Trying for the very best resolution for how to again up WordPress for free?
Backups are important for each single WordPress website, however that doesn’t essentially imply you want to pull out your bank card and buy a premium resolution.
On this publish, I’m going to present you step-by-step how to again up your WordPress website utilizing the free UpdraftPlus plugin. Whether or not you’re a complete WordPress beginner or a sophisticated person, you’ll find a way to observe this tutorial to:
- Back up your WordPress website
- Robotically retailer your backup on secure exterior cloud storage (e.g. Google Drive)
- Arrange a schedule to again up your website on autopilot going ahead
I’ll additionally present you how one can restore your website from any backup.
WordPress Backup Greatest Practices
Earlier than we get to the tutorial, let’s shortly run over some WordPress backup finest practices as a way to successfully implement your backup methods.
Listed here are some essential concerns when backing up your website:
- Distant storage – you must by no means retailer your website’s backups in your website’s server, as this nonetheless leaves you with a single level of failure. As a substitute, you must retailer them on fully separate cloud storage (e.g. Google Drive). You may also obtain them to your native laptop for much more redundancy.
- Common backups – in case your website modifications usually (for occasion, you regularly publish new weblog posts), you’ll need to all the time have a current backup so that you just gained’t lose an excessive amount of information if you happen to want to restore a backup.
- Separate backup frequencies – you’ll normally need to again up completely different elements of your WordPress website at completely different frequencies. Sometimes, you’ll need to again up your website’s database extra usually than your website’s recordsdata (particularly if you happen to publish a number of weblog posts and/or have a number of person feedback).
By following the directions under, you’ll find a way to automate all of those finest practices.
How to Use UpdraftPlus to Back Up WordPress to Google Drive for Free
Now, let’s get into the step-by-step a part of how to again up WordPress for free, utilizing UpdraftPlus.
On this tutorial, I’ll present you ways to absolutely again up your WordPress website in your most well-liked schedule to off-site cloud storage on Google Drive.
With that being mentioned, you may simply select a special storage resolution if you happen to don’t use Google Drive, as UpdraftPlus helps tons of various choices.
A fast observe: whereas this technique works nice for the overwhelming majority of WordPress websites, it’s not the very best resolution for sure forms of dynamic WordPress websites, equivalent to a WooCommerce retailer, social group, and so on. For these forms of websites, you’ll be higher off with a real-time incremental backup device equivalent to BlogVault or Jetpack Backup.
1. Set up UpdraftPlus
To get began, go to Plugins → Add New in your WordPress dashboard and set up the free UpdraftPlus plugin from WordPress.org.
When you activate the plugin, you may entry its settings by going to Settings → UpdraftPlus Backups.
2. Configure Your Storage Location (Non-compulsory)
This step is technically elective, however I extremely advocate it. As I discussed earlier, you must by no means again up your WordPress website to the identical server/internet hosting account that your website exists on. Once more, this nonetheless leaves you with a single level of failure. If one thing goes flawed with your host, you possibly can lose each your WordPress website and all of your backups — not good!
The very best resolution right here is to select an off-site cloud storage supplier. UpdraftPlus will seamlessly ship your backups straight to that supplier, which now provides you two factors of failure. Even when your server blows up, you may nonetheless seize the backup copy from Google Drive to restore your website.
UpdraftPlus helps a ton of various distant storage places, however we’re going to deal with Google Drive on this tutorial for a couple of causes:
- Most individuals have already got a Google account.
- You get a number of free storage — greater than sufficient to handle the backups for most WordPress websites.
- The setup course of is fairly easy — you actually simply want to click on a couple of buttons.
To arrange your exterior backup location, go to the Settings tab within the UpdraftPlus plugin space (Settings → UpdraftPlus Backups).
Right here, click on on the distant storage service that you really want to use. Once more, that’s Google Drive for our instance:
When you’ve chosen Google Drive (it ought to be highlighted after you click on on it), scroll to the underside and click on Save Adjustments.
This can show a popup immediate telling you to authorize your WordPress website with Google Drive. Click on the hyperlink within the immediate:
This can present you the conventional Google authorization course of. Click on the Enable button to let UpdraftPlus entry your Google Drive account:
Then, you must see a display screen from UpdraftPlus. Click on the Full setup button to finalize the method:
Now, you’re prepared to begin backing up your website’s content material.
Observe that the authorization course of is completely different for every distant storage supply. So if you happen to select one thing apart from Google Drive, you’ll have to full completely different steps — UpdraftPlus’ official documentation is an effective useful resource right here.
3. Take Your First Backup
Now that you just’ve arrange your retailer, you’re prepared to again up your website.
To take your website’s first backup, go to the Backup / Restore tab and click on the massive Backup Now button:
This can open a popup immediate. Depart all of the settings because the defaults and click on the Backup Now button:
Now, you’ll have a brief wait whereas UpdraftPlus does its work. It’ll take longer for bigger websites. Then, you must see a hit message, and your backup will present up within the Present backups listing:
For those who go to Google Drive, you also needs to see your backup recordsdata within the UpdraftPlus folder. For a full website backup, you’ll have 5 separate recordsdata (extra on that later):
4. Set Up an Computerized Backup Schedule
Having the ability to manually take backups is beneficial. However to actually safe your website’s information, you’ll need to arrange an automated backup schedule. That manner, you may assure that you just all the time have a current backup with out lifting a finger.
To arrange your individual customized schedule, go to the Settings tab. There, you’ll see two completely different scheduling choices — one for your website’s recordsdata (photos, plugin recordsdata, and extra) and one for your website’s database (that shops your precise content material, feedback, settings selections, person profiles, and extra).
Having two choices is beneficial since you’ll usually need to again up your website’s database extra usually than its recordsdata for two causes:
- Your website’s database normally modifications extra usually than your website’s recordsdata, so that you need to have more moderen backups of it.
