Menu
iThemes
WordPress Security, Backups & Maintenance
  • Products
    • iThemes Security Pro
    • BackupBuddy
    • iThemes Sync
    • Why buy from iThemes?
  • Bundles
    • Essentials Bundle
    • Plugin Suite
    • WordPress Web Designer’s Toolkit
    • Customer Spotlights
  • Resources
    • Blog
    • WordPress 101 Tutorials
    • WordPress Ebooks
    • Weekly WordPress Vulnerability Report
    • The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Web Design Business
  • Training
    • Upcoming Webinars
    • Free Webinar Library
    • Premium Courses
    • Become a Member
    • Member Login
  • Support
    • Documentation
    • Get Help
    • Product Updates
    • Upgrade Policy
    • Contact
    • Our Mission: Make People’s Lives Awesome
  • Log In
WordPress News and Updates from iThemes
Categories
  • Product Updates
  • WordPress Backup
  • WordPress Block Editor
  • WordPress Ecommerce
  • WordPress for Freelancers
  • WordPress Security
  • WordPress Tutorials
  • WPprosper

How to Create a WordPress Backup in 4 Steps

Written by Kristen Wright on August 14, 2019

Last Updated on August 14, 2019

In this post, we walk through how to create a WordPress backup with BackupBuddy. Creating a backup of your WordPress site doesn’t have to be difficult. BackupBuddy, our WordPress backup plugin, makes it easy.

How to Create a WordPress Backup with BackupBuddy

The BackupBuddy plugin is a WordPress backup plugin that you install on your WordPress website. BackupBuddy allows you to create a backups of your WordPress website from inside your WordPress admin dashboard with just a few clicks.

Getting Started

1. After installing and activating the BackupBuddy plugin, visit the Backup page in the BackupBuddy menu.

The Backups page is where you can manually create your website backups.

2. Next, choose the backup type (profile) to create.

BackupBuddy Guide - Backup Page

WordPress Backup Types (Profiles)

BackupBuddy allows you to create several different types of backups of your website. These are called backup Profiles.

  • Database Only – This type of backup backs up your WordPress database, including the content of your posts, pages, comments, widget content, media library titles/descriptions (but not the actual media library files) and your website’s WordPress settings information. A Database Only backup backs up your WordPress database with less impact on your available storage space or server performance, but doesn’t include all of your website’s files. You’ll need a Complete Backup for that.
  • Complete Backup – This backup includes all files in your WordPress installation directory (and subdirectories). This includes files such as Media Library files (like images or videos you have uploaded), plugins and theme files and any other files found. This type of backup is the largest backup file type. A Complete Backup includes the database, themes, plugins and media.
  • Themes Only – This type of backup backs up all theme files installed on your website.
  • Plugins Only – This type of backup backs up all plugin files installed on your website.
  • Media Only – This backup backs up your media library files, including any image files or videos you have uploaded. This type of backup can be rather large depending on the size of the files you have uploaded to your WordPress Media Library.
  • Custom – You can also customize the type of backup you’d like to create by selecting individual files or directories.
Which backup file type should you choose? If this is your first backup, we recommend selecting Complete Backup. Future backups can be set up to run on a schedule.

3. To create the backup, simply click on the backup type.

Once you select the type of backup you’d like to run, BackupBuddy goes to work on the backup. You can watch as BackupBuddy will give you a real-time status log of the backup process.

BackupBuddy Guide - Backup Creation Page

Backup Status Log

During the backup process, if you run into any trouble, you can select the Status Log tab to view your backup Status Log file. This log file gives you an overview of everything happening during the backup process.

BackupBuddy Guide - Backup Creation Page Status Log Tab

When working with support, you may be asked to provide a copy of your Status Log. At the bottom of the Status Log page, you’ll see a button to download the file.

