Backups on Kinsta
How automatic and manual backups work on Kinsta, how to restore a backup, and the different backup options available.
Kinsta creates automatic daily backups for every site and offers several additional backup options. Their backup system is one of the most comprehensive among managed WordPress hosts.
Quick summary
Kinsta automatically backs up your site every day and stores backups for a rolling retention period. You can also create manual backups, external backups, and hourly backups (on eligible plans). Restoring is done from MyKinsta with a few clicks. We manage backups on your behalf, but you can initiate a restore yourself if needed.
How Kinsta backups work
Kinsta creates a full backup of your site automatically every day. Each backup captures:
- All WordPress files — theme, plugins, media, and WordPress core.
- The WordPress database — all your content, settings, and user data.
Backups are stored for a rolling window. The default is typically 14 days, but check your plan details or the MyKinsta dashboard for the exact retention period for your account.
Types of Kinsta backups
| Backup type | How it's created | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic (daily) | Created by Kinsta on a daily schedule | Ongoing protection |
| Manual backup | Triggered by you or us on demand | Before major changes |
| System-generated | Created automatically before certain actions (e.g. before we restore) | Automatic safety net |
| External backup | Sent to cloud storage (Amazon S3 or Google Cloud Storage) | For long-term archiving (add-on) |
| Hourly backup | Every hour (add-on, available on certain plans) | For high-change sites |
Viewing your backups
Log in to MyKinsta and open your site.
Go to the Backups section in the site navigation.
View available backups. Each is listed with its date, time, and type (automatic, manual, or system-generated).
Creating a manual backup
Open the Backups section in MyKinsta.
Click "Back up now" or the equivalent manual backup button.
Add a label to identify the backup (e.g. "Before redesign launch").
Click to confirm. The backup will appear in your list within a few minutes.
Restoring a backup
Restoring replaces your current site
A restore will overwrite the current version of your site with the backed-up version. Any changes made since that backup will be lost. If in doubt, contact us before restoring.
Open the Backups section in MyKinsta.
Find the backup you want to restore — the one taken before the problem occurred.
Click Restore next to that backup.
Choose where to restore. You can restore to your live environment or to the staging environment (so you can verify before replacing live).
Confirm the restore. Kinsta automatically creates a system backup of the current state before overwriting.
Check the site. Open your website in a fresh browser tab and verify everything is working.
Restore to staging first
If you're unsure about a backup, restore it to staging first. Review the result, and only push to live when you're confident it's correct.
Downloading a backup
Kinsta allows you to download backup files from the Backups section. Look for a download icon or option next to each backup entry.
Common questions
Related guides
- The MyKinsta dashboard explained
- Staging on Kinsta
- Backups on Flywheel
- Backups on WP Engine
- Restoring your site from a backup
Need a hand?
Learn more
Staging environments on Kinsta
How to create, use, and push a staging environment on Kinsta, including selective push options for files and database.
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