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By TJ SoftUpdated:

How to Back Up a Website? WordPress Backup

Jak zrobić kopię zapasową strony www? WordPress backup

Why Is It Worth Backing Up a WordPress Website?

Imagine you’re finishing work on your first website. Maybe it’s a blog, an online store, a portfolio, or a business website. You’ve spent long hours on it—searching for the right theme, installing plugins, and creating content. And suddenly, something goes wrong. A key plugin “crashes” after an update, the server refuses to cooperate, you forget to pay for hosting, costs increase by 300% next year, or—or worse—someone hacks into the website. And you… don’t have a backup.

It happens more often than you think. Even small websites are targets of attacks—hackers operate automatically here. And how much easier it would be in such a situation to click “restore yesterday’s backup” and get back to work. That is precisely why backups are made—to avoid having to start from scratch when something goes wrong.

Additionally, thanks to backups, we can “move” our site between different WordPress installations. This way, we can work on a separate instance without any risk of breaking our main site.

In this article, I’ll show you various ways to back up a WordPress site—from the simplest options (which you can implement in 5 minutes) to more advanced solutions that offer greater capabilities and automation. If this is your first website, don’t worry—I explain everything step by step, without technical jargon.

Table of Contents

The Simplest Ways to Back Up Your Website, Useful When You’re Starting to Tinker with WordPress

Before we move on to plugins and database copies, it is worth mentioning methods that require no knowledge of WordPress or hosting control panels. These are methods you can use right away—and which sometimes prove surprisingly effective.

Screenshots and Manually Saving Content

It’s a simple but very practical method—especially while building a website. Take screenshots of each subpage and save the content in a text file (or copy it into Canva, where you can arrange all the screenshots into an aesthetically pleasing whole).

The advantage of such a solution is that:

  • you can immediately see what was on the page,
  • you can recreate the layout step by step,
  • it is easy to show something to someone for review or correction.

In browsers such as Edge, you can take full-page screenshots—for example, by right-clicking and selecting “Take a screenshot,” or by using the shortcut ctrl+shift+s. This way, with a single click, you get a long screenshot of the entire page, so you don’t have to scroll and take a dozen screenshots.

However, this is not always convenient—some elements are not visible, and the long image itself, for example 10,000 pixels high, can be problematic.

Personally, I recommend taking screenshots manually; by making a dozen or so screenshots, you can then easily rearrange them.

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Screenshots can simply be saved to disk, but it is much more convenient to add them to, for example, Canva (to a whiteboard-type file, meaning one with an infinite canvas). Such a visual archive of a website not only helps with backups—it is also useful for UX analysis, collaboration with graphic designers, and writing case studies.

This also makes it easier for us to create a preliminary version of the website as a graphic file, which can be produced faster than the actual website.

In addition to screenshots, it is also a good idea to add copied text from the relevant section of the page. Although with the current advances in artificial intelligence, this is not quite as crucial—we can, for example, copy the entire page text and paste it into a single document, then ask ChatGPT to organize this wall of text for us. We can also ask ChatGPT to transcribe the text from the screenshot.

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Saving photos

When creating a website, adding images takes a significant amount of time. Generally, when we create a website, we have all the images stored on our drive. However, when building a site, we select only some of the images, and when we use sites such as unsplash.com or generate assets using AI, we can paste the graphics directly onto the website. Therefore, it is sometimes convenient to have a folder containing only the graphics used on the website. We can later upload the entire folder to the media library, making it faster to add images to specific sections of the site.

If we haven’t done so, we can download the photos from the media library. Unfortunately, without using plugins, we cannot do this automatically—we have to download each photo manually. However, it doesn’t take much time: downloading a photo takes three clicks (download the file + save it in the file explorer + the right arrow, which takes us to the next photo, so we don’t have to go back to the gallery view).

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Using the Export Media Library plugin, we can easily export all the images into a ZIP folder.

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Submit a Page to the Wayback Machine

Wayback Machine is a project that archives websites as part of the Internet Archive. A bot automatically adds websites that receive some traffic. If you are creating your first website, you can add it manually by going to archive.org/web and pasting the website address. The system will save its current version, and you will be able to return to it in a month, a year, or five years.

This backup is more archival than technical, but it can be invaluable—for example, when comparing changes, analyzing historical content, or recovering data from a deleted website. It is often a last resort—if you didn’t make any backups and the website had any traffic at all (even just a few hundred impressions per month), there’s a good chance that the Wayback Machine bot saved your website.

Version History in WordPress

WordPress automatically saves drafts of posts and pages. If you accidentally delete or overwrite something, you can return to an earlier version by clicking “Revision History” in the editor.

This is not a full backup, but it is worth keeping in mind. You can also save copies of important subpages yourself, numbering them (e.g., “Home page – version 3”), or copying the content into a Google document.

They are small things, but when something goes wrong, they can save hours of work.

Backup via plugins – the simplest way when we want everything ready with a single click.

