At its core, exporting a configuration means converting the active RouterOS configuration (stored in the binary .backup file or the live running configuration) into a human-readable, ASCII text script. This script consists of RouterOS CLI commands that, when run on another MikroTik device, would recreate the original setup.
| Issue | Solution | |-------|----------| | Exported script fails on import | Run /export verbose and compare missing defaults | | No file created | Check free space with /file print → needs at least ~1MB | | Passwords missing in export | This is default security; use show-sensitive if truly needed | | Export is empty | Run /export verbose – maybe config is minimal | mikrotik export configuration
Unlike a standard binary backup file, an export generates a . This script is human-readable, editable, and—most importantly—can be partially applied to other devices. 1. Why Use Export Instead of Backup? At its core, exporting a configuration means converting
For basic recovery, use the binary backup. For everything else—version control, scripting, and hardware replacement—rely on the humble .rsc export. For basic recovery, use the binary backup
/export file=my-config