How WordPress backups work
Learn how WordPress backups work, what gets backed up, where backups are stored, and how to restore if something goes wrong.
- Difficulty
- Beginner
A backup is a saved copy of your entire website — all the content, design, and settings. If anything ever goes wrong (a bad update, a hacked site, accidental deletion), a backup lets you restore everything to how it was. This guide explains how backups work and what you should have in place.
Quick summary
WordPress doesn't back itself up automatically — backups come from your hosting provider or a backup plugin. You should have daily automatic backups stored off-site. Before any major update, take a manual backup. Know how to restore before you ever need to.
What a backup contains
A complete WordPress backup has two parts:
WordPress files
- Your theme files (design)
- Plugin files
- Uploaded images and documents
- WordPress core files
The database
- All your content: pages, posts, comments
- Settings and configurations
- User accounts
- WooCommerce orders (if applicable)
You need both parts for a complete restore. A backup of just the files (without the database) isn't enough on its own, and neither is a database backup without the files.
Where backups come from
Your hosting provider
Most managed WordPress hosts include automatic backups:
| Host | Backup frequency | Retention |
|---|---|---|
| Flywheel | Daily (every night) | 30 days |
| WP Engine | Daily | 30 days |
| Kinsta | Daily | 14 days on many plans (up to 30 days on higher plans) |
These figures come from each host's own help pages and can change, so check your hosting dashboard to confirm your backup settings and how to restore. Most hosts also let you trigger a manual backup before a major update.
Hosting backups can disappear if you change hosts
Your hosting provider's backups are stored on their servers. If you cancel your hosting account, those backups may be deleted. Keep your own copy of important backups separately.
Backup plugins
A backup plugin runs on your WordPress site and creates backups on a schedule. Well-known options include UpdraftPlus, Jetpack VaultPress Backup, and Solid Backups (which is being renamed Kadence Backups). The key is storing backups off-site — in a cloud service like Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon S3 — not just on your hosting server (if the server is compromised, those backups are too).
Chykalophia's care plan
If we manage your site, backup management is included in your care plan. We configure reliable daily backups stored off-site and can restore your site if needed.
Manual backups before updates
For major updates, take a fresh manual backup right before you start:
Log in to your hosting dashboard (Flywheel, WP Engine, Kinsta, etc.) and look for a Backups section. Most hosts have a "Back up now" or "Create backup" button. If your host asks for a description or note, give it a clear label so you can identify it later (e.g., "Pre-update 2024-03-15").
How to restore from a backup
Restoring a backup depends on where it's stored and which tool created it.
Via your host: Log in to your hosting dashboard, go to the Backups section, find the backup you want, and click Restore (or similar). Most hosts walk you through the process step by step.
Via a backup plugin: Open the plugin in your WordPress dashboard and follow its restore steps. If you can't reach the dashboard, the process depends on the plugin, so check its own documentation or ask us.
Test your backups before you need them
It's worth doing a test restore to a staging site at least once. You want to know the process works before you're in a panic situation. We do this for all care plan clients.
How often should you back up?
| Site type | Recommended backup frequency |
|---|---|
| Blog or brochure site (rarely updated) | Weekly |
| Active blog or regularly updated site | Daily |
| E-commerce store | Daily or more (orders can come in at any time) |
| Site undergoing development or updates | Before every major change |
Common questions
My hosting says I have backups — is that enough?
It's a good start. But we recommend also having a plugin-based backup stored off-site as a second layer. Hosting backups can sometimes be unavailable (during a host outage, for example), and having a second copy in your own cloud storage gives you independence.
How big are WordPress backups?
It depends on your site, and especially on how many images and other files you've uploaded. A site with a large media library can run to several gigabytes.
Can I download a copy of my backup?
Yes — hosting providers and backup plugins typically let you download a copy, often as a ZIP file. We recommend downloading a copy periodically and storing it somewhere safe.
What's the difference between a full backup and a database-only backup?
A database-only backup captures your content and settings but not your theme, plugins, or uploaded files. It's smaller and faster but incomplete. Always aim for a full backup before major changes.
Related guides
- Why updates matter
- What to do before a big update
- WordPress security basics
- How backups work
- What is a staging site?
- Restoring your site from a backup
- My WordPress site is down
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