Backing Up Your WordPress Website
Regular backups are essential insurance for your website. Whether it is a failed update, a hacking incident, or an accidental deletion, a recent backup means you can recover quickly.
Method 1: Backup with Softaculous
- Log in to cPanel and open Softaculous Apps Installer.
- Click the Installations icon (the blue folder) at the top.
- Find your WordPress installation and click the Backup icon (database symbol).
- Softaculous will create a complete backup of your files and database.
- To schedule automatic backups, edit the installation and configure the Backup settings with your preferred frequency.
Method 2: Backup with UpdraftPlus
- Install and activate the UpdraftPlus plugin from the WordPress plugin directory.
- Go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups.
- Click Backup Now for an immediate backup, or click the Settings tab to configure a schedule.
- Configure a remote storage destination such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon S3. Storing backups off-server ensures they survive even if the server fails.
- Set a backup schedule — we recommend daily database backups and weekly file backups for most sites.
Method 3: Manual Backup via cPanel
- In cPanel, use File Manager to navigate to your WordPress directory. Select all files, right-click, and choose Compress to create a zip file. Download the zip.
- For the database, go to phpMyAdmin, select your WordPress database, and click Export. Choose Quick method and SQL format, then click Go to download.
What to Include in Backups
- WordPress files: Themes, plugins, uploads, and configuration files.
- Database: All your posts, pages, comments, settings, and user data.
- wp-config.php: Contains your database connection details and security keys.
Backup Best Practices
- Store backups in multiple locations — never only on the same server.
- Test your backups periodically by restoring to a staging environment.
- Keep at least 30 days of backup history in case issues are not discovered immediately.