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I'm trying to restore a single file with Deja-Dup but when I do this it starts scanning the ENTIRE frigging backup archive. Is there any way I can have it JUST restore the file I'm asking for without wasting an hour scanning every single file it can find.

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I don't have first hand experience with deja-dup, but according to Google it uses duplicity which in turn uses tar for its backup archives. It is the nature of tar that it does not support direct access to files but instead has to scan the archive until it comes across the desired file. There are alternative archive formats such as dar which provide direct file access. So if fast access to single files is a requirement for you, another backup solution might do a better job for you there.

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Other solutions such as? – dswhite85 May 28 '13 at 23:41
    
Thanks, by now I've just restored the entire backup and copied over the files I need, but I will definitely use another solution from now on, even a manual backup would be better than this. I don't get why a backup system would disable itself so massively right out the gate. – Naatan May 30 '13 at 14:26
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Per manpage: http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/natty/man1/deja-dup.1.html

SYNTAX: deja-dup --restore FILES
EXAMPLE: deja-dup --restore /usr/lib/cgi-bin/somefile.txt

This will restore the last known copy of this file. So if your last backup was on 5/15/2014, then only data up to 5/15/2014 will be present in somefile.txt . I've actually run this command myself and verified it works. NOTE* even though you're running it from command line, a gui window will popup asking for you to confirm the backup location and password, etc... Don't worry, it will only restore the file you specified at command line. Cheers

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To restore a single file, visit the folder where the file lives (or used to live). Right click on the file and select "Revert to Previous Version...." or right click in the directory (i.e. open the directory and right click someplace where there is no icon) and select "Restore missing files..."

This is more or less taken from Is there an easy way to get a single folder out of a Deja-Dup backup?

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The OP knows how to do it, but states that the way Deja Dup handles it is very inefficient. Your answer does not take the actual question into account. – gertvdijk Jul 10 '13 at 18:43
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There's no such option – Ramon Suarez Apr 26 '14 at 4:27
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There is no such option for me, either (Ubuntu 15.04) – CPBL Jul 28 '15 at 19:33
    
I see the option for an existing modified file in Ubuntu 14.04 --- Although the answer may well be a slight off-topic with respect to the question request, it is useful for those who explore AU in search of capabilities to restore single files, and just land here – XavierStuvw Jul 6 '17 at 6:42

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