How to Backup and Restore Your WordPress Website

This article explains how you can backup WordPress with the free backup plugin WP STAGING.

WP STAGING is one of the fastest and best-tested WordPress backup plugins.
You can create a backup of your entire WordPress website with one click, download the backup, and even migrate it to another website.

So, If your website breaks due to an updated plugin or a hacking attack, you can restore it and bring it back to its previous working state.

Step by Step Instructions

Video: How to Back up and Restore WordPress

This video shows all the stages of how to back up and restore WordPress:

Create a Backup of your WordPress Website

Let’s start.

Go to WordPress > Plugins > Add New and search for “WP STAGING”

If you are unsure how to install the plugin, look at our “How to install WP STAGING | PRO” article.

Now click on the “Backup & Migration” button. WP STAGING | PRO will search for existing backups.

Backup & Restore Button

The options are “Create Backup” and “Upload Backup.”

Click on “Create a backup.”

Create a New Backup Button

You can optionally assign a name with which you can identify the backup.

So, for instance, if you plan to update WooCommerce or any other plugin, you can name your backup “Backup before installing WooCommerce.”

Then select the components of your website that WP STAGING | PRO should include in the backup. Leave all the boxes checked unless you want to carry out a particular test. Now click on “Start Backup.”

Start the Backup Process

The time it takes to create a backup differs and depends on the size of your website, but the WP STAGING backup function is pretty fast and usually much faster than other backup tools. So, especially for massive sites, you will notice a considerable performance advantage compared to other tools.

The Backup is Completed

You will find the newly created backup in the “Your Backups” list when the backup is ready. The icons indicate which components the backup includes.

The Backup Contains these Components
The Backup Contains these Components

Download the Backup File

To download the backup, click Actions and Download. That will download a file with the extension “.wpstg.”

Download the Backup
Download the Backup

Downloading the backup file to a local computer is always recommended because you want to ensure that you always have access to the backup file. For instance, If an attacker hacks your website, he could delete the backup file from there, and you would not be able to restore the site anymore.

The Backup File with the Extension ".wpstg"
The Backup File with the Extension “.wpstg”

Restore the Backup File

So, to restore the backup in the event of a broken website, you can either select the backup from the list of existing ones or, as recommended, upload the backup file from your local computer.

A great feature is that You can even upload the backup file to any other existing WordPress website and use that backup file to clone your website to another server or your site.

Go back to WP STAGING and click the “Upload Backup” button.

Upload Backup Button
Upload Backup Button

Select the downloaded backup from the file explorer and upload it.

Select the WP STAGING Backup File
Select the WP STAGING Backup File

Once the backup is uploaded, click on Actions and Restore.

Click on “Restore”

If the restore is successful, you will see the “Finished Successfully” modal.

WP STAGING | PRO Restored the Backup Successfully

Open your website and test whether the website works as intended and is entirely functional.

That’s it. With the help of WP STAGING | PRO, you have created a backup of your entire WordPress website and restored it.