---
title: Rescuing and recovering your data using rescue mode on Elastic Metal servers
description: Learn how to recover and download backups of your data from a Scaleway Elastic Metal server using rescue mode with SFTP
tags: recovery rescue data rescue-mode
dates:
  validation: 2025-10-06
  posted: 2025-04-01
---
import Requirements from '@macros/iam/requirements.mdx'


If your Elastic Metal server encounters issues but does not have a hardware failure, you can still recover your data using rescue mode, regardless of whether you are using Windows or Linux.

<Requirements />

- A Scaleway account logged into the [console](https://console.scaleway.com)
- [Created](/elastic-metal/how-to/create-server/) and [installed](/elastic-metal/how-to/install-server/) Elastic Metal server

## Booting into rescue mode

1. Follow [these instructions](/elastic-metal/how-to/use-rescue-mode/) to start your server in rescue mode (emergency system) via the Scaleway console.
2. Log into your server using one of the following methods:
   - [PuTTY](http://the.earth.li/~sgtatham/putty/latest/x86/putty.exe) on [Windows](/elastic-metal/how-to/connect-to-server/#how-to-connect-to-an-elastic-metal-server-from-windows)
   - `ssh` from a terminal on [Linux or macOS](/elastic-metal/how-to/connect-to-server/#how-to-connect-to-an-elastic-metal-server-from-osx-mac-and-linux).

   <Message type="tip">
     The rescue mode credentials (username and password) are displayed in your Scaleway console.
   </Message>

## Gaining root access

By default, you are logged in as a regular user in rescue mode and may not have permission to execute all necessary commands.

1. Switch to the `root` account by typing the following command and pressing Enter:
    ```bash
    sudo su
    ```
2. Enter the rescue user password displayed in the Scaleway console and press Enter.

   <Message type="tip">
     For security reasons, the password will not be visible when typing.
   </Message>

## Mounting partitions

To access your data, you need to mount your server’s partitions in rescue mode. If this step succeeds, you can likely recover your files.

As the `root` user, run the following command to mount all partitions:
    ```bash
    mountall.sh
    ```
   The partitions will be mounted in the `/mnt` directory.

   <Message type="note">
     You may encounter errors such as `swap cannot be mounted` or `many partitions do not exist`. These can be safely ignored.
   </Message>

## Recovering your data

You can recover your data by downloading it directly to your local computer via SFTP.

<Message type="important">
  Exercise caution when editing your data in rescue mode. The `root` user has full permissions, including the ability to irreversibly delete files.
</Message>

### Backing up data to your personal computer (via SFTP)

You can use an SFTP client like [FileZilla](https://filezilla-project.org/) to download data from your server.

Open FileZilla and fill in the following details:
    - **Host**: Your server’s IP address
    - **Username**: Rescue mode username (e.g., `em-XXXX`)
    - **Password**: Rescue mode password
    - **Port**: 22

   <Message type="tip">
     These details are available in your console once rescue mode is active.
   </Message>

Your data will be located in the `/mnt`, `/sda1`, or `/sda` directories. You can download it before reinstalling the server or transferring data to another server.

<Message type="tip">
  If you encounter difficulties, consider contacting a [certified outsourcer](https://www.scaleway.com/en/dedibox/outsourcing/) for professional data recovery.
</Message>