# System backups: backups the host takes for you

## What this is about

**System backups** are backups that the host takes for you, on a timetable we
set, without you having to do anything. They sit next to the backups you make
yourself, but they are kept separate, and you can't change or delete them.

This is a small page. If you want to make, restore or lock your *own* backups,
read [Backups: create, restore and download](https://knowledgebase.suhosting.net/books/game-panel/page/backups-create-restore-and-download).

## Where to find them

Open your server's **Backups** tab. If the host has taken at least one system
backup of your server, two sub-tabs appear at the top: **Backups** (yours) and
**System Backups** (ours). Click **System Backups**.

If there are no system backups yet, the sub-tabs are hidden and the Backups
tab looks like it always did. You can still open the page directly at
`/server/<your server id>/backups/system`; it will just say *No items found*.

[![The System Backups page with no system backups yet](https://knowledgebase.suhosting.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-11/scaled-1680-/sb-system-backups-empty.png)](https://knowledgebase.suhosting.net/uploads/images/gallery/2026-11/sb-system-backups-empty.png)

<p class="callout info">Not every server gets system backups. Which servers we back up, how often, and for how long is decided by the host, not by anything you set in the panel. The Backups tab only shows the sub-tab once there is something to show.</p>

## How they differ from your own backups

| | Your backups | System backups |
|---|---|---|
| Who makes them | You, or a schedule you set up | The host, automatically |
| Count against your backup limit | Yes | **No** |
| Rename, lock or delete | Yes | **No** |
| Restore | Yes | Yes |
| Download | Yes | Yes |
| Browse single files (ZFS nodes) | Yes | Yes |
| Export to Files | Yes | Yes |
| Kept for | Until you delete them, or retention removes them | Until our retention rules remove them (see the **Retention** column) |

System backups don't use up your plan's backup slots, so the *"x of y maximum
backups created"* line on the Backups tab ignores them.

The **Retention** column tells you how long we plan to keep each one. For
example *Keep daily: 7* with a *Deleted …* date under it means it is one of the
last seven daily backups and is expected to go on that date. Hover the badge
for the full rule. The deletion time is an estimate.

## Using a system backup

Click the **⋯** at the end of the row (or right-click it). The menu is the same
as for your own backups, minus **Edit**, **Lock** and **Delete**:

- **Restore** puts the backup's files back on your server. The same options and
  warnings apply as for your own backups: you can wipe the server first for an
  exact copy, and you can also restore the startup command and game version.
  The server is stopped while this runs.
- **Download** saves the backup to your computer.
- **Browse** (shown on ZFS nodes) opens the backup read-only in the file
  manager so you can copy out a single file.
- **Export to Files** saves the backup as an archive inside your server's files.

All of these are explained step by step in
[Backups: create, restore and download](https://knowledgebase.suhosting.net/books/game-panel/page/backups-create-restore-and-download).

<p class="callout warning">Want to keep a system backup for good? You can't lock it. <strong>Download</strong> it, or restore it and then create your own backup, which you can lock.</p>

## Is this the same as ZFS backups?

No. **ZFS** is about *how* a backup is taken on some nodes (an instant snapshot,
safe while the server runs). **System backups** are about *who* takes it and
*when*. The two are independent: a server can have system backups on any kind
of node. See [ZFS Backups](https://knowledgebase.suhosting.net/books/game-panel/page/zfs-backups).