Backups on Flywheel
How automatic and manual backups work on Flywheel, how to restore a backup, and what to do if something goes wrong.
Flywheel automatically backs up your WordPress site every day. If something goes wrong — a bad plugin update, accidental content deletion, a hack — you can restore your site to a previous state quickly and easily.
Quick summary
Flywheel creates daily automatic backups of your site's files and database. Backups are available for a rolling window (typically the last 30 days). Restoring from a backup is a one-click process. We manage backups on your behalf, but you can also initiate a restore yourself.
How Flywheel backups work
Flywheel runs automatic backups on a daily schedule. Each backup captures:
- All your WordPress files — your theme, plugins, media uploads, and WordPress core.
- Your WordPress database — all your content, settings, users, and page data.
Backups are stored securely by Flywheel for a rolling period. The exact retention period depends on your plan — check your Flywheel account or their documentation for current details.
Viewing your backup history
Log in to Flywheel and open your site dashboard.
Navigate to the Backups section. This is in your site's sidebar or tab navigation.
View the list of backups. Each backup shows the date and time it was taken.
Restoring a backup
Restoring overwrites your current site
Restoring a backup replaces your current live site with the backed-up version. Any changes made after the backup date will be lost. If in doubt, contact us before restoring.
Open the Backups section in your Flywheel site dashboard.
Find the backup you want to restore. Choose the most recent one before the problem occurred.
Click Restore next to that backup.
Confirm the restore. Flywheel will ask you to confirm, since this action overwrites the current site.
Wait for the restore to complete. This usually takes a few minutes.
Check your site. Visit your live site in a fresh browser tab to verify it's working correctly.
Creating a manual backup
Before making significant changes (like a large update), it's good practice to take a manual backup:
Open the Backups section in your site dashboard.
Look for a "Create backup" or "Manual backup" button. Click it to trigger an on-demand backup.
Wait for it to complete. The backup will appear in your backup list with the current timestamp.
Downloading a backup
Flywheel may allow you to download your backup as a zip file. This is useful if you want to keep a local copy or move your site to another host. Look for a download or export option next to each backup entry.
Common questions
Related guides
- The Flywheel dashboard explained
- Staging sites on Flywheel
- Backups on WP Engine
- Backups on Kinsta
- Restoring your site from a backup
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