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The dependable way to restore a large Moodle course is to use a .mbz backup, check every upload and server limit first, and choose the restore method that matches your access. MoodleCloud limits course-restoration files to 250 MB. On a self-hosted site, a site administrator can bypass browser upload bottlenecks with Moodle’s command-line restore script (available from Moodle 3.10), while asynchronous backup and restore keeps long jobs from blocking staff work.
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What a large Moodle course backup contains
Moodle course backups use the .mbz format. A backup can include course activities, resources, blocks, filters, settings, and—if selected—user data. The restore process unpacks that archive, recreates or merges the selected content, and rebuilds the destination course according to the options you approve.
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Moodle’s backup documentation uses filenames such as backup-moodle2-course-coursename-date-hour.mbz. A no-user backup adds -nu.mbz; an anonymised backup adds -an.mbz. Keep the original filename until you have verified the restore, because it helps identify the course, date, and data scope.
Why size matters
Video, audio, large PDFs, archives, and other uploaded resources can make an archive too large for a browser, hosting plan, or PHP process. The size of the .mbz file is only one constraint. The upload setting in Moodle must be high enough, and PHP, the web server, a reverse proxy, available storage, temporary storage, and memory must also be able to handle the request and extraction.
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Check the applicable upload limit before starting
There is no universal Moodle maximum upload size. The effective ceiling is the lowest limit imposed by your Moodle configuration, PHP, web server, proxy, storage, or hosting provider.
MoodleCloud
Moodle Services states that a 250 MB upload limit applies to course-restoration files on MoodleCloud (28 October 2024). If your .mbz exceeds that limit, do not keep retrying the same browser upload. Remove videos or other large files from the course backup, create a smaller archive, and keep those assets separately. After restoring the course, upload the media independently or link to its separate storage.
Self-hosted Moodle
Ask a site administrator to compare the archive size with Moodle’s maximum upload-size setting and the corresponding PHP, web-server, proxy, memory, temporary-directory, and disk-space limits. Raising only Moodle’s setting will not help if PHP or the web server rejects the request first. A server administrator can also avoid the browser request altogether by using the CLI method described below.
Permissions
The restoring account needs permission to restore courses. The web workflow is available from a course or category management screen and from Course navigation > More > Course reuse > Restore. A command-line restore requires site-administrator access to the server and an account that can read the backup and write Moodle’s temporary and data directories.
Prepare a backup that can actually be restored
- Create the course backup. Start Moodle’s course-backup process and select the activities, resources, blocks, filters, and user-data options required for the destination. Retain the resulting
.mbzfile. - Choose the data scope deliberately. A no-user backup is smaller and avoids transferring learner records. An anonymised backup preserves course structure while replacing identifying names. Include user data only when the destination and your privacy obligations require it.
- Decide how to handle media. Large videos and archives are often the reason a backup crosses a hosting limit. For MoodleCloud, remove those files before creating the restoration archive and preserve them in a separate, controlled location.
- Verify the file before uploading. Confirm that the archive has a
.mbzextension, is readable from the account that will perform the restore, and has enough matching free space for upload, extraction, and the destination course.
Restore a large course through Moodle’s web interface
The browser workflow is appropriate when the file fits the installation’s limits and you have the required restore permission. It lets you inspect the backup schema and decide whether to create a course or change an existing one.
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- Open Restore. Use a course or category management screen, or go to Course navigation > More > Course reuse > Restore.
- Provide the backup. Upload the
.mbzfile, or select it from an available backup area such as a private user backup area or another repository configured by the site. - Confirm the backup. Moodle reads the archive and displays its identifying information. Stop if the course name, date, or data scope is not the one you intended.
- Select the destination. Choose to create a new course or restore into an existing course. A new course is the safer choice when you need an untouched copy for testing or when the destination has unrelated content.
- Choose content and settings. Select the activities, resources, blocks, filters, and other components to restore. Review user-data choices particularly carefully when moving between sites.
- Review the schema. Check the course name, short name, start date, section structure, and other settings. Resolve any administrator-account conflict options shown by the restore process.
- Review the summary. Moodle presents the selected source and destination choices. Confirm that the operation will add, merge, or replace content as intended.
- Run the restore. Click Perform restore and leave the browser window open until Moodle reports completion. Large archives can take substantial time to upload, extract, and process.
- Continue and inspect the course. After completion, follow the continue link, open several sections, test representative activities, and check that files and enrolment-related data match your selections.
Adding content versus replacing an existing course
When restoring into an existing course, the available options determine whether the backup content is added to the destination or replaces it. Read those choices rather than assuming that “restore” means overwrite. If the course contains important live work, take a fresh backup first and test the archive in a new course.
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Moving a course between Moodle sites can expose matching administrator accounts. Moodle documents an Allow admin conflict resolution setting for handling such conflicts. Distinct administrator usernames and email addresses on the two sites reduce ambiguity; enable the conflict-resolution setting only when you understand which account should own the restored records.
Restore very large backups from the command line
MoodleDocs states that, from Moodle 3.10 onward, site administrators can restore large backup files with a CLI script. This approach avoids the browser’s upload request and is generally the practical choice when the archive is too large for the web form but the server can access it directly.
Restore into a category
Place the backup on the Moodle server, then run the command as the web/PHP user. Moodle’s documented example is:
sudo -u www-data /usr/bin/php admin/cli/restore_backup.php --file=/path/to/backup/file.mbz --categoryid=1Replace the path and category ID with values from your installation. The account name may differ from www-data; use the account that normally runs Moodle’s PHP processes and can read the archive.
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Restore into an existing course
The current Moodle source also supports --courseid for restoring into an existing course:
sudo -u www-data /usr/bin/php admin/cli/restore_backup.php --file=/path/to/backup/file.mbz --courseid=123Use either a category destination or an existing-course destination according to the operation you intend. Check the course or category ID before running the command; an incorrect ID can place content in the wrong location.
