A VM suffered corruption and an auditor also needs one missing file. Match each Azure Backup restore workflow to the recovery outcome it provides.
Drag a concept onto its matching description — or click a concept then click the description.
Creates a separate virtual machine from the recovery point.
Recovers the managed disks so you can rebuild or inspect the workload manually.
Mounts the recovery point so you can retrieve individual files or folders.
Restores from the paired region when the primary region is unavailable.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Restore VM: Creates a new VM
Azure Backup restore workflows: 'Restore VM' creates a new VM, 'Restore files' recovers individual files, 'Restore as unmanaged/managed disks' recovers disks, 'Replace existing VM' overwrites the original, and 'Cross-region restore' restores to another region.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Restore VM: Creates a new VM
Why this is correct
Restore VM is the default restore action in Azure Backup for IaaS VMs. It creates a brand-new virtual machine from the selected recovery point, letting you choose a target resource group, virtual network, and storage settings while leaving the original VM untouched. This is the go-to method when the original VM is corrupted beyond repair and you need a fully functional replacement with the same disks and configuration.
Restore files: Recovers individual files
Why this is correct
Restore files is a separate Azure Backup workflow that mounts the selected recovery point as an iSCSI target on a designated machine, not as a full VM. This enables granular recovery of individual files or folders from the backup without incurring the overhead of deploying an entire virtual machine. It is ideal when only a few files are missing or corrupt and the original VM itself remains operational.
Replace existing VM: Overwrites the original VM
Why this is correct
Replace existing VM is an Azure Backup restore option that writes the disks from the recovery point directly onto the original VM, overwriting its current state. This operation is destructive because the live VM's data is replaced by the backup snapshot, so it should be used only when you need to revert the same VM resource to an earlier state. The VM's identity, NICs, and other attached resources are preserved, but all changes made after the recovery point are lost.
Cross-region restore: Restores to another region
Why this is correct
Cross-region restore is available when the Recovery Services vault has Cross-Region Restore enabled and uses geo-redundant storage for backups. This option restores the VM (or its disks) to the paired Azure region, providing disaster recovery capability if the primary region is unavailable. It is particularly valuable for compliance or business continuity scenarios where a secondary copy of the VM must be created in a different geography.
Restore VM: Recovers individual files
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because the Restore VM operation is designed to deploy an entire virtual machine from the recovery point, not to extract individual files. If you only need a few files or folders, Azure Backup provides a dedicated Restore files workflow that mounts the backup as a network drive without provisioning a VM. Using Restore VM for file recovery would be unnecessarily resource-intensive and does not give you direct file access.
Restore files: Overwrites the original VM
Why it's wrong here
This is wrong because the Restore files operation mounts a read-only copy of the backup for file browsing and extraction; it never touches or overwrites the original VM's data. In contrast, overwriting the original VM is only achieved through the Replace existing VM restore option, which actively writes backup data back to the VM's managed disks. Restore files is non-destructive and leaves both the original VM and the backup unchanged.
Go deeper
Learn chapter
Managed Identities for Azure Resources
Key term
Azure Backup
Azure Backup is a cloud-based service from Microsoft that protects your data by creating and storing backups of files, folders, virtual machines, databases, and entire servers in the Azure cloud.
Key term
Region
A region is a distinct geographic location where a cloud provider operates multiple data centers that are connected by low-latency networks and provide cloud services.
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