Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsA complete WordPress backup is a matched copy of two things: the site’s database and every file in its WordPress directory. Downloading only the files misses posts, pages, settings, users and comments stored in MySQL or MariaDB; exporting only the database misses themes, plugins, media and configuration. Create the database export first, download the files immediately afterward, and keep both parts together as one dated backup set.
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You can do this manually with phpMyAdmin and FTP, use a hosting control panel, or let a backup plugin assemble an archive. The labels and available options vary by host and plan, but the underlying requirements do not.
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WordPress stores a site in two separate places:
- Database: Usually MySQL or MariaDB. It contains posts, pages, comments, users, settings, menus, widget configuration and plugin data. A database export is normally a
.sql,.gzor.bz2file. - Files: Everything in the WordPress directory on the web server. This includes core files, themes, plugins, uploads, custom code and configuration files.
The most important file locations are wp-content, which normally contains uploaded media, installed plugins and modified themes, and wp-config.php, which contains the database name, user, password, host and table-prefix settings. A restore requires both the database and the files from roughly the same point in time.
Prepare before downloading
Preparation prevents a backup that appears complete but cannot be restored.
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- Choose a local destination with enough free space for the database export and the entire WordPress directory. Keep a second copy on a different disk or storage service.
- Record the backup date, site URL, hosting account, PHP version, database type and WordPress version. These notes make troubleshooting a later restore much easier.
- Make sure you can access the hosting control panel, phpMyAdmin or another database tool, and an FTP/SFTP account or file manager.
- If the site is changing constantly, put it in maintenance mode or schedule a quiet period. Otherwise, content created between the database export and file download may not line up perfectly.
- Do not publish the backup archive in a web-accessible directory. Database dumps can contain email addresses, password hashes, API keys and other private information.
Method 1: Export the database with phpMyAdmin
phpMyAdmin is the most common browser-based route when a host does not provide a single full-backup download. The exact dashboard labels differ, but the sequence is the same.
Find the correct database
- Open
wp-config.phpin the WordPress directory, or view the database details supplied by your host. - Note the values for
DB_NAME,DB_USER,DB_PASSWORD,DB_HOSTand, if present,$table_prefix. Do not publish these credentials. - Open phpMyAdmin from the hosting dashboard and select the database whose name matches
DB_NAME. A hosting account may contain several databases, so do not simply choose the first one listed.
Run and save the export
- Open the database’s Export screen.
- For a normal-sized site, choose the quick export method and SQL format. If your host offers custom settings, include all tables and use a transaction-safe export where available.
- Start the export and save the resulting file with a descriptive name such as
example-site-database-2026-10-14.sql. If the tool applies gzip or bzip2 compression, retain the resulting.gzor.bz2extension. - Check that the download completed and that the file is not zero bytes. Keep the original compressed file; do not rename it to hide its format.
A database export preserves content and database-backed settings, but it does not include images, documents, themes, plugins or any other files. Those must be downloaded separately.
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When phpMyAdmin cannot handle the database
Large databases can exceed browser timeouts or upload limits. In that case, use the host’s database-backup function, ask support for a dump, or run a command-line export over SSH. A typical command is:
mysqldump -u your_db_user -p your_db_name > example-site-database-2026-10-14.sqlEnter the database password when prompted, and use the actual account and database names from wp-config.php. If the host requires a non-default database server, add the host’s documented option. Confirm that the command reports no errors and that the output file has a plausible size.
Method 2: Download every WordPress file
The file half of the backup is the complete WordPress directory, not just the uploads folder.
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Using FTP or SFTP
- Connect with an FTP client using the account supplied by your host. Prefer SFTP when available because it encrypts the connection.
- Locate the directory that contains
wp-admin,wp-includesandwp-content. Many hosts call this directorypublic_html,wwwor a domain-specific folder, but the location is host-dependent. - Download the entire directory, including hidden files such as
.htaccess. Do not omit the root-levelwp-config.php. - Preserve the directory structure and allow the client to resume interrupted transfers. A failed transfer can leave a backup missing a single plugin file or media item.
- When the transfer finishes, compare the local folder size and file count with the remote listing if your client provides those figures.
