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Knowledge / Website Maintenance

How Do I Back Up a WordPress Website?

Answered by Arslan Ijaz, Survyc
Updated November 11, 2026
1 min read
Short answer

To back up a WordPress website, save both parts of it, the files and the database, on a schedule, and store the copies outside your hosting account. You can use your host's backup tool, a backup plugin, or a maintenance plan. A backup is only proven once you have restored it successfully.

What does a full backup include?

  • Files: WordPress, themes, plugins, and the uploads folder with your images.
  • Database: pages, posts, settings, users, and orders.

Missing either one means the site cannot be fully restored. The WordPress backup guide covers both.

What are the ways to back it up?

  1. Your host’s backups: easy, but often kept on the same server and only for a few days.
  2. A backup plugin: schedule daily backups to cloud storage such as Google Drive or Dropbox.
  3. A maintenance plan: daily off-site backups that someone tests by restoring.

How often should I back up?

Daily for most business sites, and right before every update. Keep at least a few weeks of copies, so you can go back past a problem you noticed late.

Recommended services

WordPress maintenanceUpdates tested on staging, restore-tested backups, and monitoring.Learn more →Monthly website maintenance packagesEssential Care at $99 or Growth Care at $299 a month, or build your own package.Learn more →WordPress securityFirewall, login protection, and plugin vulnerability checks.Learn more →

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