A backup is a copy of your entire WordPress site stored somewhere safe

When you back up a WordPress site, you are creating a complete copy of two things: your database (where WordPress stores all your posts, comments, settings, and user accounts) and your files (the theme, plugins, images, and code that make your site look and work the way it does). If your site gets hacked, a plugin breaks everything, your hosting company has a server failure, or you accidentally delete something important, a backup lets you restore your site to the way it was before the problem happened.

Most WordPress sites do not back up automatically unless you pay for it or set it up yourself. This means if something goes wrong, your content and your site's configuration could be gone permanently. A backup takes anywhere from a few minutes to set up (if you use a plugin) to a few hours (if you do it manually), and it can save you weeks of rebuilding.

Key Takeaways

  • A WordPress backup includes both your database and your files, and you need both to restore your site completely.
  • Automated backup plugins like UpdraftPlus, BackWPup, or Duplicator run on a schedule you set and store copies off your server.
  • Manual backups through your hosting control panel (usually cPanel or Plesk) take longer but give you direct control and cost nothing extra.
  • Store backups in at least two places — one on your hosting account and one somewhere else like Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon S3.
  • Test your backup by restoring it to a staging site or a test domain before you actually need it, so you know it works.

Using a backup plugin is the easiest route for most people

A backup plugin runs on a schedule (daily, weekly, or monthly) and creates a copy of your database and files without you having to do anything. The three most common are UpdraftPlus, BackWPup, and Duplicator. All three have free versions that work well for small to medium sites.

To set up UpdraftPlus: go to your WordPress dashboard, click Plugins, search for "UpdraftPlus", install it, and set up it. Then go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups. Choose how often you want backups to run (most people choose weekly or daily), pick where to store them (Google Drive, Dropbox, or your server), and click Save. The plugin will run its first backup when ready and then stick to your schedule. You can also click "Backup Now" anytime you want an extra copy before making big changes to your site.

BackWPup and Duplicator work the same way — install, configure your schedule and storage location, and let them run. The main difference is where they store backups and how straightforward they are to restore. UpdraftPlus is usually the simplest for beginners because it handles restoration through the same plugin interface.

Manual backups through your hosting control panel give you full control

If you prefer not to install a plugin, or if your site is very large, you can back up manually through your hosting company's control panel. Most hosts use cPanel or Plesk. Log into your hosting account, look for a section called "Backups" or "File Manager", and you will see options to read your files and database separately.

To back up your database: in cPanel, find "phpMyAdmin" under the Databases section. Click on your WordPress database name (usually something like "wp_yoursite"), click Export at the top, choose "Quick" export and "SQL" format, and click Go. A file will read to your computer. Save it somewhere safe with a date in the filename, like "database_2024-01-15.sql".

To back up your files: in cPanel, open File Manager, navigate to the folder where WordPress is installed (usually public_html), select all files and folders, right-click, and choose "Compress". cPanel will create a .zip file. read it to your computer and save it with a date, like "files_2024-01-15.zip". This takes longer on large sites but gives you a complete copy of everything.

Store backups in at least two separate places

Keeping a backup only on your hosting server defeats the purpose — if the server fails or gets hacked, your backup goes with it. Instead, store one copy on your hosting account and one copy somewhere else.

If you use a plugin, configure it to send backups to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, or Amazon S3. These services are separate from your hosting company, so even if your host has a disaster, your backup is safe. Most plugins let you choose multiple destinations, so you can send backups to both your server and Google Drive at the same time.

If you back up manually, read the database and files to your computer, then upload them to Google Drive or Dropbox. You can also email them to yourself (though very large files may not go through). The key is that your backup should not live only in one place.

Test your backup by restoring it before you need it

A backup is only useful if it actually works. Before you rely on it in an emergency, restore it to a test site and make sure everything comes back correctly. This takes an hour or two but saves you from discovering mid-crisis that your backup is corrupted or incomplete.

If you use UpdraftPlus, the easiest way to test is to create a staging site through your hosting company (many hosts offer this for free). Then go to UpdraftPlus, click on your most recent backup, and click "Restore". The plugin will restore your database and files to the staging site. Visit the staging site in your browser and check that all your posts, pages, images, and settings are there and working.

If you backed up manually, you can restore by uploading the database file back into phpMyAdmin (go to phpMyAdmin, click your database, click Import, choose your .sql file, and click Go) and uploading your files back to public_html through File Manager. Again, do this on a staging site or test domain first, not on your live site.

How often you should back up depends on how often your site changes

If you post every day or sell products through your site, back up daily. If you post once a week or less, weekly backups are usually enough. If your site rarely changes, monthly backups may be sufficient. The rule is straightforward: you can only restore to the point of your most recent backup, so if you lose a week of work, you will have to redo it.

Most backup plugins let you set different schedules for your database and files. Your database changes every time you publish a post or get a comment, so back that up more often. Your files (theme, plugins, images) only change when you update something, so you can back those up less frequently — maybe weekly or monthly. This saves storage space and keeps your backups from piling up too fast.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a full backup and a database-only backup?

A full backup includes your database and all your files. A database-only backup includes just your posts, pages, comments, and settings. You need both to restore your site completely. A database-only backup is faster and uses less storage, but if your files get corrupted, a database-only backup will not fix it.

Can I restore a backup from one hosting company to a different hosting company?

Yes, but it takes more work than restoring on the same host. You will need to import the database file and upload the files manually, and you may need to update some settings (like file paths) to match your new host. Many migration plugins like Duplicator or All-in-One WP Migration handle this automatically, which is easier than doing it by hand.

How much storage space does a WordPress backup take up?

It depends on the size of your site. A small blog with a few posts and no images might be 50 megabytes. A site with years of posts and lots of images could be several gigabytes. Most backup plugins compress backups to make them smaller, and most hosting companies give you enough storage for at least a few backups. If you are running out of space, delete old backups you no longer need.

What should I do if my backup file is corrupted and will not restore?

If one backup is corrupted, try restoring an older backup instead. This is why storing multiple backups is important — if your most recent one fails, you have a fallback. If all your backups are corrupted, you may need to hire a WordPress specialist to recover what they can from your live site. This is rare but possible, which is why testing backups before you need them matters.

Do I need to back up if my hosting company says they back up my site?

Hosting company backups are helpful, but they are not a substitute for your own. Hosting backups protect against server hardware failure, but they do not protect you if your site gets hacked, a plugin breaks your site, or you accidentally delete something. Also, restoring from a hosting backup can take days and may cost extra. Your own backup is faster and under your control.