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open backup

To open a saved backup copy of a document for use in recovering its contents when the current copy is lost, damaged, or unusable.

In plain English

This means opening an earlier saved copy of a document so its contents can be brought back. The backup copy is used when the current document is lost, damaged, or otherwise unusable.

In context

Here, the expression labels the recovery action to open a saved backup copy of the document so its contents can be recovered when the current copy is lost, damaged, or unusable.

Situation
Creating, saving, sharing, versioning, and restoring files
What it communicates
labels the recovery action for opening a backup version.

Meaning limits

The term itself does not say whether the contents will be fully restored, only that a saved backup copy is opened for recovery use.

Examples

“When the contract file was corrupted, she opened a backup to recover the text.”

Core meaning

“If the current draft is unreadable, open the backup and copy the missing pages into a new document.”

In context