Your WordPress website is one of your most valuable digital assets, but what happens if it suddenly crashes, gets hacked, or data is accidentally deleted? Without a proper backup, recovering your site can be time-consuming, costly, or even impossible. That’s why learning how to Back Up WordPress Site and Database is essential for every website owner, whether you run a personal blog or a business platform.
This step-by-step guide will walk you through the safest and most effective methods to create complete WordPress backups, covering both your website files and database. From manual techniques to automated backup plugins and the use of premium WordPress themes you’ll discover practical solutions that help protect your content, themes, plugins, and critical data, ensuring you can restore your site quickly and confidently whenever the unexpected happens.
Why is it Necessary to back up Your Website and Database?
To backup wordpress website manually is a two-part process that requires you to download the files and the database separately. This method gives you complete control but is more time-consuming and requires attention to detail.
Here’s why website and database backups are essential:
- Protection Against Data Loss: Accidental deletion, server failures, or corrupted files can wipe out important content within seconds. Backups allow you to restore everything without starting from scratch.
- Recovery from Hacking & Malware Attacks: Websites are frequent targets of cyber threats. If your site is compromised, a clean backup helps you quickly roll back to a secure version and minimise damage.
- Safeguard During Updates: Safeguard During Updates: Theme, plugin, or WordPress core updates can sometimes break your site. Having a backup ensures you can safely set up multisite WordPress and revert to the previous working version instantly.
- Server or Hosting Failures: Even reliable hosting providers can face outages or technical issues. Backups stored offsite guarantee your website isn’t lost permanently.
- Easy Website Restoration: In case of errors or crashes, backups make the restoration process fast, smooth, and stress-free.
- Protection from Human Errors: Simple mistakes like wrong file edits or database changes can disrupt your entire site. A backup acts as a safety net.
- Business Continuity & Reliability: For businesses, downtime means lost revenue and credibility. Regular backups ensure your website remains operational and trustworthy.
- Peace of Mind: Knowing your data is securely backed up lets you focus on growing your website instead of worrying about potential risks.
Types of WordPress Backups You Should Know
Before learning how to Back Up WordPress Site and Database, it’s important to understand the different types of backups available. Each backup type serves a specific purpose and helps protect different parts of your website.
- Full Website Backup: A full backup includes all WordPress files (themes, plugins, uploads, core files) along with the entire database. This is the most comprehensive backup option and is ideal for complete website restoration in case of major failures, hacking, or server crashes.
- Database-Only Backup: This backup contains all your website’s content, including posts, pages, comments, user data, and settings. Database-only backups are lightweight and useful when your site content changes frequently, but files remain unchanged.
- Files-Only Backup: A files-only backup includes WordPress core files, themes, plugins, images, and media uploads. This type of backup is useful when you are making design changes or updating themes and plugins.
- Scheduled Backups: Scheduled backups run automatically at fixed intervals such as daily, weekly, or monthly. They are ideal for maintaining consistent protection without manual effort.
- On-Demand Backups: These backups are created manually whenever needed, especially before making major updates or changes to your website.
How to Back Up a WordPress Site and Database?
Backing up your WordPress site ensures that your files, content, and settings stay safe in case of server failure, hacking, or accidental deletion. Below are the most reliable methods to back up both your WordPress website files and database.
For most users, using a dedicated plugin is the easiest and most reliable method, as it can automate the entire process, including off-site storage. But here we have multiple methods for you to know how to Back Up WordPress Site and Database.
Method 1: How to Back Up a WordPress Site and Database (Using a Plugin)
Using a plugin is the easiest and most reliable way to back up your WordPress site and database, especially because it allows for automated, scheduled, and off-site backups. I recommend using UpdraftPlus, as it is one of the most popular free solutions that offers integration with major cloud storage services like Google Drive and Dropbox.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use a plugin for a full backup and database backup.
1. Install and Activate the Plugin
- Log in to your WordPress Dashboard.
- Navigate to Plugins > Add New.
- In the search bar, type UpdraftPlus.
- Find "UpdraftPlus WordPress Backup Plugin," click "Install Now," and then "Activate."
- Go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups to open the main dashboard.
2. Configure Remote Storage
It is vital to store your backups off-site, meaning on a different server than your website, in case your main server fails or is hacked.
- Click the "Settings" tab within the UpdraftPlus dashboard.
- Under "Choose your remote storage," select a location.
- Scroll down to the bottom and click "Save Changes."
- The page will reload, and you will see a link near the bottom of the settings section. Click this link to authenticate the plugin with your chosen cloud storage service.
- Follow the prompts to grant UpdraftPlus access. Once authenticated, you will be redirected back to your WordPress site.
3. Set Up Your Backup Schedule
- In the same "Settings" tab, find the "Files backup schedule" and "Database backup schedule" dropdowns.
- Files Backup Schedule: Set this to weekly or fortnightly.
- Database backup schedule: Set this to Daily.
- Under the schedules, set "Retain this many scheduled backups." This keeps your server clean by automatically deleting older files.
- Scroll to the bottom and click "Save Changes."
4. Run Your First Full Backup
After configuring the settings, run an immediate backup to test the process.
- Click the "Backup/Restore" tab.
- Click the large blue "Backup Now" button.
