How to Backup Your WordPress Site: A Comprehensive Guide

By Leo Guerra On Dec 22, 2023 33 0

How to Backup Your WordPress Site: A Comprehensive Guide

Having a proper backup of your WordPress site is crucial to protect your valuable data and content. Without backups, your site is vulnerable to potential security threats, human errors, crashes and more that can cause irrecoverable data loss.

Without reliable backups, you are extremely vulnerable to issues like:

Security threats such as hacks, malware or phishing attacks
Server failures, hosting outages, and other technical problems
Buggy plugin, theme or WordPress core updates causing corruption
Accidental deletions of key site files, database tables, or content
Editor errors, incorrectly formatted posts, and other human mistakes

In this complete guide, you’ll learn several methods and best practices for properly backing up your WordPress site to safeguard its data and enable restores when needed.

Why You Must Backup Your WordPress Site

There are several compelling reasons it’s absolutely essential to maintain regular backups of your WordPress installation, database, files, and content:

1. Prevent Losing Valuable Content and Media

Your posts, pages, images, PDFs, videos and other media on your WordPress site represent countless hours of hard work and creativity.

But all that precious data can vanish instantly if a site crash, hack, accidental deletion or corruption happens without warning.

Having recent backups on-hand lets you fully recover lost content, uploads and theme/plugin customizations.

2. Restore Your Site After Security Incidents

WordPress sites are common targets for hackers seeking to inject spam links, install malware, or steal sensitive data. Phishing schemes and spam comments can also introduce vulnerabilities.

If your site is compromised, backups enable restoring your site to erase any malicious code or content added by attackers.

You want the ability to roll back your site to a pre-hack state quickly, without losing weeks or months of work.

3. Revert to an Earlier Version If Updates Cause Problems

While WordPress, themes, and plugins release many beneficial updates, sometimes new versions introduce regressions and bugs that break sites.

Backups give you confidence to update WordPress core, your preferred theme, and essential plugins without worrying about corrupted sites. You can simply restore a previous version that worked fine.

4. Preserve Your Site When Migrating Hosts

When moving your WordPress site to new hosting, there’s always a risk of issues during or after the transition.

Backups make host migrations stress-free. If anything goes wrong, you can easily revert to your existing site rather than losing access or suffering extended downtime.

5. Recover From Server Failures and Outages

Even reliable web hosts occasionally suffer system-wide outages and failures that can take your site offline.

Having off-site backups on cloud storage or remote servers means you can get your site restored with a different provider if needed. You won’t be helpless if your hosting company has a major outage.

6. Compare Site Changes Over Time

Accessing dated backups allows you to inspect how your site has evolved over time.

You can view previous versions of pages to reference old content or find when an issue first emerged by comparing backups.

7. Sleep Better Knowing Your Site is Protected

Ultimately, comprehensive WordPress backups provide tremendous peace of mind.

You can relax knowing your hard work is secure and recoverable. You have the invaluable ability to roll back changes, recover from disasters, and restore your site should the worst occur.

Having that sense of insurance is priceless for one of your most important digital assets and creative outlets.

In short, leveraging WordPress backups is a smart precaution that enables restoring your site should you ever suffer data loss, accidental changes, corruption, interruptions, security threats and a wide array of other potential issues.

Now let’s explore the most effective ways to backup your WordPress site.

WordPress Backup Methods: An Overview

In order to create and maintain backups of your WordPress site, you have several solid options including:

Manual Backups – Export content, download files manually via FTP/cPanel/SFTP
Backup Plugins – Automate backups to cloud or external storage
Managed Backups – Use backups from your hosting provider

The right backup approach depends on your specific site, budget, technical needs and preferences.

