Where does Borg put a recovered file?

A Borg archive is a named collection of files saved at one point. With the stable Borg 1.x instructions, extraction writes relative to the folder you are currently in. Start in a separate empty folder and choose the archive and paths deliberately. The documentation offers a dry run, which reads and checks the selected data without writing recovered files.

What should you keep with the backup?

For an encrypted repository, keep the key and passphrase available for recovery. Check which key mode you use and keep the exported key separately. Match the restore instructions to the installed Borg major version. The project uses a BSD-style license. Budget for repository storage and the local or remote machine that holds it. Keep a database-native backup or a consistent export for live records.

Would a fictional archive rebuild a deleted folder?

Write down a Friday archive containing a policy document and a second archive from after it was deleted.

Select the right destination
Draw an empty restore folder and identify it as the working directory before extraction.
Check the restored result
Write the expected filename and a phrase you would look for in the recovered document.