If you don’t want to tinker with the server or deal with database files, a backup plugin will be the best choice. There are many of them, but a few stand out for their simplicity and effectiveness. I’ll introduce you to the most important ones, but I particularly recommend one—WPvivid.

WPvivid Backup – perfect for getting started (and perhaps for life)

WPvivid is a plugin that has gained immense popularity because:

  • works intuitively,
  • offers a great deal in its free version,
  • allows you not only to create backups, but also to restore them, migrate the site to another server, and save data in the cloud.

After installing the plugin (in WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New and search for “WPvivid Backup”), you can immediately perform your first backup. Simply click “Backup Now,” choose what you want to copy (the entire site, the database only, or the files only), and click “Start Backup.”

The plugin will automatically save the data and display a list of available backups. You can then restore any of them with a single click—without leaving the dashboard.

It is also worth setting a schedule—for example, a backup once a week at night—and choosing where the copies should be stored. WPvivid integrates with Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, and many other cloud services.

Other Plugins to Consider

  • UpdraftPlus – one of the most popular backup plugins. It offers many options, but can be somewhat more complicated for beginners.
  • All-in-One WP Migration – ideal for moving a website from one hosting provider to another. Backups are simple, but restoring requires the premium version for larger files.
  • BackupGuard – an interesting alternative if you are looking for a simple tool for local backups.

Each of these plugins has its advantages—but WPvivid combines simplicity with security and gives you a great deal of control.

Manual backup – you have more control, but you need to know more.

Manually creating a website backup may sound intimidating, especially if you’re just getting started. But don’t worry—it can be done step by step and without much stress. You only need two things: a copy of your WordPress files and a copy of your database.

How to Make a Manual Backup?

First, back up your files. Log in to your hosting account (e.g., via cPanel or FileZilla) and download the entire folder where WordPress is installed—usually “public_html” or “www”. Copy it to your computer or an external drive.

Then a copy of the database. Open phpMyAdmin (usually available through your hosting provider), select the database assigned to the site, and click “Export.” Choose the SQL format and save the file.

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With these two elements—the files and the database—you have a complete copy of the website.

How to restore a website from a backup?

It works the other way around:

  • You upload files to the server via FTP.
  • You import the database in phpMyAdmin.
  • In the file
wp-config.php

you enter the new database access details (if they have changed).

  • You check in the database
wp\_options

, or whether the page address (

siteurl

i

home

) matches the domain.

It involves a bit more clicking than using plugins, but it provides considerable independence—for example, when WordPress is not working at all.

Where to store backups?

The worst thing you can do is keep a backup on the same server as your website. If the server fails, you lose everything.

Therefore, I recommend having at least two locations:

  • one local copy (on a computer, external drive, or USB flash drive),
  • another in the cloud (e.g. Google Drive, Dropbox).

Some hosting providers (e.g. cyber_Folks, dhosting, LH.pl) offer automatic backups every 24 hours—it is worth checking whether you have this option and how long the backups are retained.

How Often Should You Back Up?

It depends on how often you update the website and how important it is.

If you run a blog or an online store, or frequently make changes, back up your site daily or every few days. If your website is more static, once a week or even once a month/every few months is sufficient.

A good solution is to divide it into:

  • database – daily backup or every 2 days,
  • files – weekly backup (if you do not change the theme or media).
  • Blog posts – if your main activity on the website involves adding new posts, you can save them separately.

Also remember to make a manual backup before every major change (e.g., updating WordPress or installing a new plugin)—even if only via WPvivid.

Automatic backups

Manually saving copies of the website every day makes no sense. That’s why it’s a good idea to set up automatic backups through your hosting provider or in a backup plugin. You can also specify how many copies should be kept, so, for example, you can choose to retain 4 backup copies, meaning that the fifth copy will overwrite the oldest one.

How to Back Up Blog Posts and Other WordPress Elements – Don’t Worry, It’s Really Simple

If you run a blog, you probably know how much energy writing a good post can consume. Gathering ideas, writing, revising, adding photos, formatting, publishing. Each post is more than just text—it is the result of work, thought, and often emotions and time spent in front of the computer with a cup of coffee.

That’s precisely why it’s worth making sure you don’t lose these posts. While backing up an entire WordPress site is a broad and somewhat more technical topic, backing up just your blog posts is genuinely easy—even if this is your first blog and WordPress is only just starting to feel less intimidating.

Before we move on to the methods, it is worth explaining why backing up blog content is about more than just precaution. It is not only protection against a server failure or hacking. It also gives you peace of mind if you accidentally delete something, unintentionally overwrite a good post, or simply want to keep a record of your creative history. Sometimes a copy of your text is also useful when you are considering publishing an e-book, republishing content elsewhere, or migrating to a new website.

Exporting Posts via the WordPress Dashboard

Let’s start with the simplest and most trouble-free method. In WordPress, you’ll find an export function that allows you to download a copy of your posts as an XML file. This solution doesn’t require installing any plugins or accessing the database.