Show diagnostic output
For developer-level diagnostics, add --showdebugging:
sudo -u www-data /usr/bin/php admin/cli/restore_backup.php --file=/path/to/backup/file.mbz --categoryid=1 --showdebuggingDo not treat debug output as a substitute for checking permissions, disk space, and configuration. The script extracts the archive into Moodle’s temporary restore area and then runs Moodle’s restore controller, so the server needs enough temporary disk space, permanent data storage, and memory for both extraction and processing.
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- The file path must point to a readable
.mbzarchive on the server. - The PHP/Moodle account must be able to write Moodle’s temporary and data directories.
- The selected category or course ID must exist on the destination site.
- Free disk space must cover the compressed archive, extracted temporary files, and restored course data.
- The server must have enough memory for the restore workload; a browser upload limit does not remove server memory requirements.
Use asynchronous backup and restore for long jobs
MoodleDocs recommends asynchronous backup and restore for large courses so staff can continue working while a long backup or restore runs. Configure it under Site administration > Courses > Backups > Asynchronous backup/restore.
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New Moodle 4.4 installations enable asynchronous course backups by default. Existing installations may require an administrator to enable the setting and ensure the scheduled processing needed by the site is operating. Asynchronous processing improves responsiveness; it does not increase a hosting provider’s file-size limit or create additional disk space.
Upload backup files safely from an external integration
If an external system is sending a backup to Moodle, Moodle 4.5 developer documentation recommends the authenticated /webservice/upload.php endpoint. The endpoint places the uploaded file in the authenticated user’s draft area, where the receiving web-service function can process it.
Do not design a large-file integration around base64-encoded request bodies unless you have verified the memory budget on every client and server involved. Moodle warns that many devices do not have enough memory to encode and decode requests containing large files. A multipart upload to the dedicated endpoint avoids that extra base64 expansion and follows Moodle’s intended upload flow.
Integration checklist
- Authenticate the request with a Moodle account or token that has the required upload and restore capabilities.
- Send the file to
/webservice/upload.phprather than embedding the entire archive as base64 in a generic function call. - Use the returned draft-file information with the receiving web-service function.
- Monitor request timeouts, temporary storage, and the server-side restore job separately; a successful upload does not prove that the course restore has finished.
Choose the right restore method
| Approach | File-size headroom | Access required | Operational behavior | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web interface | Must fit Moodle, PHP, web-server, proxy, and hosting limits | Course or category restore permission | Upload, review, and restore through the browser | Archives that fit the configured web limits and need interactive review |
| CLI restore | Avoids the browser upload ceiling, but still needs server disk and memory | Site-administrator server access and a readable file | Server extracts the archive and runs Moodle’s restore controller | Very large self-hosted backups |
| Asynchronous processing | Does not change the file-size limit | Administrator configuration | Long backup or restore work runs without tying up normal page work | Large courses where staff need the site to remain responsive |
| External upload endpoint | Subject to server and hosting limits, without base64 memory expansion | Authenticated web-service access | Uploads to a user draft area before the receiving function processes the file | Automated integrations and migration pipelines |
Troubleshoot failures and incomplete restores
“File too large” appears immediately
Compare the archive with the configured Moodle maximum and the PHP, web-server, proxy, and hosting limits. On MoodleCloud, keep the course-restoration file at or below 250 MB. If the archive is larger, remove videos and other large resources, create a smaller backup, and restore or link those assets separately.
The backup stalls near completion
MoodleDocs identifies insufficient server RAM as a common recommendation point when backups stall. A non-standard course format can also be involved. Check memory allocation and the course-format configuration, then retry during a quieter period or use asynchronous processing. On a self-hosted site, the CLI route can remove browser timeouts but cannot compensate for inadequate RAM.
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The CLI reports a permission or file error
Run the command as the account that can read the archive and write Moodle’s temporary and data directories. Confirm the path is correct, the file is present on the server, the category or course ID exists, and sufficient disk space remains for extraction.
An administrator conflict appears
For a cross-site restore, compare administrator usernames and email addresses. Use distinct account details where possible, or enable Moodle’s documented administrator conflict-resolution option when the destination policy requires it.
Sections or activities are missing
Check the destination’s section count. MoodleDocs notes that when the destination has fewer sections than the backup, extra sections can appear as orphaned activities. Increase the destination section count and inspect the course again.
Calendar events do not appear immediately
Moodle adds restored calendar events through cron. A completed restore can therefore be followed by a delay before those events are visible. Verify that cron is running normally before repeating the restore.
Quick Recap
Post-restore verification checklist
- Open the course and confirm its name, short name, start date, and section count.
- Open representative activities, resources, blocks, and filters.
- Download several restored files, including a large media file, to confirm that extraction completed.
- Check whether user data was intentionally included, excluded, or anonymised.
- Review enrolment-related behavior and administrator ownership after a cross-site migration.
- Look for orphaned activities and run cron if calendar events are delayed.
- Record where separately stored videos and archives live so instructors and learners can reach them.
A practical decision path
- Is the archive 250 MB or smaller and hosted on MoodleCloud? Use the normal web restore, subject to the platform’s other controls.
- Is it larger than 250 MB on MoodleCloud? Reduce the archive by removing large media and restore those assets separately; the documented course-restoration limit still applies.
- Is the site self-hosted and the browser upload failing? Have a site administrator place the file on the server and use
admin/cli/restore_backup.php. - Will the operation run for a long time? Enable asynchronous backup and restore, especially on new or upgraded installations where administrators need the site to remain usable.
- Is another system sending the archive? Use authenticated
/webservice/upload.phpand avoid base64 encoding large files when client memory is limited.
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