UniFi backups: how to back up and restore your UniFi controller (2026)

On current UniFi versions, backups live under Settings > Control Plane > Backups. UniFi Network 10.1.84, released on February 5, 2026, removed the backup option from the Network application. Its release notes say you "must now use the backup option within Control Plane".

On a UniFi OS console, such as a Cloud Gateway or a Cloud Key Gen2, switch on System Backups on that page. The console then makes a cloud backup every week and before each major update. You can download an offline backup file from the same page.

This guide covers the four kinds of UniFi backup, when to use each, and how to restore them. Last checked against Ubiquiti's Backups and Migration in UniFi (edited August 18, 2026) on September 25, 2026.

Which UniFi backup do you need?

Ubiquiti says most users won't need Network-only backups. It recommends the System Config Backup for anyone with a UniFi console. The Network backups are "advanced methods", mainly for Gen1 Cloud Keys and self-hosted UniFi Network Servers on Windows, macOS or Linux.

The UniFi controller you run decides which of these you can use.

How to back up a UniFi console

This covers Cloud Gateways, Cloud Keys running UniFi OS and other UniFi consoles.

Turn on automatic cloud backups

1. Go to Settings > Control Plane > Backups.
2. Check System Backups.

The console now makes a cloud backup every week and before each major update. The backups are saved to the owner's UI account, and Ubiquiti says only the owner can manage them. To see every backup on your account, go to account.ui.com/backups.

For MSPs, ownership decides who holds the cloud backups. When a client owns the console, the backups sit on the client's UI account.

Download an offline backup

If you can't use cloud backups, or want your own copy, download a local backup file from Settings > Control Plane > Backups. Store it somewhere other than the console itself.

Ubiquiti's article also names Settings > Control Plane > Console once, in its introduction, as the place for System Config Backups. Every step in the article uses the Backups page, so start there.

Network backups (.unf)

A Network backup holds your UniFi Network settings and device configurations. The file ends in .unf. Ubiquiti says these backups are "generally only necessary" for self-hosted UniFi Network Servers or other older installs.

Ubiquiti's article says you download the .unf file from Settings > Control Plane > Backups, and restore it on the new host from the same page.

Before you move to a new host, Ubiquiti also recommends copying the device SSH username and password. You find them under UniFi Devices > Device Updates and Settings > Device SSH Settings. They help if a device won't connect to the new controller later.

On older versions of the Network application

Before 10.1.84, the backup download sat in the Network application's own settings. This video shows that older screen:

That older download let you choose between a settings-only backup and one that also includes statistics data. Settings-only files are much smaller. When we migrate a controller, we use settings only because those files restore faster.

On a legacy UniFi Network Server, Ubiquiti's update guide (edited September 24, 2026) still recommends downloading a backup file from the UniFi Network System Settings when you update.

Site Export: back up one site

Site Export takes a single site out of a controller that hosts several. Ubiquiti names CloudKey, Official UniFi Hosting and self-hosted UniFi OS Servers as systems that support it.

1. Make sure the Network application on the new controller is up to date.
2. On the old controller, go to Network Settings > System > Site Management and click Export Site. This downloads the site file and starts a guided walkthrough.
3. On the new controller, choose Import Site from the site switcher and upload the file. No site switcher? Turn on Multi-Site Management under Settings > System > Site Management.
4. Back in the old controller, finish the walkthrough. Select the devices to move and enter the new controller's Inform URL.
5. Forget the devices on the old controller and wait for them to show as online.

If a device shows as offline or "Managed by Another Console", factory reset it and adopt it again. Our guide to exporting a site from your UniFi controller goes into more detail.

UniFi OS Server backups

UniFi OS Server is Ubiquiti's replacement for the self-hosted Network Server. Ubiquiti's backup article names it as a target for restoring a .unf backup, from Settings > Control Plane > Backups.

Several UniFi OS Server release notes mention backup changes, including these:

Ubiquiti's backup article describes automatic cloud backups for consoles. It doesn't say whether UniFi OS Server makes them.

A self-hosted server also needs its own safety net. A backup stored on the same disk as the server is lost with that disk. More on running it yourself in our UniFi OS Server guide.

How to restore a UniFi backup

1. Go to Settings > Control Plane > Backups and click Restore.
2. Choose your most recent cloud backup, or upload a backup file.
3. Leave "Restore All Applications and Settings" checked for a full restore. Uncheck it to pick specific apps, settings and admin configurations.

A new console can also restore a backup when setup prompts for one. Cloud backups can be downloaded from the Backups page of your UI account.

A few rules from Ubiquiti's article:

• Update the Network application on the new host before you restore.
• Moving to a different model of Cloud Gateway, Cloud Key or UNVR needs UniFi OS 3.1 or newer on the new device.
• UniFi Protect recordings don't transfer between consoles. They stay on the original until you remove or reformat its storage.
• A System Config Backup is the only way to move device management between two Cloud Gateways, Cloud Keys or UNVRs without a factory reset.

After a .unf restore, wait until every device shows as online. Then forget the devices on the old controller, or shut it down, so they don't reconnect to it. Devices adopted across networks through DNS, DHCP or a manual inform address need one more step. Turn on Override Inform Host on the old application and enter the new controller's address.

For a full walkthrough, see how to restore a UniFi controller.

Look inside a backup

Sometimes you only need one setting or password from an old backup. Our free Backup Explorer opens .unf Network backups and full UniFi OS console backups in your browser. Console backups usually end in .unifi. Ubiquiti's docs don't name the extension, but users on its community forum do. The Backup Explorer runs entirely on your device, so the file never reaches our servers.

To split a full UniFi OS backup into separate .unf site files, use the Backup to Site Export tool.

Frequently asked questions

Where are UniFi backups stored?

Automatic cloud backups are stored on the owner's UI account, at account.ui.com/backups. Offline backups are files you download from Settings > Control Plane > Backups, so they end up wherever you save them.

Does UniFi back up automatically?

Yes, on consoles with System Backups switched on. Ubiquiti's article says the console then makes a cloud backup every week and before each major update.

Can I restore a UniFi backup to a different console?

Yes. If the new device is a different model, it must run UniFi OS 3.1 or newer. Protect recordings stay on the old console.

Can I back up a single UniFi site?

Yes. Use Site Export under Network Settings > System > Site Management, then Import Site on the new controller.

Final thoughts

Turn on System Backups, keep one offline copy somewhere other than the console, and update the new host before you restore. Those are the three things we check first when a restore goes wrong.

Self-hosting UniFi OS Server works fine for a home lab, as long as you look after the backups yourself. For client networks, we run the controller for you, and our paid plans include daily backups.