After sharing a VMDK from a VM backup and obtaining a UNC path (CIFS share), you can access the shared VMDK on the machine where you want to restore files. You can then copy the files that you want to restore.
You can access the CIFS share on any supported Windows machine, or on a Linux machine with the Samba client installed.
Note: Samba is an installable option with some Linux distributions, or you can download the open-source software from www.samba.org.
On supported Windows operating systems, the preferred method of accessing shared disks is to use the Dynamic Disk Tool (provided with the vSphere Agent). With the Dynamic Disk Tool, you can access files on Windows dynamic disks, mount multiple disks and partitions from Windows VMs, and restore Windows files and folders with advanced permissions. For more information, see the vSphere Agent User Guide.
Note: To restore files from a Linux VMDK, you cannot use the Dynamic Disk Tool (a Windows only tool).
You can also access shared VMDKs using the UNC path outside of the Dynamic Disk Tool. See Access files and folders using a UNC share.
Note: By default, users do not have to enter credentials to access files on a VMDK that has been shared. A solution for securing shared VMDKs during granular file and folder recovery is available, but requires some manual steps. For more information, please contact Support.
Alternatively, if you have security concerns, you can restore entire VMs or VMDKs instead of performing file and folder restores. You can also limit the amount of time that a VMDK is shared using an Idle time option. See Share a VMDK from a vSphere backup.