What a WordPress backup actually is and why you need one

A WordPress backup is a complete copy of your website — every page, post, image, comment, user account, and setting — saved somewhere separate from your live site. If your site gets hacked, a plugin breaks everything, your hosting company loses your files, or you accidentally delete something important, a backup lets you restore the whole thing to the way it was.

Most hosting companies do keep backups themselves, but they are not required to restore them for free, and some charge hundreds of dollars to do it. A backup you control costs nothing and takes minutes to restore. The difference between having one and not having one is the difference between fixing a problem in an hour and losing months of work.

WordPress backups come in two types: file backups (the actual code and images) and database backups (the posts, comments, and settings stored in a database). A complete backup includes both. Most people use a plugin to handle both at once, which is simpler than doing them separately.

Key Takeaways

  • A WordPress backup is a copy of your entire site — files, posts, images, and settings — stored somewhere other than your hosting account.
  • The easiest method is a backup plugin like UpdraftPlus or BackWPup, which can run automatically and store copies on cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox.
  • You should back up at least weekly if your site changes often, or monthly if it rarely changes, and keep at least three recent backups.
  • Test your backup by restoring it to a staging site or a local copy before you actually need it, so you know it works.
  • Store backups in at least two different places — one on your hosting account and one off-site — so a single failure does not wipe out both.

Using a backup plugin — the simplest method for most people

A backup plugin automates the whole process and stores copies somewhere safe. The most common choices are UpdraftPlus (free version available, paid version adds more storage options) and BackWPup (free). Both work the same way: install the plugin, point it at where you want backups stored, and set it to run automatically.

To set up UpdraftPlus: go to your WordPress dashboard, click Plugins, search for "UpdraftPlus", click Install Now, then set up. Click the UpdraftPlus menu on the left sidebar. Under "Backup Now", you can run a backup when ready. Under "Settings", you choose where to store backups — Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, or your hosting account itself. Connect your Google Drive or Dropbox account (the plugin will ask for permission), then set a schedule: weekly is standard, daily if your site changes constantly, monthly if it barely changes.

The plugin will now back up automatically on that schedule. Each backup takes 5 to 30 minutes depending on your site size. You will see a list of all your backups in the UpdraftPlus menu, with dates and file sizes. Keep at least three recent backups — if the newest one is corrupted, you have older ones to fall back on.

Storing backups in more than one place

If you store all your backups only on your hosting account and your hosting account gets hacked or deleted, your backups disappear too. The safest setup is to keep one backup on your hosting account and one copy somewhere else — Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon S3 are all common choices.

UpdraftPlus and BackWPup both let you pick multiple storage locations at once. In UpdraftPlus Settings, you can check both "Google Drive" and "Dropbox" and the plugin will send every backup to both places automatically. This costs nothing if you use free tiers of Google Drive or Dropbox (you get 15 GB free on Google Drive, 2 GB on Dropbox). If your site is large, you may need to pay for extra storage, but it is usually a few dollars a month.

Some people also read a backup file to their own computer once a month as a third copy. In UpdraftPlus, you can click any backup in the list and read it as a zip file. This takes a few minutes for large sites but gives you a copy that exists nowhere on the internet.

Manual backups if you prefer not to use a plugin

If you want to avoid plugins or your hosting company forbids them, you can back up manually. This takes longer and you have to remember to do it, but it works.

A manual backup has two parts. First, read all your files via FTP (File Transfer Protocol). Use an FTP program like FileZilla (free, works on Windows and Mac). Connect to your hosting account using the FTP credentials your host gave you, read the entire "public_html" or "www" folder to your computer, and save it. Second, export your database. Log into your hosting control panel (usually cPanel), find phpMyAdmin, click your WordPress database, click Export, and read the SQL file. Store both the folder and the SQL file somewhere safe, ideally on an external drive or cloud storage.

This method takes 30 minutes to an hour for a large site and you have to do it manually every time. Most people find a plugin simpler, but this works if you have a small site or strong preferences about what touches your server.

How to restore from a backup when you need it

Restoring a backup means copying all those files and database entries back to your site, overwriting whatever is there now. This is what you do if your site gets hacked, a plugin breaks everything, or you delete something by accident.

With UpdraftPlus, go to the UpdraftPlus menu, find the backup you want to restore, and click "Restore". The plugin will ask which parts you want to restore — files, database, plugins, themes, uploads, or all of them. Usually you restore everything. Click Restore and wait 5 to 30 minutes. Your site will be back to the way it was on the date of that backup. Any posts or changes made after the backup date will be gone, so restore to the most recent backup that was made before the problem happened.

If you did a manual backup, you will need to upload the files back via FTP and import the SQL file into phpMyAdmin. This is more work and more error-prone, which is why most people use a plugin. If you are not comfortable with FTP and phpMyAdmin, a plugin is the right choice.

Testing your backup before you actually need it

A backup is only useful if it actually works. The time to find out it is corrupted or incomplete is not when your site is down. Test it first.

The safest way is to restore to a staging site — a copy of your WordPress site on your hosting account that nobody sees. Most hosting companies offer staging for free. Ask your host how to create a staging site, then restore your backup there. Click around, check that posts load, test forms, make sure images appear. If everything works on staging, you know the backup is good.

If your host does not offer staging, you can read WordPress to your own computer, restore the backup there, and test it locally. This is more technical but it works. The point is: do not assume a backup works until you have actually restored it and checked that the site runs.

How often to back up and how many to keep

How often you back up depends on how often your site changes. If you post daily or get lots of comments, back up daily or at least three times a week. If you post once a month, weekly is fine. If your site barely changes, monthly is enough.

Keep at least three recent backups. If the newest backup is corrupted, you restore the second-newest. If something went wrong two weeks ago and you did not notice until now, you restore a backup from before it happened. With UpdraftPlus, you can set how many backups to keep and it will delete old ones automatically.

Storage space is cheap, so keeping more backups is better than keeping fewer. If you have room, keep backups from the last month, the last three months, and the last year. That way you can go back to almost any point in your site's history.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my hosting company back up my site for me?

Most hosting companies do keep backups, but they are not required to restore them for free and some charge hundreds of dollars. Even if they restore it for free, it can take days. A backup you control costs nothing and takes minutes to restore, so you should have your own regardless of what your host does.

What if my backup is bigger than my cloud storage limit?

Upgrade your cloud storage plan — Google Drive and Dropbox both offer cheap paid plans. Or use a plugin that compresses backups to make them smaller. Or store backups on your hosting account instead and read one to your computer monthly as an off-site copy. The goal is to have at least one backup somewhere other than your hosting account.

Can I back up just my posts without the whole site?

Yes, but it is not recommended. WordPress has a built-in export tool (Tools > Export) that downloads your posts and pages as an XML file. You can import this into a new WordPress site. But it does not include your theme settings, plugins, or custom code, so you would have to rebuild those. A full backup is safer because you can restore everything exactly as it was.

How long does a backup take?

A small site (under 500 MB) usually backs up in 5 to 10 minutes. A medium site (500 MB to 2 GB) takes 10 to 20 minutes. A large site takes 30 minutes or more. The backup runs in the background, so you can keep using your site while it happens.

What if I accidentally restore the wrong backup?

You can restore again to a different backup. That is why keeping multiple backups is important. If you restore the wrong one, just restore the correct one. The only data you lose is anything created between the two backup dates.