Typically a combined approach utilizing both manual and automated backups is wise for maximum robustness. Let’s compare the pros and cons of each approach:

Manual WordPress Backups

Manual WordPress backups involve exporting your site data and manually downloading the key files using tools like:

The built-in WordPress export feature
cPanel and phpMyAdmin for the database
FTP, SFTP, or cPanel for plugins, themes, uploads and other files

On a simple level, this means:

Exporting posts, pages, settings, etc. to an XML file
Creating a database dump to capture all your content
Downloading copies of wp-content, plugins, themes and uploads

Technical steps for manual WordPress backups include:

Export All Content – Use the WordPress export tool under Tools > Export to download an XML file containing all your posts, pages, comments, custom fields, menus and more. This captures all your actual content.
Backup Database – Use phpMyAdmin or your host’s database tools to export the MySQL database as a SQL file. This captures your content, settings, users, etc.
Download wp-content – Download a zip copy of the wp-content folder which contains themes, plugins, and uploads. It’s often located at /wp-content or /public_html/wp-content.
Download Other Files – Optionally grab copies of files like .htaccess, wp-config.php and any other folders in the root directory like /cache.

When performed manually, this process takes more time and effort the larger your site grows. But it gives you full control over the WordPress backup process.

Pros of manual WordPress backups:

Full flexibility and customization
No reliance on backup plugins or external services
Control over downloading files from server and database
Ability to backup whenever desired

Cons of manual WordPress backups:

Time consuming, tedious for larger sites
Easy to forget or skip backups
Harder to automate or schedule frequent backups
Can be confusing for less technical users

Manual backup techniques are ideal for smaller, infrequently updated sites where occasional backups are sufficient. But they can become unwieldy for larger busy sites.

WordPress Backup Plugins

Backup plugins for WordPress remove much of the manual work of creating database and file backups. They provide handy features like:

Scheduled daily, weekly or real-time cloud backups
Backup to local storage, cloud services like Dropbox, FTP/SFTP, etc
Single-click restores from within WordPress admin
Email notifications and logging
Multiple recovery points and versions
Control over which files and databases are backed up
Backup archives of entire site or selected files

Some of the most popular and robust WordPress backup plugins include:

UpdraftPlus Backup Plugin

The free UpdraftPlus is among the most downloaded backup plugins with over 3 million active installs. It’s user-friendly while still offering many advanced options.

UpdraftPlus enables:

Backup to local storage, cloud (Dropbox, Google Drive, S3), FTP, SFTP, etc.
Scheduled backups
Backup archive downloads
Restores, migrates and clones directly from admin
Multisite network backups

For a low annual fee, UpdraftPlus Premium adds useful features like block-level incremental backups, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud storage options, unlimited sites and advanced reporting.

BackWPUp Pro Plugin

BackWPUp Pro provides reliable automated WordPress backups and restoration tools. Notable features include:

Scheduled cloud backups with error handling
Backup to Dropbox, S3, Google Drive, FTP, Azure, RackSpace
Dashboard site health monitoring
Detailed logs and reports
WordPress multisite support

BackWPUp Pro costs around $75 as a one-time fee for use on up to 5 sites. Each additional site is around $15.

VaultPress Backup & Security Plugin

VaultPress is a popular combined backup and security plugin solution from Automattic, the makers of WordPress.

It performs automatic daily backups to cloud storage on Amazon S3 servers. Features include:

Daily backup of all files and database
Activity log and real-time breach detection
Automated security scanning and threat resolution
Priority support from WordPress experts

VaultPress plans start at $5 per month for one site. Discounts are available for annual plans and multiple sites.

These are just some of the top options among various WordPress backup plugins. The key advantages of automated backup plugins include:

Pros of backup plugins:

Automate the backup process completely or on set schedules
Backup to local, cloud/remote destinations
Restore sites with a single click from within WordPress admin
Configure which files, folders and database tables are backed up
Offer user-friendly setup and configuration
Provide reporting, notifications and logs for peace of mind
Enable backing up multiple sites from one dashboard

Cons of backup plugins:

Added cost for premium features and multiple sites (free options available)
Potential compatibility issues with some hosts, servers or configurations
Most limit backups to 180 days or fewer
Can produce large backup files depending on site size
Require giving plugins access to filesystem and database

In general, a backup plugin is recommended for most sites since it automates backups reliably. But also utilize manual backups periodically for redundancy.

