How to back up a WordPress site: a practical guide

Knowing how to back up a WordPress site is the cheapest insurance you will ever buy. Plugin updates go wrong, files get deleted by mistake, and hacked sites sometimes need to be rebuilt from scratch. With a recent, tested backup, each of those problems becomes an inconvenience instead of a disaster.

This guide explains what a complete WordPress backup contains, how often to run one, the free tools that make it automatic, where to store your copies, and how to restore them when you need to.

What a WordPress backup must include

A WordPress site is made of two parts, and a useful backup contains both.

The WordPress core files (wp-admin and wp-includes) can always be downloaded again from wordpress.org, so they are less critical. Most backup plugins include them anyway, which makes restoring simpler.

How often should you back up WordPress?

The right frequency depends on how much you would lose if the site broke right now. Ask yourself: "If I had to restore yesterday's copy, what would be missing?"

On top of the schedule, take a manual backup before every update of WordPress, your theme or a major plugin, and before any design change. It takes a minute and gives you an instant way back.

The 3-2-1 backup rule

The 3-2-1 backup rule is a simple standard used by IT teams everywhere:

• 3 copies of your data: the live site plus two backups.
• 2 different types of storage, for example a cloud service and your own computer.
• 1 copy off-site, physically separate from the server that hosts your website.

The most important part for a website is the off-site copy. A backup stored only in the same hosting account can disappear in exactly the situations where you need it: a hacked account, a deleted folder, or a problem with the server itself.

Method 1: back up WordPress with a free plugin

For most site owners, a WordPress backup plugin is the easiest and most reliable option. It runs on a schedule, packages your files and database, and sends them to cloud storage without you having to remember.

Popular free options

• UpdraftPlus: schedules separate backups of files and database and sends them to services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or S3-compatible storage. Restores can be started from the WordPress dashboard.
• Duplicator: creates a package (an archive plus an installer) of the whole site. Often used for migrations and full-site copies.
• All-in-One WP Migration: exports the whole site to a single file in a few clicks. Simple for one-off copies; the free version has size limits for imports.

Each plugin has free and paid versions, and features change over time, so check the current details on wordpress.org before you choose. What matters is that your plugin can do four things: schedule backups, include files and database, store copies off the server, and restore them.

Setting up scheduled backups, step by step

1. In WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New, search for your chosen backup plugin, then install and activate it.
2. Open the plugin's settings and set the schedule: for example, database daily and files weekly (see the table above).
3. Set retention: how many copies to keep. Keeping the last 7–14 database backups and 4 file backups is a sensible start.
4. Connect a remote storage destination such as Google Drive or Dropbox, and authorise the connection.
5. Run a first backup manually and check that the files appear in your cloud storage.
6. Set the plugin to email you after each backup, so you notice if one fails.

Method 2: back up WordPress manually

A manual backup is useful as an extra copy, or if you can't install plugins. It has two parts.

1. Download your files by FTP

1. Connect to your hosting with an FTP client such as FileZilla, using the FTP details from your hosting provider.
2. Open your website folder (often called public_html).
3. Download at least the wp-content folder, wp-config.php and .htaccess to your computer. Downloading the whole folder is even better.

2. Export your database

The database export is usually done from a database tool provided by your hosting company, such as phpMyAdmin, which can save the database as a .sql file. Not every hosting plan gives customers direct access to these tools. If you're a Getradi customer, ask our support team and we'll export your database for you.

Store both parts together in a dated folder, for example backup-2026-10-13, and copy it to a second place such as an external drive or cloud storage.

Backing up a WooCommerce shop

Online shops need extra care because their database changes constantly: every order, stock change, customer account and payment status lives there.

• Back up the database far more often than the files, ideally every few hours during trading days.
• Never restore an old database over a live shop without thinking about the orders placed since the backup. They would disappear from WooCommerce, even though customers have paid. If you must restore, note the orders received since the backup first, or put the shop in maintenance mode while you work.
• Keep your payment provider's records (for example Stripe or PayPal) as a second source of truth for recent transactions.
• Choose a backup plugin that handles large databases well, because order tables grow quickly.

How to restore a WordPress backup

The steps depend on your tool, but the logic is always the same.

1. Find out what went wrong before restoring. If the cause was a plugin update, restoring and then updating again will repeat the problem.
2. Pick the right backup: the most recent one taken before the problem started.
3. Restore with the same tool that made the backup. Most plugins restore from the WordPress dashboard; for a site that won't load at all, you may need to reinstall WordPress and the plugin first, then restore.
4. Restore the database and files together unless you're sure only one of them is affected.
5. Clear every cache (LiteSpeed Cache, any CDN and your browser) and check the site in a private window.
6. Test the important things: home page, a few posts, contact forms, logins and, for shops, a test order.

Test your restores before you need them

Every few months, restore a recent backup to a test copy of your site to check that it works. Many people only discover that their backups were incomplete on the day they need them. If you don't have a test environment, our support team can advise you on the safest way to do this.

How long should you keep backups?

Keep enough history to go back to a point before a problem started. Some issues, such as a hacked file or a broken setting, are only noticed days or weeks later.

• Short term: the last 7–14 daily backups.
• Medium term: one weekly backup for the last month or two.
• Long term: one monthly backup for several months, especially for shops.

Old backups can contain personal data, such as customer names and addresses. Delete those you no longer need, and keep backups in secure, access-controlled storage, in line with UK GDPR.

Backups and Getradi hosting

We want to be clear about this: Getradi plans do not include backups. Our Terms & Conditions make you responsible for keeping your own copies of your website, databases and email. That's exactly why we wrote this guide.

What we do include helps you set up a solid routine:

• Help from our support team, 24/7 by email, to install and configure a backup plugin or export your database.
• Free website migration on every plan, so moving an existing site to Getradi starts with a full copy made by our team.
• NVMe SSD storage (5, 10 or 15 GB), so scheduled backups run quickly without slowing your site down.
• A free SSL certificate, a server firewall and brute-force login protection, which reduce the chances of needing a restore in the first place.

Our WordPress hosting and WooCommerce hosting plans start from €15.90/month billed yearly (+ VAT), with WordPress pre-installed, LiteSpeed Cache ready and a 15-day money-back guarantee. We set up your account by hand once payment is received, usually within one working day.

Frequently asked questions