How to Back Up and Restore a WordPress Site

Regular backups are the most important safety net for any WordPress site. This guide covers how to create a full backup of your WordPress site — including all files and the database — and how to restore it if something goes wrong.

Option 1: Backup Using cPanel (Recommended)

cPanel gives you a complete backup of your entire hosting account, which includes all WordPress files and databases.

Create a Full Account Backup

1. Log in to cPanel (my.hostdada.co.uk/cpanel).
2. Go to Files > Backup.
3. Under Full Backup, click Download a Full Account Backup.
4. Leave the destination as Home Directory and enter your email address for notification.
5. Click Generate Backup.
6. Once the email arrives, return to the Backup page and download the .tar.gz file.

Create a Partial Backup (Files + Database Separately)

1. In cPanel, go to Files > Backup Wizard.
2. Click Back Up, then choose Home Directory to download all files.
3. Go back and choose MySQL Databases — select your WordPress database and download the .sql.gz file.

Option 2: Backup Using a WordPress Plugin

Plugins are useful for scheduled automatic backups and for backing up to cloud storage.

UpdraftPlus (Free)

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New and search for UpdraftPlus.
2. Install and activate the plugin.
3. Go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups.
4. Click Backup Now to create an immediate backup, or configure a schedule under Settings.
5. Choose a remote storage destination (Google Drive, Dropbox, or leave as local).
6. Click Save Changes, then Backup Now.

How to Restore a WordPress Site

Restore Files via cPanel File Manager

1. Log in to cPanel and go to Files > File Manager.
2. Navigate to your WordPress root (usually public_html or a subdirectory).
3. Delete all existing WordPress files (or move them to a backup folder first).
4. Upload your backup archive using the Upload button.
5. Select the uploaded .tar.gz file and click Extract.

Restore the Database via phpMyAdmin

1. In cPanel, go to Databases > phpMyAdmin.
2. Select your WordPress database from the left panel.
3. Click the Import tab.
4. Click Choose File and select your .sql or .sql.gz backup file.
5. Click Go. The database will be restored.

Restore Using UpdraftPlus

1. Go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups in WordPress.
2. Under the Existing Backups tab, find the backup you want to restore.
3. Click Restore and select the components (Files, Database, or both).
4. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the restore.

After Restoring

• Visit your site to confirm it loads correctly.
• Log in to /wp-admin to verify the dashboard works.
• If the site URL changed, update it under Settings > General.
• Clear any caching plugins or server-side cache after restoring.

Best Practice: Automate Your Backups

Don't rely on manual backups alone. Set up automatic backups in UpdraftPlus to run daily or weekly and store copies off-site (e.g. Google Drive). Combine this with cPanel's built-in backup schedule for redundancy.

If your site won't load after a restore or you need help recovering from a backup, contact our support team.