How to Restore a WordPress Backup

Restoring Your WordPress Site from a Backup

If something goes wrong with your website, restoring from a backup gets you back online quickly. The restoration process depends on which backup method you used.

Restoring with Softaculous

1. Log in to cPanel and open Softaculous.
2. Click the Backups icon (folder with a clock) at the top menu.
3. Find the backup you want to restore from the list.
4. Click the Restore button next to the backup.
5. Choose whether to restore files, database, or both, then click Restore.
6. Wait for the process to complete and verify your site is working.

Restoring with UpdraftPlus

1. If you can still access your WordPress admin, go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups.
2. Scroll to the Existing Backups section.
3. Find the backup you want and click Restore.
4. Select which components to restore: Plugins, Themes, Uploads, Other, and Database.
5. Click Restore and follow the prompts.

If you cannot access your admin panel, reinstall WordPress via Softaculous, install UpdraftPlus, connect your remote storage, and then restore from there.

Manual Restoration

1. Restore files: Upload your backed-up files via File Manager or FTP. If you have a zip archive, upload it and extract in File Manager.
2. Restore database: Open phpMyAdmin in cPanel. Select your WordPress database, click Import, choose your SQL backup file, and click Go.
3. If the database name or credentials differ from the backup, update wp-config.php to match your current database settings.

After Restoration

• Visit your site and verify all pages, posts, and features are working correctly.
• Check that permalinks are working by visiting a few internal links. If they are broken, go to Settings > Permalinks and click Save Changes without making any changes.
• Clear any caching plugins to ensure visitors see the restored content.
• Test forms, logins, and e-commerce functionality if applicable.