https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/8.0/vsphere-vcenter-installation/GUID-F02AF073-7CFD-45B2-ACC8-DE3B6ED28022.html#GUID-F02AF073-7CFD-45B2-ACC8-DE3B6ED28022 You can use the vCenter Server appliance GUI installer to restore a vCenter Server to an ESXi host or a vCenter Server instance. The restore procedure has two stages. The first stage deploys a new vCenter Server appliance. The second stage populates the newly deployed vCenter Server appliance with the data stored in the file-based backup. https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/8.0/vsphere-vcenter-installation/GUID-F02AF073-7CFD-45B2-ACC8-DE3B6ED28022.html