How to backup and restore your WordPress site in case of emergency
If you run a WordPress site, you know how important it is to keep your data safe and secure. Whether it’s a hacker attack, a server crash, or a human error, you never know when disaster might strike and wipe out your site. That’s why you need to have a backup plan in place to restore your site in case of emergency.
In this blog post, we will show you how to backup and restore your WordPress site using two popular methods: using a plugin and using cPanel. Both methods are easy to follow and can save you a lot of time and hassle if something goes wrong with your site.
Method 1: Using a plugin
One of the easiest ways to backup and restore your WordPress site is to use a plugin. There are many plugins available that can help you with this task, but one of the most popular and reliable ones is UpdraftPlus. UpdraftPlus is a free plugin that allows you to backup your site to various cloud storage services, such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon S3, and more. You can also schedule automatic backups and restore your site with a few clicks.
To use UpdraftPlus, follow these steps:
- Install and activate the plugin from the WordPress dashboard.
- Go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups and click on the Backup Now button.
- Choose what files and database tables you want to backup and where you want to store them. You can also enable encryption for extra security.
- Click on the Backup Now button again and wait for the process to complete.
- To restore your site, go to the Existing Backups tab and click on the Restore button next to the backup you want to use.
- Choose what files and database tables you want to restore and click on the Restore button again.
- Wait for the process to complete and check if your site is working properly.
Method 2: Using cPanel
Another way to backup and restore your WordPress site is to use cPanel. cPanel is a web hosting control panel that gives you access to various tools and features for managing your site. One of these tools is the Backup Wizard, which lets you create and download backups of your site and upload them to restore your site.
To use cPanel, follow these steps:
- Log in to your cPanel account and click on the Backup Wizard icon.
- Click on the Backup button and choose what type of backup you want to create: full or partial. A full backup includes all your files, databases, email accounts, etc., while a partial backup only includes specific files or databases.
- Choose where you want to store your backup: in your home directory, in a remote FTP server, or in a remote SCP server. You can also enter an email address to receive a notification when the backup is complete.
- Click on the Generate Backup button and wait for the process to complete.
- To restore your site, click on the Restore button and choose what type of backup you want to use: full or partial.
- Choose the backup file from your computer or from a remote location and click on the Upload button.
- Wait for the process to complete and check if your site is working properly.
Conclusion
Backing up and restoring your WordPress site is essential for keeping your data safe and secure. You can use either a plugin or cPanel to do this task easily and quickly. We recommend using UpdraftPlus for its simplicity and reliability, but you can also use cPanel if you prefer more control over your backups. Either way, make sure you backup your site regularly and test your backups before restoring them. This way, you can avoid losing your site in case of emergency.