vCenter File level backup Error: You must select a valid backup folder containing a backup-metadata.json

Products

• VMware vCenter Server

Issue/Introduction

When attempting to restore vCenter from a file-level backup, selecting the .json file directly results in the following error: "You must select a valid backup folder containing a backup-metadata.json"

Environment

VMware vCenter Server

Cause

This error occurs because the backup-metadata.json file is selected directly instead of selecting the entire backup folder that contains it.

Resolution

To resolve the issue, select the backup folder (which contains the backup-metadata.json file) rather than the file itself.
For example, select the folder named: 20250707

Note: The numbers in the folder name represent the backup date and time.