- Your website’s database is generally so much smaller than your website’s recordsdata, so it takes much less area/assets to again it up.
The precise frequency that you must select is dependent upon your website and the way usually its content material modifications. Nevertheless, a superb start line for most websites is the next:
- Back up your recordsdata as soon as per week and retailer a number of copies. Personally, I retailer 2-Three copies of my websites’ recordsdata.
- Back up your database day by day and retailer extra copies (I personally do 7+ copies). In case your database may be very giant, you may want to retailer fewer copies. However most websites have a database that’s only some MB, so it’s trivial to retailer further copies. For instance, the database on my portfolio website is only one.6 MB.
Right here’s what it’d appear to be:
Tip: Particularly for a big website, working a backup can devour numerous server assets, which may have an effect on your website’s efficiency throughout the time that the backup course of is working.
For that cause, you need to run your backups in periods of low visitors (for instance, in a single day). With the premium model of UpdraftPlus, you may select the precise time to run your backup, however the free model doesn’t allow you to try this.
Nevertheless, UpdraftPlus does base its scheduling on once you first save your schedule selections, which supplies you some management. For instance, if you happen to save your each day schedule at 9 PM, UpdraftPlus will run it day by day at 9 PM. For that cause, I like to recommend ready till an off-peak time to make your modifications, except you’re keen to pay for UpdraftPlus Premium.
One other extra superior possibility to get scheduling management for free is to run your backups utilizing a server cron job or WP-CLI. For those who’re an off-the-cuff person, this would possibly really feel overwhelming, so be at liberty to ignore this recommendation. However for superior customers, try these assist articles to study how one can set this up:
Personally, I take advantage of the cron method, which supplies me excellent management over my backup schedules for free.
How to Restore Your WordPress Site from a Backup
Having a backup of your WordPress website is just helpful if you understand how to restore your website from that backup. So earlier than I end out this publish, I believe it’s essential to present you how one can restore your website from one of many backups that you just took within the earlier part.
As I discussed earlier, a full backup of your website from UpdraftPlus really consists of 5 separate recordsdata, every of which comprises various kinds of data:
- Database – shops all your website’s content material, person data, feedback, settings, selections, and so on.
- Plugins – shops the recordsdata for all your website’s plugins (nevertheless, settings and selections that you just’ve made for your plugins are in your website’s database)
- Themes – shops the recordsdata for all your website’s themes (nevertheless, settings equivalent to your Customizer selections are saved within the database)
- Uploads – shops the recordsdata that you just’ve uploaded to your website, equivalent to photos
- Others – all the pieces else
Relying on how giant your website is, you might need a number of recordsdata for a type of 5 classes.
By default, UpdraftPlus splits recordsdata each 400 MB (you may change this by increasing the Skilled settings on the backside of the Settings tab). For instance, if you happen to’ve uploaded 600 MB of photos, you’ll have two separate add recordsdata in your backup.
For a full restore, you would wish to add all the recordsdata. Nevertheless, it’s also possible to carry out partial restores, like solely restoring your website’s database however not the recordsdata.
There are two methods to restore recordsdata:
- By clicking the button within the UpdraftPlus interface.
- By manually importing the recordsdata. For those who can’t entry your current website anymore, you possibly can create a brand new WordPress set up and use this technique.
Let’s undergo how every one works.
Technique 1: Click on the Button within the Interface
As I confirmed you earlier, UpdraftPlus will listing all your website’s present backups within the Present backups part.
To revive from one in all these backups, all you do is click on the Restore button:
This can launch a restore wizard. On the primary web page, you may select which parts to restore. To revive a full website backup, you’ll need to select all 5 parts:
UpdraftPlus will then obtain these recordsdata out of your cloud storage location, which could take some time relying on the dimensions of your website. As soon as the obtain finishes, all you do is click on the Restore button to restore your website.
Superior customers may increase the choices to solely restore sure database tables:
UpdraftPlus will then do its work and you must see a hit message:
That’s it! You simply efficiently restored your WordPress website’s backup.
When you confirm that your restore works, click on the immediate to Delete Previous Directories contained in the UpdraftPlus settings:
Technique 2: Add Your Backup Information
For those who can’t entry your current website’s WordPress dashboard, you gained’t find a way to restore your website by way of the UpdraftPlus interface. Or, perhaps you simply don’t see the backup that you really want to restore for some cause.
To repair each of those points, UpdraftPlus additionally helps you to manually add the backup recordsdata:
- For those who can nonetheless entry your WordPress dashboard, you may go to the UpdraftPlus settings to add the recordsdata.
- For those who can’t entry your website’s dashboard, you possibly can create a contemporary WordPress set up, set up the UpdraftPlus plugin, after which go to its settings.
Both manner, you’ll find a way to click on the Add backup recordsdata possibility beneath Present backups. Then, you may add the precise recordsdata that you really want to restore:
When you add the recordsdata, they’ll present up as an entry within the Present backups part. For instance, right here you may see that I’ve manually uploaded a backup of my website’s database:
From there, you may click on the Restore button and observe the identical steps as in Technique 1 above.
Conclusion – Back Up Your WordPress Site At the moment
It doesn’t matter what your WordPress website is about, you want a robust backup coverage to maintain your website’s information secure. A whole lot of issues can go flawed — you may make a mistake, a malicious actor would possibly harm your website, your host might need points, and extra.
On this tutorial, I confirmed you ways to again up WordPress for free utilizing UpdraftPlus, so there’s no excuse not to arrange your individual automated backup coverage to safe your website’s information. Get began immediately so that you just all the time have a current backup to pull from.
Nonetheless have any questions on how to again your WordPress website with UpdraftPlus? Ask us within the feedback!