Using a hosting file manager
Many hosts let you select the WordPress directory, create a ZIP archive and download it. The menu may be called Compress, Archive or Create ZIP; these labels and archive-size limits vary by host. Include hidden files, wait for the archive job to finish, download it, and remove the temporary archive from the server afterward. A file-manager ZIP is convenient, but it is still only the file portion until you also save the database export.
Files that deserve an extra check
wp-content/uploadscontains media and downloadable files that are often the largest part of the site.wp-content/themescontains active and inactive themes, including child themes and custom edits.wp-content/pluginscontains installed plugin code. Plugin data itself may also be stored in the database.wp-config.phpconnects the files to the database. Protect it as confidential information.- Root-level rewrite or server files, including
.htaccesson Apache, can affect permalinks and access rules.
Method 3: Use a host’s full-backup feature
Some hosting control panels offer a Full Backup or Generate/Download Backup action. Others expose separate partial downloads for home-directory files and databases. Availability, retention and whether the archive can be downloaded directly depend on the host and plan.
After generating a host archive, download it to your computer rather than treating the copy retained on the server as your only backup. Open the archive locally and verify that it contains both a database dump and the WordPress files. If the archive contains only a home directory or only a database, combine it with the missing component and label the set clearly.
Managed WordPress platforms may provide their own database-backups area. For example, a managed environment can require you to select the environment first and then choose Download. Follow that platform’s current instructions and still obtain the corresponding files if its database download is separate.
Method 4: Create a package with a backup plugin
A reputable backup plugin can automate the database export, file collection, compression and scheduling. Plugins listed in the WordPress Plugin Directory differ in storage destinations, archive limits, restore features and licensing, so inspect the current settings before relying on one.
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One-package plugins
Some plugins, including Duplicator, build a package containing the database, files, plugins and themes. The package may include an installer script as well as an archive. Download every generated component, record the plugin version and test that the archive can be opened. A package is not useful if it remains only on the same server that could fail.
Plugin backup checklist
- Install from the WordPress admin area and review the plugin’s storage and exclusion settings.
- Configure a destination outside the web root, such as an authenticated remote storage account, when the plugin supports it.
- Include the database and all files. Check whether the plugin excludes cache directories, logs or large media by default.
- Run a backup manually before enabling a schedule, then download the completed archive.
- Inspect the job log for database, permission or timeout errors. A green status is not a substitute for opening the archive.
- Set a retention policy so failed jobs do not consume the account’s entire storage allocation.
Plugins reduce repetitive work, but they add a software dependency. Keep an occasional independent database export and file download so a plugin update or configuration error cannot become your only recovery path.
Method 5: WordPress.com and managed services
A WordPress.com site is administered through WordPress.com rather than a conventional FTP account. Its support documentation describes a platform-specific backup download, and some plans expose a backup tool in the site’s management area. Interface wording can change; use the current controls shown for your plan and confirm that the downloaded package includes the data and files you need.
Do not assume that instructions for a self-hosted WordPress installation apply unchanged to WordPress.com. You may not have direct phpMyAdmin, FTP or server-file access, and the available export may be governed by the plan.
Why Tools > Export is not a full backup
WordPress’s built-in content export is useful for moving posts, pages, comments and related content between installations, but it is not a disaster-recovery copy of a site. It does not provide the complete database, installed code, uploads, configuration or server settings required to recreate the installation. Use it as a content-transfer tool, never as the only backup.
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Verify the backup before you need it
Verification is the difference between possessing a download and possessing a recoverable backup.
- Open the archive or extract it into a temporary folder. Confirm that
wp-admin,wp-includes,wp-contentandwp-config.phpare present. - Open the SQL file in a text editor or database tool. It should contain table definitions and insert statements, not an error page returned by a timed-out export.
- Check that the uploads directory contains representative recent media, not just an empty folder.
- Record the byte size and creation time of each component. A sudden drop compared with the previous backup warrants investigation.
- Generate checksums, such as SHA-256, for the archive and store the checksum beside it. This lets you detect corruption after copying the file.
- For important sites, restore the set to a separate staging installation. Confirm that pages load, media opens, users can authenticate and forms or commerce functions behave as expected. A test restore also reveals whether the host’s PHP and database versions are compatible.
