How to Backup WordPress Site

Back up and protect WordPress

Editorial StaffNovember 11, 2025

511 5 minutes read

Illustration for how to backup a WordPress site, featuring a computer monitor with a security shield, padlock, servers, and password field, symbolizing data protection and site maintenance. — This image illustrates the importance of backing up and securing your WordPress site against potential data loss or hacks.

Introduction
Prerequisites
Plan
Hosting
Plugin
Testing
Monitoring
Conclusion
Resources
FAQ

If your WordPress site went down today, could you restore it within an hour? Hacks, bad plugin updates, or simple hosting failures can wipe out months of work if you don’t have a solid backup.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to backup WordPress site data step by step. You’ll see what to back up, how to use your host’s tools, how to configure a backup plugin, and how to check that your backups actually work.

We’ll focus on a simple WordPress backup routine you can repeat every week. It fits into your broader WordPress backup strategy without getting overly technical.

What You Need Before You Back Up Your WordPress Site

Before you back up your WordPress site, make sure a few basics are ready. This keeps the process smooth and reduces errors.

Admin access to your WordPress dashboard so you can manage backup plugins and settings.
Access to your hosting control panel (cPanel, Plesk, or a custom panel) or SFTP/FTP for manual file copies.
A cloud storage account (Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, etc.) for offsite WordPress site backup files.
Enough free space at your host and in your cloud account for several full site backups.

Note: Run your first full backup WordPress site job during a low-traffic time. This reduces any performance impact.

Step 1: Plan How to Backup Your WordPress Site

A proper WordPress backup covers both your files and your database. If you skip either one, your restore may be incomplete.

Your backup should include:

WordPress core files in your main installation folder.
The wp-content directory, which holds themes, plugins, uploads, and custom code.
The database, which stores posts, pages, settings, users, menus, and plugin data.

Why Regular Backups Matter

Every new post, comment, or order changes your database. If you only backup your WordPress site occasionally, you risk losing days of work when something breaks.

Choose your backup frequency based on how often your content changes:

High-activity sites (news, busy blogs, stores): Daily backups. Add database backups every 4–12 hours if you can.
Moderate sites (business sites, smaller blogs): Daily backups or every 2–3 days.
Low-activity sites (rare updates): Weekly backups plus one before major changes.

Pro Tip: Plan your retention too. Aim for 7–14 daily backups plus a monthly backup for the last 3–6 months. That gives you several WordPress site backup options if something goes wrong.

Step 2: Turn On Hosting-Level Backups for Your WordPress Site

Most decent hosts provide automatic backups or snapshots. Turn these on first. Host-level backups give you a quick way to roll back your whole account.

Find the Backup Tools in Your Hosting Panel

Log in to your hosting control panel for the site you want to protect.
Look for sections named Backups, Backup Wizard, Snapshots, or Automatic Backups.
Check that your WordPress domain or site folder is included. Make sure the whole site is covered.

Configure Your Hosting Backup Schedule

Set the backup schedule to at least daily if possible.
Choose how many restore points to keep so old backups are not removed too quickly.
Run a manual backup if your host has a “Backup Now” or “Create Snapshot” button. This gives you a fresh backup WordPress site copy right away.

If you want help choosing better server-side options for your WordPress backups, see our guide on WordPress hosting backups after you finish this setup.

Warning: Never rely only on your host’s backups. If the company is hacked, suspended, or goes offline, you could lose both your site and those backups. Always keep at least one separate WordPress site backup elsewhere.

Step 3: Use a Plugin to Backup Your WordPress Site

A WordPress backup plugin is your second layer of protection. It lets you store backups offsite, automate the schedule, and restore single sites quickly, even on a new server.

In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins → Add New.
Search for “backup” and compare plugins with many installs and strong reviews.
Click Install Now, then click Activate on the plugin you prefer.

UpdraftPlus plugin details in WordPress admin, highlighting it as a leading WP backup and migration tool with over 3 million active installations. — The UpdraftPlus plugin modal displays its features and popularity within the WordPress admin dashboard, showing it as a top choice for site backups.

Configure Your WordPress Backup Plugin

Open the plugin settings under Settings or its own menu item. Then work through the setup wizard so it can properly backup your WordPress site.

Choose what to back up. Start with a full site backup, then consider database-only backups between full runs.
Set a schedule. Daily backups work well for most sites. Scale up for heavy traffic.
Connect a remote storage service such as Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, or SFTP.
Set how many backups to keep so storage does not fill up.

Smart Places to Store Your Files

Do not keep every backup on the same server as your site. Use at least one remote location. This could be Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, or another server you control. That way your WordPress site backup is safe even if your main host fails.

