The BackUpWordPress plugin saves a backup copy of your site files and/or database. If you need to know how to retrieve and restore from your backups, here is our handy guide: Please note that once a restore has been run on either the database or site files, you will not be able to retrieve the previous version so you may wish to create a last-minute backup of your database and files locally just before you run the restore process.
Download
There are 2 ways to do this:
1. Within WordPress dashboard go to Tools – Backups. This will take you to the Manage Backups page.
The Manage Backups page will let you select from all of your backup schedules. You should click on the schedule that you require. All your backups for the schedule will be listed in date order. Select the latest backup from the top of the list and click on the Download link to save it locally.
2. Connect to your site via FTP. Look for the wp-content folder and inside it you will find a folder called backups containing zip files of all the latest backups named by backup date. Select the latest backup file and transfer a copy locally.
Unzip
Once you have a zip file of the latest backup saved locally, unzip the files. In OS X, you can simply double-click on the file. In Windows, you can use an archiving tool to extract the backup file (there are many available for download on the internet). The unzipped file will contain your database file (ending .sql), your sites files or both, depending on how you have configured the BackUpWordPress settings. The default setting is for both database and site files to be backed up.
Restore your files
The backup site files consist of three folders called wp-admin, wp-content and wp-includes plus a number of php files and a .ht access file. You will need to upload the site files to your site and overwrite the existing files. This can be done via FTP using the file manager provided by your hosting company panel or via an FTP or SFTP client (such as Filezilla for PCs or Transmit for Mac). Make sure you choose to replace the existing files with the new ones. If you are restoring your site after a hack or virus attack it is better to delete all the site files prior to uploading the new files in case additional files have been added.
Restore your database
You will then need to import your database. This should automatically overwrite the old tables. There are a number of different ways that this can be done:
- Using a tool such as phpMyAdmin. This and similar tools are usually available via your hosting company panel.
- Using a desktop tool.
- MySQL commands via the command line prompt.
- For more information see WordPress codex article on restoring your database from backup.
Again, if you are restoring after a security breach it may be better to delete all old database tables before importing the new ones.
Migrating?
If you are restoring your site to a new domain, you’ll need to update the siteurl and home values in your wp_options table. You can either edit the SQL (.sql) export file, or import the SQL and edit your database using phpMyAdmin or a desktop tool like Sequel Pro.