WordPress

How to Back Up WordPress Site for Free (+ Restore Test)

Being Tricky

The short answer

To back up WordPress site content properly you need two things: the database (posts, pages, users, settings, comments) and the files (mainly the…

At a glance

About 35 minutes · Advanced · For WordPress

Key point 1 of 5

WordPress stores your site in two separate places, and backing up one doesn't back up the other.

Key point 2 of 5

WordPress's documentation suggests weekly backups for a quiet site and daily backups for a busy one, and always a fresh backup before you update…

Key point 3 of 5

Hostinger backs up hosting accounts automatically.

Key point 4 of 5

UpdraftPlus is one of the most widely used backup plugins, and its free version covers what a small site needs: scheduled backups of files and…

Key point 5 of 5

Worth knowing even if you use a plugin, because it works when nothing else does, for example when the dashboard won't load.

Quick tip

Exclude cache folders from the files backup (under Include in files backup).

Watch out

Hostinger warns that restoring overwrites your current files and/or database, and this cannot be undone.

You might ask

How often should I back up my WordPress site? WordPress suggests weekly for a quiet site and daily for a busy one.

Want every step?

How to Back Up WordPress Site for Free (+ Restore Test)

Being Tricky