If you have a WordPress website, it’s crucial to have a backup plan in place to ensure that you can restore your website if anything goes wrong.
In this short WordPress guide, I will guide you step-by-step on how to backup your WordPress website using a popular plugin called UpdraftPlus.
This plugin allows you to manually backup your website and also set up automatic backups for added convenience.
Table of Contents
Step 1: Install and Activate the UpdraftPlus Plugin
To start, log in to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to “Plugins” > “Add New”. In the search bar, type in “UpdraftPlus” and click on the “Install Now” button next to the plugin.
Once the installation is complete, click on the “Activate” button to activate the plugin.
Step 2: Configure UpdraftPlus Settings
After activating the plugin, you will see an UpdraftPlus tab in your WordPress dashboard menu. Click on it, and then click on “Settings”.
Here, you can manually backup your website by clicking the “Backup Now” button. This will create zip folders containing your WordPress database, plugins, themes, uploads, and miscellaneous files.
You can download these backup files to your computer by clicking on the “Save Now” button for each category.
Step 3: Restore Your Website (if needed)
If something goes wrong with your website and you need to restore it, simply click on the “Restore” button in the UpdraftPlus settings. Choose the backup version you want to restore and follow the prompts to complete the restoration process.
Step 4: Configure Automatic Backups
To enable automatic backups, go back to the UpdraftPlus settings. Under the “Settings” tab, you will find options to schedule backups.
Choose whether you want to backup your files and/or database daily, weekly, or monthly. It’s recommended to select both options and set a retention limit for the number of backup copies.
Step 5: Configure Remote Storage (optional)
If you want to store your backups on a remote storage service for added security, UpdraftPlus offers several options. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to use Google Drive as the remote storage.
Under the “Settings” tab, scroll down to the “Google Drive” option. Click on it and follow the on-screen instructions to authorize access to your Google Drive account.
Once set up, your backups will be automatically saved to your Google Drive account. You can access and download these backups from your Google Drive dashboard.
Conclusion
Backing up your WordPress website is essential to protect your hard work and ensure that you can restore your site if anything goes wrong. Using the UpdraftPlus plugin, you can easily create manual backups, schedule automatic backups, and even store backups on a remote storage service like Google Drive.
By following the step-by-step instructions in this tutorial, you now have the knowledge to safeguard your website and have peace of mind knowing that you can restore it if needed.