You double-click it. Nothing. You open it in Notepad. It looks like alien hieroglyphics.
Because the file is binary, you must load it into a . open mikrotik backup file
How to Open, Read, and Extract a MikroTik Backup File (The Right Way) You double-click it
This guide is for recovering your own configuration. Attempting to crack a backup file from a router you do not own is illegal and unethical. MikroTik uses this binary format for system integrity, not military-grade encryption. Method 1: The "Native" Way (Restoring to a Router) This is the only official way to open a backup file. You are essentially loading the configuration into a running RouterOS instance. It looks like alien hieroglyphics
However, if you own a MikroTik router (or have access to a virtual one), you can absolutely open and extract the data from that file.
If you need to a router, use /system backup load . If you need to read the settings, spin up a free CHR virtual machine, restore the backup, and run /export .
Unlike a simple export script (which is just plain text), a MikroTik .backup file is a of the router's internal storage. You cannot "read" it directly on your Windows or Linux PC.