How to back up WordPress: files, databases and restoration drills

Clicking backup before a plugin update and seeing a green success message does not guarantee recovery when the site breaks. Files may remain on the same host, the database may not have been saved with them, and even access to the backup account may depend on the website that has stopped working. What you need is a restoration path you can follow all the way through.

Think of backup as packing for a move: posts and settings are the contents list, images and programs are the boxes, off-site storage is another warehouse, and a restoration drill means opening the boxes to check that their contents work. This guide uses an ordinary single WordPress site to build a workflow you can check daily and hand over when something goes wrong.

First define how much data you can afford to lose

A personal site updated weekly and a studio taking bookings daily can tolerate different gaps in their data. First write down the longest period of content you could recreate, then choose the frequency. For example, if you save once every evening and a problem occurs in the afternoon, enquiries added that day may still be absent from the backup. This is a scheduling limitation; clicking restore afterward cannot recover that missing data.

Website files typically include themes, plugins and uploaded media; the database contains posts, users and many settings. Full recovery often requires both from approximately the same point in time. Check separately how to preserve mailboxes, DNS, third-party form data and external storage. Do not assume a website plugin will include everything.

1. List posts, media, members, forms, external services and their responsible people.
2. Record the acceptable gap in data and how quickly you want service restored after an incident.
3. Choose the regular schedule, extra backups before major changes and the number of copies to retain.

Make sure the off-site copy really leaves the original host

Saving backups in the website's own folder makes quick access convenient, but the copies may disappear with the site if the hosting account fails, a disk breaks or the whole site is deleted. Arrange at least one storage location with a different service and confirm that you can sign in there directly to obtain the files. Give the appropriate administrator the cloud account recovery instructions.

After first connecting cloud storage, run a manual backup and check the cloud for files from the same time. Their presence is not the final acceptance check: verify that no parts of a split archive are missing, the database file can be downloaded and retention rules do not immediately delete versions you need. Backups may contain personal data and keys, so restrict access to sharing links.

UpdraftPlus: check scope, schedules and restore components separately

According to the official documentation at the time of checking, open UpdraftPlus Backups from Settings. In its Settings tab, configure file and database schedules, retention counts and remote storage. After selecting a cloud destination, complete authorisation and save. Return to Backup / Restore, run Backup Now and confirm the options include files, the database and sending the backup to remote storage.

For restoration, select the date under Existing backups. If a copy is not listed, rescan remote storage or upload backup files as appropriate for its source. Click Restore, choose the components to recover and read the preflight results before continuing. Restoring to the same URL and moving to a new URL are different situations; do not enable URL replacement merely to get past a screen.

The free and Premium versions differ in coverage; backing up WordPress core files, for example, is a paid feature. Do not describe a plugin's displayed backup set as an image of the entire hosting server. Record the restoration environment, core version and custom settings as well. These operations were not performed for this guide; the workflow is based on official documentation.

WPvivid: distinguish a finished backup from a finished restoration

Under Backup & Restore in WPvivid Backup Plugin, choose database plus files, files only or database only. For off-site storage, first configure and connect the service in Remote Storage, then select the remote destination in the backup options and click Backup Now. After completion, check the list, logs and downloadable files.

To restore a remote copy, the official process first retrieves it to the website server, then runs Restore. Retrieval here does not mean downloading it to your own computer. Restoration overwrites current data and may remove newer content. The official instructions also say not to close, refresh or leave the page while restoration is running.

WPvivid's official documentation specifically states that restoration in both the free and Pro versions does not overwrite wp-config.php or .htaccess, to avoid configuration conflicts. Save custom database connection details, environment settings and redirect rules separately and check them individually. If a backup contains multiple archives, keep the complete set rather than just the largest-looking file.

Practise in an isolated environment before trusting recovery

Use a test environment with access restrictions and create a copy through a restoration or migration method supported by the tool. A different URL may require extra handling; ordinary restoration is not automatically migration. Disable live payments, notifications and outward synchronisation before the drill, so the copied site does not resend orders or send test data back to the original service.

Choose an easily identifiable point in time, such as a backup made after an image was added to a post. After restoration, check that the image, post content and relevant settings appear together, then sign in with a restricted test account. An accessible home page only proves that some paths work. Test search, individual posts, menus and forms separately.

1. Record the backup time, tool version, restoration destination and intended overwrite scope.
2. Confirm isolation and external integration settings in the test environment, and save its current state before restoring.
3. Verify content, media, sign-in and key functions, recording actual elapsed time and any problems.

Make backup a routine with named owners

Assign a primary owner and a person who can take over, and regularly check the last successful backup time and off-site copies. On low-traffic sites, jobs dependent on WordPress scheduling may be delayed. If timing drifts, inspect plugin logs and the host's scheduling instead of merely increasing backup frequency.

Keep an identifiable old version before a major redesign and create a new version afterward, so you are not left with only copies made after a problem occurred. Add the reasons for failures to each drill's record: which setting was missing, who has cloud access and which form needs reconnecting. During the next incident, that record is more useful than a screenshot of a success message.

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An original flowchart: confirm files and the database, preserve a complete off-site copy, restore in isolation, then test website functions and record the results.

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