You cannot simply double-click it, unzip it, or open it in Notepad. Why? Because MikroTik encrypts and compresses these binary files for security and integrity.
/export file=config_$(/system identity get name)_$(/system clock get date) This produces a plain-text script that you can open in any editor, version control (Git), or even search with grep . For debugging, you can export hidden defaults: open mikrotik backup file
The honest answer: . The .backup file is not designed for human readability. It is designed for restoration onto a RouterOS device. You cannot simply double-click it, unzip it, or
If your goal is to inspect or extract specific settings (like a single IP address or a bridge config), you need an alternative approach: either restore the backup onto a virtual router and then export the config, or use a different export method going forward (e.g., .rsc scripts). It is designed for restoration onto a RouterOS device