How to restore your WordPress site from a backup

Time needed: 45 minutes.

1. Open an FTP connection to your server.

   Open your FTP client and open a connection to your server.
   If using Cyberduck, and you have a Cyberduck FTP configuration file for the server (see How to create an FTP account in cPanel), you can open this and enter the FTP password (if prompted) to open the connection.

2. Navigate to the site directory.

   In your FTP client, navigate to the root directory for the site.
   For example, if your site is an Addon domain in cPanel, the correct directory would likely be in public_html (if your FTP connection isn’t already restricted to this), then the Addon domain directory (usually named after the domain).

3. Upload the Duplicator backup files.

   Upload the Duplicator compressed package file (e.g. a ZIP file) and the installer PHP file to your server.
   If using Cyberduck, either click and drag the files from your computer into the site directory in Cyberduck, or select File > Upload in Cyberduck’s main menu and select the files.
   Depending on your connection speed, the upload may take a long time to complete. Make sure not to close your FTP client, or disconnect from the internet during the process.

4. Go to the Installer page.

   Once the upload is complete, go to the Duplicator installer page. This will be your domain followed by the installer PHP name.
   If you selected the hashed name when you created the backup, this will be in a format like yourdomain.com/[date]_[site name]_[hash]_[date and time]_installer.php. If you didn’t select the hashed version, it’d be yourdomain.com/installer.php.

5. Enter the Installer Password.

   If you selected Enable Password Protection when you created the backup, fill in the Enter Password field and click Submit.

6. Complete the Deployment step.

   If the Setup and Validation checks are not passed, view the details of the errors and follow the instructions to fix them. This may require you to recreate or re-upload the backup.
   You can also review and edit the Options section, though the default options should be suitable for a full restoration of the site.
   Tick I have read and accept all terms & notices and click Next.

7. Complete the database Setup step.

   Complete the fields in the Setup section:
   Action: if you’re completing a complete restoration of the site, leave Connect and Remove All Data selected.
   Host: fill in the server path for the database you are restoring the backup on (e.g. if you’re moving the site to a new server, this will be a blank database that you’ve created). If the database is on the same server as the site files, this is likely to be localhost.
   Database, User and Password: enter the connection details for your database and database user you’re restoring the backup on.
   Click Test Database.

8. Complete the Install Database step.

   If the Validation Requirements are not passed, view the details of the errors and follow the instructions to fix them. This may require you to recreate or re-upload the backup.
   You can also review and edit the Options section, but the default options should be suitable for a full restoration of the site.
   Click Next.

9. Confirm the Install.

   Check the details of the database (the one which will be overwritten with the backup) and click OK.

10. Complete the Update Data step.

    In the Setup section fill in the fields:
    Title: the title of the site. If you’re rebranding the site, you may want to change this and review the options in the Replace section.
    URL: the URL for the site, which should match the domain linked to the site directory where you uploaded the backup files. Make sure the protocol (http or https) and subdomain (e.g. www.) matches the site which was backed up.
    Path: this should be pre-populated with the correct path where the backup files have been uploaded.
    If you’re moving the site and changing the URL, you should look at the options in the Replace section. This will allow you to replace references to the old URL with those of the new URL.
    You can also review and edit the Options section, though the default options should be suitable for a full restoration of the site.
    Click Next.

11. Complete the Test Site step.

    Tick Auto delete installer files after login. If you don’t do this, you will need to manually delete the files to avoid them using up space or causing a security breach in future.
    Click Admin Login.

12. Log into WordsPress admin.

    Fill in the Username and Password for the site which was backed up and click Log In.