What is the VBK file format?
A .vbk file is a full backup created by Veeam Backup & Replication, a widely used enterprise data protection platform. It stores a complete image-level snapshot of a virtual machine (VMware vSphere or Hyper-V), physical server, or cloud workload at a specific point in time.
The format uses a proprietary binary container. Data blocks are compressed using LZ4 or zlib (selectable per backup job) and may optionally be encrypted with AES-256. A companion .vbm metadata file records job-level information - restore points, VM inventory, and the full backup chain structure.
A .vbk file is always the foundation of a backup chain: incremental changes are stored in separate .vib files (forward incremental) or .vrb files (reverse incremental). Never move, rename, or delete a .vbk file outside of Veeam - doing so breaks the entire chain and can make incremental restore points unrecoverable.
Restoring data requires Veeam Backup & Replication or the free Veeam Backup Community Edition. Per-block checksums are written during backup, and Veeam's optional SureBackup feature performs automated recovery verification by booting the backed-up VM in an isolated environment. The format version is tied to the Veeam major release - a .vbk created by v12 cannot be read by v10 or earlier.
Note: the .vbk extension is also used by VitalSource Bookshelf for e-book files, which are entirely unrelated to Veeam backups.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWVeeam VBK files are backup data containers; they do not auto-execute. Encrypted VBKs (AES-256) are safe at rest. The primary risks are operational: accidental deletion breaks the backup chain, and backup files may contain sensitive organizational data requiring access controls on the repository. VitalSource VBK files are DRM-protected ebooks; no security risk to the device.
Format details
in a nutshellFULL NAMEVeeam Full Backup Fileaka Veeam VBK, Veeam full backup
DEVELOPERVeeam Softwaresince 2008 (Veeam Backup & Replication 1.0)
CATEGORYBackup Files
MIME TYPEapplication/octet-stream
TYPEproprietary binary full backup (VM / physical machine)
This extension is also used by…
- VitalSource Bookshelf VitalBook - VitalSource Bookshelf (e-textbook platform) uses .vbk for DRM-protected e-textbook files containing EPUB or PDF content - completely unrelated to Veeam backups.
Programs that open VBK files
Windows3 apps
Veeam Backup & Replication
Paid In Veeam console: Home → Backups → navigate to VBK job → right-click → Restore. VBK must remain in its original repository folder alongside .VBM and .VIB files.
Veeam Backup Community Edition (free)
Free Free tier (up to 10 workloads): same restore workflow as full edition. Can open and restore existing VBK files.
VitalSource Bookshelf (for VitalSource .vbk only)
Free VBK files from VitalSource: open Bookshelf app, sign in with your account - books sync automatically. You cannot open a Veeam VBK in Bookshelf. 
macOS1 app
VitalSource Bookshelf (for VitalSource .vbk only)
Free Install Bookshelf desktop app, sign in - purchased textbooks sync to device. 
Linux1 app
Veeam Backup & Replication (Linux repository)
Paid VBK files stored on Linux repositories are managed by the Veeam backup server; restore is initiated from the Windows Veeam console or REST API. 
Android1 app
VitalSource Bookshelf (for VitalSource .vbk only)
Free Install Bookshelf from Google Play, sign in - purchased textbooks sync to device.
iOS1 app
VitalSource Bookshelf (for VitalSource .vbk only)
Free Install Bookshelf from App Store, sign in - purchased textbooks sync to device. Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Proprietary full image-level backup (VM / physical machine) |
| Container | Proprietary Veeam binary backup container (structure undocumented) |
| Encoding | Binary, little-endian |
| Block compression | LZ4 or zlib applied per data block; selectable in backup job settings |
| Encryption | AES-256 (optional; password-based or Veeam Enterprise Manager key-managed) |
| Typical file size | 1 GB - 10+ TB (proportional to source workload size) |
| Per-block integrity | Checksums written for each data block; verified during restore operations |
| Backup chain structure | `.vbk` (full) + `.vib` (forward incremental) or `.vrb` (reverse incremental), indexed by companion `.vbm` metadata file |
| Automated verification | SureBackup boots the backed-up VM in an isolated sandbox to confirm recoverability |
| Version compatibility | VBK from Veeam v12 is not compatible with v10 or earlier |
| Supported platforms | VMware vSphere, Hyper-V, Nutanix, AWS, Azure, physical Windows and Linux servers |
| File identification | No public magic bytes; identified by extension and presence of companion `.vbm` metadata file |
| Restore requirement | Veeam Backup & Replication or Veeam Backup Community Edition (free) |
| Extension conflict | `.vbk` is also used by VitalSource Bookshelf for DRM-protected e-books - entirely unrelated to Veeam backups |
| Released | 2008 (Veeam Backup & Replication 1.0) |
| Latest version | Veeam Backup & Replication v12 (2023) |
| Specification | helpcenter.veeam.com |
VBK conversions
Not possible
Community Q&A
asked by users
M
Frequently asked questions
How do I restore a Veeam VBK file?
Open Veeam Backup & Replication console, navigate to Home → Backups, find your job, right-click → Restore. The VBK must be in its original repository location alongside its .VBM metadata file.
Can I open a VBK file without Veeam?
For Veeam backups: no - the format is proprietary. Use the free Veeam Community Edition (up to 10 workloads). For VitalSource textbooks: use the free VitalSource Bookshelf app.
Can I convert a VBK ebook to PDF or EPUB?
Not legally - VitalSource VBK files are DRM-protected. The content is accessible only through the Bookshelf app. Circumventing DRM violates the publisher's license and DMCA.
My VBK file is huge - can I compress it further?
Veeam already applies per-block compression (LZ4 or zlib). Additional external compression gains minimal benefit. Deduplicated storage appliances work well with Veeam repositories.
What is the difference between VBK, VIB, and VRB?
VBK = full backup; VIB = forward incremental; VRB = reverse incremental. Together they form a Veeam backup chain managed by the .VBM metadata file.
References
1Veeam Help Center - Types of Backup Fileshelpcenter.veeam.com
2Veeam Community - Veeam File Extensionscommunity.veeam.com