Restoring from the downloaded set
Restoration reverses the creation order recommended for a backup: put the files in place first, then import the database.
- Create an empty database and user on the destination host, or use the database supplied by the host’s migration tool.
- Upload the WordPress files, including
wp-contentandwp-config.php, or unpack the complete archive on the server. - Edit
wp-config.phpsoDB_NAME,DB_USER,DB_PASSWORDandDB_HOSTmatch the new database credentials. Keep the original table prefix unless you intentionally changed it. - Import the SQL dump through phpMyAdmin, the host’s restore tool or the command line. Compressed dumps may need to be decompressed first, depending on the tool.
- Update the site URL only when the domain has changed, and use a WordPress-aware search-and-replace method for serialized data rather than a blind text replacement.
- Sign in, visit Settings > Permalinks and save the existing structure to refresh rewrite rules. Check media, menus, widgets, forms, cron tasks and plugin licenses.
If the database credentials changed during a migration, updating wp-config.php is essential; otherwise WordPress may show a database-connection error even when the files and import are intact.
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Manual download, host archive or plugin?
| Approach | Technical skill | What you receive | Main dependency | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| phpMyAdmin plus FTP/SFTP | Moderate; two separate operations | Exactly the database and files you select | Your access credentials, transfer reliability and storage | Maximum control, one-off backups and hosts without a package tool |
| Host full-backup tool | Low to moderate | Usually one archive, or host-defined full and partial archives | Host control panel, plan limits and retention policy | Fast snapshots when the host supports a genuine full archive |
| Backup plugin | Low after setup | Automated package or separate database and file archives | Plugin, its storage destination, quotas and compatibility | Scheduled backups and remote copies |
| SSH and command line | High | Explicit SQL dump and compressed file archive | SSH access, shell tools and correct credentials | Large sites, repeatable scripts and environments where browser tools time out |
Regardless of the method, the acceptance test is the same: you can identify a database export and a complete file set from the same period, open both, and restore them in a controlled environment.
Common failures and fixes
The downloaded “backup” contains only images
You copied wp-content/uploads but not the database or the rest of the WordPress directory. Export the database and download all directories and root files.
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The site loads but posts are missing after restoration
The files were restored without importing the database, or the wrong database was selected. Confirm the database name in wp-config.php, import the matching SQL file and check the table prefix.
phpMyAdmin times out
Use a compressed export, export tables in smaller groups only when necessary, or switch to the host’s backup function or mysqldump over SSH. Do not assume a browser error means the export completed.
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FTP reports hundreds of failed files
Retry with resume enabled, use SFTP if available, check disk quota and permissions, and compare the local and remote file lists. Hidden files require explicit inclusion in some clients.
The archive is too large to download
Ask whether the host supports server-side generation, split the transfer only if the host documents a safe method, or use a plugin that streams to remote storage. Keep the database and file parts labeled so they are not confused later.
Images return 404 errors after restore
Verify that wp-content/uploads was transferred, ownership and permissions are appropriate, and the restored site’s URL and permalink rules match the new domain.
Credentials appear in a shared archive
Treat the archive as compromised: remove public copies, rotate database and API credentials, restrict download permissions and encrypt future backups before storing them.
Storage, naming and retention
Use a consistent name that includes the site, date and component, for example example-site-2026-10-14-files.zip and example-site-2026-10-14-database.sql.gz. Store at least one copy away from the hosting account. Encrypt archives containing personal data, restrict access to the storage location and periodically delete obsolete copies according to your retention policy.
Keep more than one restore point when the site changes frequently. Before a WordPress core, theme or plugin update, create an on-demand backup and wait for verification before beginning the update. A schedule is useful only if jobs are monitored and old archives are not silently removed by a quota.
Quick Recap
Final checklist
- Database exported from the correct site and saved as SQL or a compressed SQL file.
- Entire WordPress directory downloaded, including
wp-content,wp-config.phpand hidden server files. - Database and files came from the same approximate time and share a clear name.
- Archives opened successfully and contain expected tables, code and recent media.
- At least one copy stored off-server and protected from public access.
- Credentials and restoration notes stored separately and securely.
- A test restore performed for sites where downtime or data loss would be costly.
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