If you need help picking a plugin, our guide to WordPress backup plugins walks through popular options in more detail.

Note: Run at least one manual backup from the plugin dashboard after setup. This confirms your storage connection and schedule work and that your first backup WordPress site job completes successfully.

Step 4: Test a Restore So You Know It Works

A backup you never test is a backup you cannot trust. Run a test restore before a real emergency happens.

Use a staging site or a temporary subdomain so you do not risk the live site.

Create a staging site through your host or on a separate subdomain. Install WordPress on it.
Open your backup plugin and choose the Restore or Migrate/Clone option.
Point it to your backup file for the WordPress site you want to test.
Follow the steps to restore files and the database to the staging environment.
Log in and check pages, menus, theme settings, and plugins. Make sure everything looks right.

If your host has no staging option, restore your WordPress backup to a local development setup instead. This still proves the backup works.

Manual Backup Checks via SSH

If you are comfortable with the command line, you can also create manual backups. This gives you another way to confirm the contents of your WordPress site backup.

Database export with WP-CLI:

wp db export ~/backups/wp-db-$(date +%F).sql

File archive from your WordPress root:

tar -czf ~/backups/wp-files-$(date +%F).tar.gz .

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Backing up only the database and ignoring the wp-content folder.
Keeping every backup on the same server as the live site.
Waiting until after a major incident to test a restore.

Warning: Never restore a backup directly over a live site without testing it first. If the backup is corrupted or incomplete, you could make the problem worse, even if you have a backup WordPress site file.

Step 5: Automate Everything and Keep an Eye on It

Once your backups run smoothly, automate them. Then check in regularly. A few minutes each week can prevent hours of stress later.

Set Up Automatic Backup Schedules

In your backup plugin, enable a recurring schedule so it continues to backup WordPress site data for you.
Turn on email or dashboard alerts for both successful and failed backup jobs.
Check that old backups are being removed so you do not run out of storage.

Review Your WordPress Backups Regularly

Once a month, download one backup file. Open it or restore it to staging to confirm it works. This simple habit proves your latest WordPress site backup is usable.

UpdraftPlus WordPress backup settings displaying manual file and database schedules, plus remote storage options for website backups. — Configure your WordPress backup schedule and choose remote storage destinations within the UpdraftPlus settings.

Pro Tip: Keep a simple backup log in a spreadsheet or note. Record test restores, schedule changes, and storage locations. This keeps your backup WordPress site routine organized and easy to audit.

Make Backing Up Your WordPress Site a Routine

Backing up your WordPress site is not a one-time task. It is an ongoing routine that protects your content and your business.

Combine host-level backups with a well-configured backup plugin. Store copies offsite. Test restores regularly. With that in place, you have a reliable safety net and several backup WordPress site copies ready when you need them.

FAQ: How to Backup Your WordPress Site

Backup Frequency and Hosting Safety

How often should I backup my WordPress site?

For most sites, a daily backup is a safe default. If you run an active blog or an online store, consider database backups every few hours and a full backup WordPress site run at least once per day.Low-activity sites can usually rely on weekly backups. Add an extra backup before major design or plugin changes.

Is my hosting provider’s backup system enough on its own?

No. Hosting backups help, but they usually live on the same infrastructure as your site. A major outage or account issue could remove both the site and those backups.Use a backup plugin as well. Store extra WordPress site backup copies in cloud storage or on another server you control.

Troubleshooting WordPress Backups and Restores

What should I do if my backup plugin fails or gets stuck?

First, read the plugin logs to see why the job failed. Common issues include low disk space, short PHP limits, or lost connections to remote storage.Fix the cause, then run a new manual backup of your WordPress site. If problems continue, back up less data at once or schedule backups during off-peak hours. As a fallback, use your hosting control panel or SSH tools until the plugin is stable again.

How can I be sure my backup will actually restore correctly?

The only real test is a restore. Take a recent backup and restore it to a staging or local site. Check pages, posts, menus, and settings.If anything is missing or broken, adjust your backup settings. Include extra folders or tables if needed. Then create a new backup WordPress site copy and test again.

Will running regular backups slow down my website or increase my costs?

Backups can use extra CPU and disk I/O while they run, especially on shared hosting. Schedule them during quiet hours and avoid other heavy tasks at the same time.You may pay a little more for storage or a higher hosting tier. In most cases, that cost is small compared to the time and revenue you save when you can restore your WordPress site backup quickly after a problem.

How to Backup WordPress Site

Back up and protect WordPress

What You Need Before You Back Up Your WordPress Site