Managed WordPress Backups

Many commercial hosting providers include automated WordPress backups with hosting plans. They offer convenient backup capabilities like:

Scheduled daily, weekly or monthly backups
Easy restores from within cPanel or admin tools
Backups stored locally and/or remotely off-site
Database + file backups
30 days of backup versions or more
Encrypted backups for security

For example, popular managed backup solutions offered by various hosts include:

Bluehost: CodeGuard Basic with daily offsite backups
WP Engine: EverCache infrastructure for instant restores
Kinsta: Redundant local and cloud backups with 30 day versions
Flywheel: Daily automated backups to separate data storage
SiteGround: Up to 30 days of daily backups

The main appeal of managed backups is simplicity and convenience – the hosting provider handles everything automatically. But these backups typically offer less customization than self-managed solutions.

Pros of managed WordPress backups:

Fully automated hands-off backups
Offsite redundancy improves security
Quick and easy restores from cPanel or admin
Reduced costs compared to plugins or paid services
Often sufficient for average small sites

Cons of managed WordPress backups:

Less flexibility or customization generally
Limited number of recovery points and backup versions
Not transferable between hosts
Potentially slower restores from offsite storage
Only available from certain WordPress hosts

For users who want automated backups without dealing with plugins or third-party services, managed WordPress backups from quality hosts are a reasonable solution.

Recommended WordPress Backup Approach

The ideal approach combines both automated backups via a plugin or managed tool alongside periodic manual exports and database backups.

This ensures you have:

Frequent automated backups in the background capturing updates
Offsite copies and multiple recovery points
Full archive copies for migrations, debugging issues, etc

If you use a backup plugin, also do an occasional full manual backup. If you rely on managed backups from your host, download your own backups as well for redundancy.

Don’t put all your trust exclusively in any single backup method or solution. Automated tools can fail, have bugs or connectivity issues.

Maintaining both scheduled automated backups and periodic manual backups is a little more work, but provides rock-solid insurance that backups will run reliably when you need them.

Where to Store WordPress Backups

To provide adequate redundancy, WordPress backups should be stored both locally and off-site in at least one remote destination.

Potential backup destinations include:

Local Backup Storage

External USB drive
Desktop computer or laptop
Network Attached Storage (NAS) device
Media like DVDs or Blu-Ray discs

Locally attached storage offers much faster backup saves and restores. But data loss can occur if physical hardware fails, is damaged, or is lost/stolen.

Off-Site and Remote Backup Storage

Cloud storage services (Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, iDrive)
Web host storage on separate servers
Remote FTP/SFTP servers
Other computers in different locations

Storing backups remotely improves security against localized disasters, while providing offsite redundancy. But backups and restores will be slower, and ongoing storage costs may apply.

For optimum WordPress backup storage:

Maintain recent backups locally for faster restores
Keep an offline copy on external media for disaster recovery
Enable remote cloud storage via backup plugins for offsite redundancy

With both local and cloud-based remote backups, you get the best of both worlds – quick recovery of recent site versions, plus secure offsite copies in case of catastrophic loss.

Never rely exclusively on local storage or remote servers alone. The ideal setup has both elements to protect against varied risks.

How Often Should You Backup Your WordPress Site?

Ideally WordPress sites should have backups running automatically on a daily basis.

For frequently updated sites, a great deal of new content, comments and tweaks can accumulate every day. Losing the past 24 hours of work is less likely to be catastrophic versus losing weeks or months.

Benefits of daily WordPress backups:

Capture all new posts, comments, edits since the prior day
Enable restoring to a working state if an update or change causes issues
Maintain multiple recovery points in case of a catastrophe
Minimize potential lost productivity and work

Daily WordPress backups are easiest to automate using a backup plugin with scheduler or a managed backup service.

For low traffic, infrequently updated sites, weekly full WordPress backups may be sufficient. The trade-off is potentially losing up to 7 days of changes if you needed to restore.

Additional times when manual ad-hoc WordPress backups are recommended include:

Before updating themes, plugins or WordPress core
Prior to any major planned site changes like migrations, redesigns, URL changes
Monthly archives saved externally from daily or weekly backups

During special events like migrations, having an immediate pre-change backup can mean the difference between minutes of downtime versus days or weeks if something goes wrong.

