09:27:57Z")
Thanks! I will try later!
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### Author:  [@xu2](https://meta.discourse.org/u/xu2)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 9:49am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/16 "2021-09-26T09:49:34Z")
Can I download the backup file to local directly through SSH?
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### Author:  [@Benjamin\_D](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Benjamin_D)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 9:52am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/17 "2021-09-26T09:52:44Z")
Sure, assuming Windows, with a client like WinSCP for instance
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### Author:  [@xu2](https://meta.discourse.org/u/xu2)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 9:53am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/18 "2021-09-26T09:53:32Z")
scp /path/to/backup/backup.tar.gz
what is this path? local path on my computer or on my server?
[root@192.168.1.1](mailto:root@192.168.1.1):/var/discourse/shared/standalone/backups/default
Is this ip address my new server’s ip or the old one?
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### Author:  [@xu2](https://meta.discourse.org/u/xu2)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 9:54am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/19 "2021-09-26T09:54:07Z")
My computer is macOS.
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### Author:  [@Benjamin\_D](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Benjamin_D)
#### Post date: [September 26, 2021, 10:02am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/how-to-download-the-backup-file-without-smtp-function/204469/20 "2021-09-26T10:02:15Z")
> [@xu2](#):
>
> `scp /path/to/backup/backup.tar.gz`
>
> what is this path? local path on my computer or on my server?
that is the path on your (soon to be replaced) server so:
`/var/discourse/shared/standalone/backups/default/lowendhost-2021-09-26-034900-v20210915222124.tar.gz`
for you mac, I don’t know, should be a native scp server
> [@xu2](#):
>
> `root@192.168.1.1:/var/discourse/shared/standalone/backups/default`
> Is this ip address my new server’s ip or the old one?
that’s the ip of the new one, the directory has to be made (mkdir) beforehand
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