Categories
WordPress

How to backup your WordPress site

Introduction

This guide explains how to backup your WordPress site using the Duplicator plugin. This will allow you to easily restore the site if anything goes wrong, set up a copy of the site on a test environment, or move the site to another server or host.

Requirements

A WordPress Admin Account.

For reference, these instructions were followed while using:

  • WordPress version 5.4.2.
  • Duplicator plugin version 1.3.34.

Skill Level

Intermediate knowledge of WordPress.

Instructions

Time needed: 30 minutes.

  1. Install the Duplicator plugin.

    Install the Duplicator plugin using the instructions in How to install a plugin in WordPress.

  2. Go to the Duplicator Settings page.

    In the WordPress Admin menu select Duplicator then Settings.Duplicator and Settings options in the WordPress Admin menu - screenshot

  3. Review the General settings, then go to the Packages tab.

    Review the settings in the General tab. The default settings should be suitable in most cases, but update them if necessary. For more info about this, see the Snap Creek guide to Settings: https://snapcreek.com/duplicator/docs/guide/#guide-settings
    Click the Packages tab.Duplicator General settings and Packages tab - screenshot

  4. Review the Packages settings, then go to the Packages page.

    Review the information in the Packages tab. It’s recommended that you change the the name of the installation files. To do this, select the [name]_[hash]_[date]_installer.php option in the Installer section and click Save Package Settings.
    In the main menu, click Packages in the Duplicator section.Installer section, Save Package Settings button and Packages menu option - screenshot

  5. Click Create New.

    Create New Duplicator Package button - screenshot

  6. Review the Setup details.

    Review the details for the Setup step.
    To add some extra security to the installation process, click the Installer section, tick Enable Password Protection and enter a password. Make sure to save the password somewhere secure.
    Click Next.Installer section, Enable Password Protection tick box and field, and Next button - screenshot

  7. Review the Scan details.

    Review the Scan details.
    If there are any problems, read the details, resolve them, then click Rescan. For more info, see the Snap Creek guide to Packages: https://snapcreek.com/duplicator/docs/guide/#guide-packs
    If there are no problems, tick Yes. Continue with the build process! and click Build.Yes tick box and Build button - screenshot

  8. Save the backup Package.

    Click One-Click Download. This will download the compressed Package (a ZIP file, unless you selected a different option) and an installer PHP file. The file contains all your site data (including personal information about any users on your site), so make sure to save it somewhere secure and delete it if it’s no longer required.
    If you selected the [name]_[hash]_[date]_installer.php option in the earlier step, it’s also useful to click Copy Installer Name to Clipboard, and save it somewhere so you can easily access the installer page.One-Click Download and Copy Installer Name to Clipboard links - screenshot

More Info

Snap Creek guide to Duplicator.

Next Steps

Now that you’ve backed up your WordPress site, you can restore the site if anything goes wrong, set up a copy of the site on a test environment, or move the site to another server. For details, see How to restore your WordPress site from a backup.