How Often Should You Restore or Test Backups?

While regular WordPress backups are crucial, they won’t do you any good if the backups turn out to be unbootable when you actually need them.

It’s equally important to:

Verify backup integrity – Spot check backup archives to ensure complete site data without errors or corruption.
Do test restores – Periodically walk through the full WordPress restoration process on a staging environment to confirm the steps and completeness.
Test backups before critical changes – Trial run your backup and restore workflow before site migrations, major updates, or planned maintenance when downtime costs are highest.

Thankfully, cloud hosting and staging sites make testing WordPress restores safer and easier than ever:

Use a service like WP Staging to create a staging copy of your live site for trials.
Create a clone or mirror of your production site in a separate hosting account to test on.
Develop a sandbox or local copy using solutions like Local by Flywheel.
Restore to a subdomain on your live hosting account to avoid affecting the current site until verified.

By routinely confirming your WordPress backups work as expected, you gain confidence in their reliability when website uptime and traffic are on the line.

How to Restore a WordPress Site from Backup

When disaster strikes and it’s time to restore your site from backup, follow these steps:

Download Backup Archives – Retrieve the backup zip files from cloud storage or your remote destination. For plugin backups, access the archives from within the plugin’s interface.
Upload Backup to Host – Use SFTP/FTP software like FileZilla or your host’s file manager to upload zip archives to your web server.
Import Database – Use phpMyAdmin or your host’s MySQL tools to import the SQL database file contained in your backup set.
Extract Zip Archives – Unzip the theme, plugins and uploads archives using utilities like cPanel’s File Manager or Softaculous.
Update File Paths – If migrating to a new server, update the siteurl and home values in wp-config.php and .htaccess.
Update File Permissions – Ensure folders like wp-content and uploads have the proper read/write permissions.
Test Restored Site – Preview the restored site in a staging environment first before overwriting your existing production site.
Troubleshoot Issues – If the restored site doesn’t function properly, trace errors to incompatible plugins, paths, server settings, etc.
Migrate Restored Site Live – Once fully validated and tested, migrate the restored site to your live domain. Maintain the old site in a subfolder as a fallback if needed.

Note if you utilize a backup plugin like UpdraftPlus, it will handle most of these steps for you during a restoration initiated from within WordPress. But having a manual checklist is still useful.

Also build in time and preparatory steps for:

Updating URLs within exported database content if migrating hosts or domains.
Tweaking wp-config settings, file paths and permissions if restoring to a different server environment.
Troubleshooting inconsistencies, outdated plugins and recalcitrant content importing errors.

With practice restores, you can confidently recover your WordPress site should catastrophe ever strike for real.

Comparing Leading WordPress Backup Plugins

If you decide to use a dedicated backup plugin to safeguard your WordPress site, several popular and powerful options are available.

Let’s compare some of the standout solutions:

UpdraftPlus Backup Plugin

The free UpdraftPlus Backup is among the most widely used and user-friendly WordPress backup plugins available. Key features include:

Backup to local storage, cloud, FTP, SFTP and more
Scheduled backups
Archive downloads and restores
Migrations, clones and staging sites
Multisite network backups

With over 3 million active installs, UpdraftPlus is well-tested and reliable for backing up WordPress sites of all sizes. For advanced power users, UpdraftPlus Premium adds incremental backups, 1-click restores, Microsoft Azure storage and more premium features.

BackWPUp Pro Plugin

BackWPUp Pro provides complete WordPress backup automation with extras like:

Scheduled backups to cloud, FTP, SFTP
WordPress multisite support
Logs and email reports
Archive file downloads
Dashboard site health monitoring

BackWPUp Pro costs around $75 as a one-time fee for use on up to 5 sites. It’s particularly popular with developers and agencies backing up multiple WordPress sites.

BlogVault Backup Plugin

BlogVault markets itself as the “#1 WordPress backup plugin from the cloud”. It starts at $6 per month and emphasizes security and automated migration capabilities. Features include:

Unlimited automatic backups
Malware detection and removal
Automated WordPress migration
Backup archives and downloadable logs
Email reports and notifications

While pricier than other options, BlogVault appeals to users wanting maximum hands-off automated backups with security protection. A free 30 day trial is offered.

