This site contains affiliate links — if you sign up through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, without affecting our editorial neutrality. Details
Home › WordPress Backup Guide

WordPress Backup Guide

By CloudPicked Review Team•Updated 14 June 2026•5 min read
WordPress Backup Guide

Contents

  1. Backup: Backup WordPress
  2. Backup: Backup WordPress
  3. Backup: Plugin Backup
  4. Backup: UpdraftPlus Automatic Backup
  5. Backup
  6. Backup
  7. Backup: Restore WordPress Backup
  8. Backup: Manual Backup WordPress
  9. Backup: Backup Hosting

Backup: Backup WordPress

WordPress can be hacked without updates, hosting can fail, plugin/theme updates can break sites, and human error can delete important data. Backups are the safety net for recovery when problems occur. No backup = lose everything.

Backup: Backup WordPress

WordPress Backup has 2 components: 1. All files (WordPress Core, plugins, themes, uploaded images, wp-config.php) 2. MySQL database (posts, pages, comments, users, all settings). Both parts are needed for complete restoration.

Interested in AsiaGB?

Check the latest plans and promotions on the official site.

Visit AsiaGB →

Backup: Plugin Backup

UpdraftPlus: free, most popular, Auto Backup to Google Drive/Dropbox. Duplicator Pro: focused on migration and backup. BackupBuddy: premium comprehensive. All-in-One WP Migration: simplest for hosting migration. Jetpack Backup: real-time but expensive.

Backup: UpdraftPlus Automatic Backup

1. Install UpdraftPlus from Plugin Directory 2. Settings → UpdraftPlus → Settings 3. Choose backup schedule for files and database 4. Select remote storage: Google Drive, Dropbox, S3 5. Set number of backups to retain 6. Test first backup.

Backup

Blog updated weekly: backup weekly. E-commerce: backup database daily, files weekly. Frequently updated site: database daily, files every 3 days. Rule: backup frequency should match how often content changes.

Backup

Don't store backups on the same server as the website — if the server fails, backups are lost too. Recommended: Google Drive (free 15GB), Dropbox, Amazon S3, Backblaze B2 (cheap), or local USB drive.

Backup: Restore WordPress Backup

UpdraftPlus Restore: Settings → UpdraftPlus → select backup → Restore, choose components (database + files), click Restore and wait. If admin panel is inaccessible, upload files via FTP and import database through phpMyAdmin.

Backup: Manual Backup WordPress

Manual backup: download /wp-content/ via FTP and export database through phpMyAdmin → Export → SQL. Save both parts together with date in filename. Create .zip archive for easy transfer.

Backup: Backup Hosting

Many hosting providers offer daily backups. cPanel has backups in Home Directory downloadable as .tar.gz. Some hosting includes JetBackup or R1Soft with one-click restore. Check what backup options your hosting provides.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is the free UpdraftPlus enough?
It's enough for most sites. Free UpdraftPlus does scheduled backups to Google Drive/Dropbox/S3 and can restore from the dashboard. The Premium version adds real-time backup, incremental backup, a migration tool and priority support.
Where is the best place to store WordPress backups?
Follow the 3-2-1 rule: 3 copies, 2 different media, 1 offsite. In practice: store backups in Google Drive/Dropbox (offsite) and also download to an external drive. Google Drive's free 15GB is enough for most sites.
If WordPress gets hacked, do I have to restore everything?
It depends on the damage. If malware has spread everywhere, restoring from a backup made before the hack is easier than cleaning malware file by file. If the hack isn't severe, you might use a Wordfence/Sucuri scan to remove malware and then change all passwords.
Do I have to back up every time before updating WordPress?
Highly recommended, especially for major version updates (e.g. 6.3 → 6.4) or plugin updates with a history of breaking changes. A manual backup before updating takes just 5 minutes but prevents problems that could take hours to fix.