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STATUS_NOT_EXPORT_FORMAT
The input is not a valid raw EFS export stream for restore
STATUS_NOT_EXPORT_FORMAT is meaningful in the Encrypting File System raw backup/restore workflow. Normal file reads through EFS expose decrypted contents to an authorized caller. The raw encryption APIs exist so backup software can export and later import the encrypted data and the $EFS stream without requiring the file's decryption key.
A plaintext copy of the file is therefore not interchangeable with the callback stream produced by ReadEncryptedFileRaw. Nor should a backup program parse, reorder or partially regenerate the opaque raw stream unless it implements the documented format contract. WriteEncryptedFileRaw expects import data from the application's callback as part of a context opened with CREATE_FOR_IMPORT.
When this status appears, validate the backup pipeline rather than changing EFS keys. A key or permission problem is a different failure class; malformed, truncated or wrong-format import data must be traced from export through storage and restore.
What to inspect
- Whether the source was exported with
OpenEncryptedFileRawandReadEncryptedFileRaw. - Byte-for-byte preservation of callback data, including chunk ordering and final length.
- The restore context flags and whether ordinary file contents were mistakenly supplied to the raw import API.
References
- Microsoft: Backup and Restore of Encrypted Files
- Microsoft: ReadEncryptedFileRaw
- Microsoft: WriteEncryptedFileRaw
- Microsoft Open Specifications: EFS overview
- Microsoft Open Specifications: NTSTATUS values
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