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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 has been writing tutorials to help WordPress users since 2011. As marketing director here at iThemes, she’s dedicated to helping you find the best ways to build, manage, and maintain effective WordPress websites. Kristen also enjoys journaling (check out her side project, The Transformation Year!), hiking and camping, step aerobics, cooking, and daily adventures with her family, hoping to live a more present life.