Completing the WordPress Backup

4. Once the backup has completed, a green checkmark will appear. Your backup file is ready!

From here, you have the option to select Send to an offsite destination, Download backup file or Back to Backups.

wordpress backup complete

Downloading Your WordPress Backup File

If you select Download backup file, the backup file will immediately begin downloading to your computer. This backup file will be downloaded as a .zip file that you can unzip if you need to see the contents.

Note: A downloaded backup files will need to a remain zip file if you wish to restore or migrate from the backup file.

Send Backups to Offsite Destination

If you select Send to an offsite destination, a window will appear so that you can send the backup file to another location (Remote Destination). You can set up your backup remote destinations from the Remote Destinations page in the BackupBuddy menu or by clicking the + Add New Destination button.

Note: It’s a good idea to set up a remote destination for your backups. Why? If something goes wrong with your website (like a hack, fatal error or server crash), your backup files won’t be stored in the same place as your actual website. Backup files can be stored safely in another secure, remote location.

If you don’t have a Remote Destination option, take advantage of the free 1GB of BackupBuddy Stash storage space you get with your BackupBuddy subscription.

Local Backups

By default, the backup file you just ran will be stored locally. “Locally” means it is saved on the same server as your website. If you return to the Backups page, you’ll see the new backup you just ran in the list.

Note: It’s a good idea to make sure you have set up limits on the number of local backups you store on your website. Why? Any future Complete Backups will also be backup your backups. This can create giant backup files and impact your server resources.

You can set Local Archive Storage Limits in BackupBuddy Settings. Choose to limit by age, number or size.

Backup Schedules

While this post covered a manual WordPress backup, you can schedule backups to automatically run with BackupBuddy’s backup schedules.

To set up backup schedules, navigate to BackupBuddy’s Schedule page.

Once you’ve set up your schedule, backups will run automatically.

Not sure what your backup schedule should be? We recommend that you run a Complete Backup at least once a month and a Database backup at least once a week. If you have a site with frequent changes or ecommerce orders, you may need to do a Database backup more often. We also recommend that you schedule your backups for when traffic on your site is light and to store your backups in an offsite location.

Need a WordPress backup today? Get BackupBuddy

BackupBuddy is the original 3-in-1 WordPress backup plugin. Easily backup and restore your WordPress website with just a few clicks. With BackupBuddy, you can also migrate your site to a new host or domain.

Get BackupBuddy now

Kristen Wright
Kristen Wright

Kristen has been writing WordPress tutorials since 2011. Kristen also enjoys journaling, hiking and camping, step aerobics, cooking, and daily adventures with her family, hoping to live a more present life.

Share via:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • More
Other related posts

What is a Website Firewall? WAFs and Other Firewalls Explained
move-wordpress-new-domain
How to Move a WordPress Website to a New Domain

10 Ways to Save Time & Make Money With BackupBuddy

Making Money with BackupBuddy

Respond

Click here to cancel reply.

Get updates on new themes & plugins plus special discounts

About iThemes

  • The Team
  • Contact Us
  • Website Accessibility Statement
  • Sitemap

Resources

  • Blog
  • Documentation
  • WordPress Tutorials
  • Free WordPress Ebooks
  • Free Webinar Library
  • Free Upcoming Webinars
  • iThemes Training
  • Affiliates

Customers

  • Member Panel Login
  • Support
  • FAQs
  • Upgrade Policy
  • Licensing
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Refund Policy

Top Products

  • BackupBuddy
  • iThemes Security Pro
  • iThemes Sync
  • Restrict Content Pro
  • WPComplete
  • WordPress Plugins
  • Content Upgrades
  • WordPress Landing Page Plugin
  • BackupBuddy Stash

iThemes Media LLC Copyright © 2023 All rights reserved | Privacy Policy

© 2022 All Rights Reserved.

Visit StellarWP Visit Nexcess
Share via
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Mix
Email
Print
Copy Link
Powered by Social Snap
Copy link
CopyCopied
Powered by Social Snap