- In the pop-up box, ensure both options are checked: Include your database in the backup, include your files in the backup, and send this backup to remote storage.
- Click "Backup Now" again.
- The plugin will process the backup. Once finished, you will see the backup listed under the "Existing Backups" section, and you can confirm the files have also been sent to your chosen cloud storage.
Method 2: How to Back Up a WordPress Site and Database (Manually)
Manually backing up a WordPress site is a two-part process that requires you to download the files and the database separately. This method gives you complete control but is more time-consuming and requires attention to detail.
Backing Up the WordPress Files (Using FTP/SFTP) You will use an FTP client to connect to your web hosting server and download all the site files.
Prerequisites
- An FTP client is installed on your computer.
- Your FTP/SFTP login credentials, which you can find in your hosting control panel.
- A dedicated folder on your local computer to save the backup.
The Process
Open your FTP client and enter your credentials to connect to your hosting server. On the right-hand panel, navigate to the directory where your WordPress site is installed. This is typically the public_html, www, or a folder named after your domain. Once you know how to connect your hosting and domain it is required to download all the files, and for this, select ALL the folders and files within this root directory. Drag and drop the selected files and folders to your dedicated backup folder on the left-hand panel. This is a critical step when learning How to Back Up WordPress Site and Database manually.
Backing Up the Database (Using phpMyAdmin) The database holds all your posts, pages, user data, and plugin settings. You'll use the phpMyAdmin tool, which is usually included in your hosting control panel (like cPanel).
Prerequisites
- Access to your hosting control panel.
- Enter the name of your WordPress database.
The Process
- Log in to your hosting control panel and find the phpMyAdmin tool under the Databases section. Click it to open in a new tab.
- On the left-hand sidebar in phpMyAdmin, click on the name of the WordPress database you want to back up. This will display all the tables.
- Export the database by clicking the "Export" tab at the top of the screen.
- For the Export Method, select "Quick."
- Ensure the format is set to SQL.
- Click the "Go" button.
- Your browser will automatically download the database as a single .sql file. Move this file into the same local backup folder you used for your site files. Your database file will download to your computer.
Best Practices for Backing Up a WordPress Site and Database
Creating backups is important, but following best practices ensures your backups are reliable, secure, and easy to restore when needed.
- Back Up Your Site Regularly: Backup frequency should depend on how often your site is updated. Content-heavy or business websites should use daily backups, while smaller or static websites can rely on weekly backups.
- Store Backups Off-Site: Always store backups in a different location from your VPS hosting for WordPress server, such as cloud storage or an external drive. This protects your data if the server fails or gets compromised. This is a fundamental rule for How to Back Up a WordPress Site and Database.
- Automate the Backup Process: Using automated backup schedules reduces human error and ensures your site is always protected without manual intervention.
- Test Your Backups Periodically: A backup is only useful if it works. Regularly test backup files by restoring them on a staging or test environment.
- Keep Multiple Backup Versions: Maintain several backup versions instead of relying on a single file. This allows you to restore a clean version if one backup is corrupted or infected.
- Secure Your Backup Files: Protect backups with strong passwords and encryption to prevent unauthorised access, especially when stored in cloud environments. Understanding how to Back Up WordPress Site and Database also means understanding how to protect those files.
How Often Should You Back Up a WordPress Site?
The ideal backup frequency depends on your website’s size, activity level, and purpose. Choosing the right backup schedule helps ensure maximum protection without unnecessary resource usage.
- Daily Backups: Recommended for eCommerce websites, blogs with frequent updates, membership sites, and business websites where content or transactions change regularly.
- Weekly Backups: Suitable for small websites or portfolios where content updates are occasional.
- Before Major Changes: Always create an on-demand backup before updating WordPress core, themes, plugins, or making custom code changes. This is the safest way to Back Up WordPress Site and Database and a key step in how to set up a WordPress website
Conclusion
Backing up your WordPress site and database is one of the most important maintenance tasks for keeping your website secure and reliable. The above guide is a perfect answer to How to Back Up WordPress Site and Database. Whether you choose a plugin-based solution for convenience or a manual method for greater control, regular backups ensure that your data is protected against unexpected issues like hacking, server failures, human errors, or failed updates.
By following this step-by-step guide, you now have a clear understanding of how to Back Up WordPress Site and Database including both your website files and database. Making backups a routine part of your site management, especially when using a WP theme bundle and storing them in secure, off-site locations, gives you peace of mind and the confidence to restore your website quickly whenever needed. In short, a consistent backup strategy is not just a safety measure but a vital foundation for a stable and worry-free WordPress website.
FAQs
Can I back up my WordPress site without using a plugin?
Yes. You can manually back up your WordPress files using FTP/SFTP and export the database using phpMyAdmin, although this method requires more technical effort.
Where should WordPress backups be stored?
Backups should be stored off-site, such as on cloud storage platforms or external devices, rather than on the same hosting server.
Are WordPress backups necessary if my host provides backups?
Yes. Hosting backups may be limited or inaccessible during emergencies. Having your own backup gives you full control and faster recovery.
What happens if I don’t back up my WordPress site?
Without backups, data loss due to hacking, server failure, or human error can result in permanent website damage and loss of content. Learning how to Back Up WordPress Site and Database prevents this nightmare.
