BackupBuddy FAQs

What happens after I buy BackupBuddy?

After you purchase our WordPress backup plugin, you'll get an email confirmation with a link to login to the iThemes Member Panel where you can download your BackupBuddy plugin zip file. If you have questions about your purchase, you can always contact us directly.

Where can I get help with BackupBuddy?

Support for current BackupBuddy customers is available from the iThemes Help Desk. If you have questions or need help with BackupBuddy, please let us know. Our team of moderators actively respond to support requests (typically within one business day) during normal business hours, Monday - Friday, 8am - 5pm (CST).

What's included in my BackupBuddy purchase?

Your BackupBuddy purchase includes a one-year membership subscription to updates and support. This membership includes immediate access to all new versions and features released for BackupBuddy during your subscription year, plus ticketed support from the iThemes Help Desk. The membership model is the best way we can provide top-tier support and maintain BackupBuddy as WordPress updates and provide continued development for new versions and features for BackupBuddy. After the one-year mark, BackupBuddy is still yours to use and keep, but we recommend renewing your BackupBuddy subscription to have continued access to support, updates and new features.

Can I get a refund for BackupBuddy?

Because BackupBuddy is digitally delivered and a "non-tangible" good, we cannot offer refunds or chargebacks for purchases. Please read the FAQs carefully before purchasing BackupBuddy or contact us in advance of your purchase if you have questions. If you have questions after your purchase or need help, our support team is ready to help from the iThemes Help Desk.

How do I start using BackupBuddy on my WordPress site?

Once you've downloaded your BackupBuddy plugin zip file, follow the standard WordPress plugin installation methods to upload and activate BackupBuddy on your WordPress site. For more instructions on downloading and installing BackupBuddy, check out this tutorial. Once you've installed BackupBuddy, make sure to license the plugin for automatic updates. Next up, follow the Quick Setup wizard to complete your settings for email notifications, remote destination storage, and backup schedules.

Will BackupBuddy work on my host?

We've worked to ensure that BackupBuddy works flawlessly with the large majority of hosts, including shared hosting with limited resources (BackupBuddy includes a multitude of debugging and compatibility options to help work around any server issues). Stash Live was developed specifically for problematic hosts and is included for free in BackupBuddy 7.0+. If you run into issues or need help with BackupBuddy, our support team is ready to help from the iThemes Help Desk.

Are there any hosts known to be incompatible with BackupBuddy?

Most hosts work flawlessly. However, some hosts are known to overload or poorly configure servers. Workarounds are available in almost all cases, but they may reduce BackupBuddy's functionality or involve manual intervention. Almost all hosting environments can be adapted to in some way if a problem does occur, and our support team can assist you in work-arounds or how to talk to your host to get issues resolved. See our Server Configuration and Minimum Requirements for more information.

Does BackupBuddy really back up everything?

Yes. BackupBuddy backs up the SQL database, plugins, files, themes, scripts, posts, settings, widgets, plugins, and everything else in the WordPress database and directories. You can optionally include additional database tables or exclude directories.

Is there a backup size limit?

There is no set limit. However, server configurations determine how much can be backed up. Script timeout time, memory limits, CPU usage, and hard drive utilization all can have an influence on backup capabilities. BackupBuddy is meant to back up WordPress sites, not entire servers or vast amounts of data when used on shared hosting. Shared hosting usually allows for backing up sites 400-1500MB before server limitations prevent progression. This is simply a limitation of your shared hosting environment - like the name states, you are sharing resources with dozens, if not hundreds of other users on each server. If you have your own dedicated server you can adjust settings to increase its capabilities.

What are the server requirements?

PHP 5.2+, mysql 5.x+, WordPress 4.0+ (Full Functionality)/ WordPress 3.9 (Reduced Functionality)/ WordPress pre-3.9 (Minimum Core Functionality) and command line zip runnable via exec() on Linux. Windows is only officially supported for local development, not production servers. Detailed server requirements.

Can I use BackupBuddy to migrate my WordPress site to a new host or URL?

Yes! BackupBuddy allows you to move your site to a new host with new file paths and/or new URLs with ease. The ImportBuddy tool will take care of migrating URLs and file paths in posts, settings, and configuration files. Just follow the on-screen directions and we take care of all the behind-the-scenes work for you.

Does BackupBuddy support WordPress multisite?

Unfortunately, no. BackupBuddy Multisite is experimental; it is not recommended for live sites and is not officially supported.

Do I need to install WordPress on the destination server before using ImportBuddy?

No. BackupBuddy's importer script, ImportBuddy, handles restoring your WordPress installation, files, database, and all settings to be identical to the site it backed up. It also handles migrating the URL and other settings if you changed hosts.

Does BackupBuddy take care of all the path changes?

Yes. BackupBuddy handles changing the URL (site address), domain, file paths, permalinks, etc. BackupBuddy does the heavy lifting.

Can BackupBuddy handle split site / home URLs?

Yes. Backups, restores, and migrations all respect differing site and home URL configurations (also known as "split URL"). You can even change these during migration.

Does BackupBuddy support Windows servers?

Yes. However, BackupBuddy will fall back to the slower compatibility mode as described in the question above when running on a Windows server unless you manually upload the zip.exe file to the root of your site. Some advanced features may not be available in Windows without this file. The Getting Started page of the plugin will provide Windows instructions if Windows is detected.