Open Mikrotik Backup — File
This replaces the entire current configuration. You cannot view individual lines or settings before restoring.
If you need to view the configuration on your computer rather than restoring it to a router, you should use the method instead, which creates a readable text file. 1. View Contents (Text-Readable Method) open mikrotik backup file
Never treat a .backup file as a document. Treat it as a disk image for a router’s brain. You can't "open" a hard drive image without mounting it. Similarly, you can't open a MikroTik backup without restoring it onto RouterOS. This replaces the entire current configuration
If you are a Linux power user, you can try binwalk to see if the backup contains raw squashfs data, but for configuration recovery, Method 2 is the gold standard. You can't "open" a hard drive image without mounting it
Do you have a locked backup file from a client who went out of business? Your only legal option is to factory reset the hardware and configure it from scratch. The encryption is there to protect the previous owner’s data.
You will need access to MikroTik device (even a free Cloud Hosted Router – CHR) running a compatible RouterOS version.
A: No. It is not an archive. It is an encrypted binary blob.