VaultPress Backup & Security Plugin

VaultPress comes from Automattic, the creators of WordPress, which adds credibility. This combined backup and security solution provides:

Daily cloud backups to Amazon S3
Activity log and real-time breach detection
Security scanning with threat resolution
Priority support from WordPress experts

Plans start at $5 per month for one site. Discounts are offered for annual subscriptions and multiple sites.

BackupBuddy Plugin

BackupBuddy from iThemes is one of the longest running premium backup plugins. It’s highly configurable for advanced WordPress pros and agencies with features like:

Backups to FTP/SFTP, Dropbox, Amazon S3, Google Drive
Complete migration capabilities
Advanced backup scheduler
Staging site creation
Backup archives and log files
cPanel and CLI access

Prices start at around $80 per year for a single site license. Extensive documentation and support resources provided.

WP Time Capsule Plugin

This aptly named WP Time Capsule plugin works similarly to solutions like UpdraftPlus with these compelling capabilities:

Automatic scheduled backups to the cloud
Local WordPress backup storage
Backup archives and logs
Single-click restores
External site cloning

WP Time Capsule starts at $49 per site for monthly backups. A free 30 day trial is available.

BoldGrid Backup Plugin

BoldGrid Backup takes a user-friendly drag-and-drop approach to WordPress backups. It allows:

Scheduled backups to local or cloud destinations
Database and files backup
Point-in-time restore capability
Archive file downloads
Email and mobile alerts

A free version handles basic backups while premium plans start at $2 monthly per site.

This covers some of the most popular and capable backup plugins – both free and paid – for protecting WordPress sites of all sizes. Carefully evaluate features, price, user experience and reviews to choose the optimal tool for your needs.

Optimizing WordPress Core and Server for Faster Backups

The backing up process will be quicker and smoother if your WordPress site is optimized for performance in general.

Here are some tips for making WordPress backups faster:

Tune Database Performance – Optimize database tables and queries using a tool like WP-Optimize.
Minify Resources – Minify and concatenate CSS, JavaScript and HTML output through a plugin. Remove unnecessary whitespace and comments.
Enable Compression – Configure GZIP compression on your web server and in WordPress .htaccess.
Limit Plugins – Minimize unnecessary plugins. Too many can bloat files and slow SQL queries.
Boost Server Resources – Upgrade to faster hosting, CPU and memory for better backup and restoration throughput.
** excludes** – Selectively exclude non-essential folders like logs, cache and assets from backups.
Only Backup Off-Hours – Avoid backups during peak traffic times if on shared hosting. Backup late night instead.
Clean Up Media Library – Remove unused media assets over time like old images, cropped pictures, draft images.
Disable Resource-Heavy Features – Limit or disable things like file change scanning and post revisions.

With a more optimized stack, WordPress backups and restores will complete faster. You benefit day-to-day as well with a speedier site.

Conclusion and Next Steps

Effective WordPress backups provide tremendous peace of mind and protect against the irreversible heartbreak of losing your hard work and creativity.

In this extensive guide, you learned about:

The critical importance of WordPress site backups
Manual vs automated WordPress backup methods
Ideal backup storage destinations – both local and cloud-based
How often to perform backups based on site changes
Restoring WordPress sites completely from backups
Leading backup plugins for automation
Optimizing WordPress for faster backups
Special considerations for revenue-focused sites

The specific approach, plugins, and schedule you utilize will depend on your WordPress site, budget, and technical needs.

But the worst time to start thinking about backups is after disaster strikes.

Be proactive by implementing a clear WordPress backup and recovery strategy following the recommendations outlined in this guide.

Doing so will provide tremendous insurance that your hard work can be restored in the event of security mishaps, inadvertent actions, technical failures and other unpredictable events.

Have you implemented a smart WordPress backup plan yet? What approach do you find works best for your site? Let me know if you have any other questions as you secure your WordPress site with proper backups.