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Simply log in to the WordPress dashboard, go to the “Tools” tab, and then click “Export.” There, you can select that you want to export only posts. You can even narrow down the scope—you can choose a specific category, author, or publication dates. After clicking “Download Export File,” you’ll receive a ready-to-use file that you can save on your computer, in the cloud, or email to yourself.

You can later import this file into another WordPress site or simply treat it as an archive. You won’t see the content in it exactly as it appeared on the site—but you’ll preserve everything essential: titles, texts, metadata, categories, and tags.

Main drawback of this solution: photos are not saved, and must be added manually.

Manually Copying Content – A Good Practice That Costs Nothing

Although it may sound very old-school, manually copying posts into Google Docs, Word, or a text file is still one of the most reliable backup methods. Especially if you want to keep your texts readily available in a clear, editable format. It may seem time-consuming, but in practice we often do this anyway—writing in an editor first and only then publishing the post in WordPress.

If, however, you happen to write directly in the dashboard, it is worth copying the content and saving it separately after publishing. You can create one document with all the posts or keep separate files—each post in a different document. Storing them in the cloud (e.g., Google Drive) gives you an additional level of security, and if you also number them or add dates, it will be easier to return to them later.

This is also a great method for those who may want to revisit their old texts someday and turn them into an e-book, course, or newsletter. With them readily available in an editable format, you don’t have to log in to WordPress and search through your post archive.

PDF from the post

If you want to preserve not only the content but also the layout, formatting, and appearance of the post, “printing to PDF” may be the solution. Most modern browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) allow you to save a page as a PDF file. Simply open the blog post, press Ctrl + P (the “print” command), and then select “Save as PDF” in the printer selection options.

This way, you have a copy of the post exactly as it appears on the website. You can collect such PDFs in a folder, number them, and archive them. It is an excellent solution especially when you want to show a client specific projects or keep the “finished product” in case you ever want to recreate the website elsewhere.

Version History – WordPress as a Time Machine

If you publish posts directly in the WordPress editor, there is one more clever safeguard that many beginner bloggers don’t know about. It’s the revision history, also known as “revisions.” WordPress saves every draft version of a post—even if you accidentally delete or change something, you can return to a previous version and restore it.

To do this, simply open the post editor and click “Drafts” or “Revision history” (on the right-hand side, usually below the publishing panel). You can then review earlier versions and compare changes. This is not a full backup, but it can be very helpful in day-to-day work.

If you frequently make edits, test different titles, or add paragraphs, this feature may save you in case of a “mishap.”

Exporting blog posts using plugins

If you want to approach backing up blog posts in a more systematic way, for example with automation, data filtering, or integration with other tools in mind, it is worth considering installing a data export plugin. One of the most popular plugins for this purpose is WP All Export.

This plugin allows you to conveniently export posts to CSV, Excel, or XML format, and most importantly, you can decide for yourself which data you want to download. It could be just the title, content, publication date, link to the post, author, tags… or everything at once.

Such an export can later be used to build an archive, analyze content, migrate it to another CMS, or even use it in email campaigns. You can also schedule recurring exports—for example, once a month—and save the data in the cloud.

This is a somewhat more advanced solution, but if you take your blog seriously and want full control over your content, it is definitely worth getting acquainted with.

Export media with selected content

This plugin allows you to download blog posts along with their images. However, we may have trouble launching it correctly so that it actually works.

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Print my blog

A plugin that enables downloading all posts at once. We can also download posts from a specific category or according to other filters.

Unfortunately, this is quite a makeshift solution. This plugin does not allow us to conveniently download everything with a single click—it creates a custom subpage containing all the texts. We can then print it to PDF using the Ctrl+P shortcut or by right-clicking. If this results in many pages (more than 50), it is better to copy everything and paste it manually into a document.

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A large PDF file containing all posts may be inconvenient (although it is still useful if, for example, we want to feed our texts to a language model); however, we can download a PDF of each post manually.

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Finally – where to keep all these copies?

Regardless of whether you choose a simple Word file, PDF, XML or CSV export, it is important that copies are stored in a secure location. Avoid keeping everything on just one computer. The cloud (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive) is a good choice because it provides access from any device and protection in the event of a disk failure.

If you have a touch of paranoia, you can make a copy on a USB flash drive and burn an archive to a disc once a quarter (yes, there are still people who do that). Regardless of the method, the most important thing is not to rely solely on WordPress—because even the best system sometimes makes mistakes.

Backup Is Your Insurance

A backup won’t get you likes on Facebook, improve your SEO, or create a buzz in your newsletter. But it is what ensures that when everything falls apart, you stay calm. And that, especially in times of technological uncertainty, is worth more than anything else.

Start with simple steps. Take screenshots. Save the texts. Install WPvivid and set up your first schedule. Then—as you gain confidence—turn to manual database backups. But above all: don’t wait until something happens. Back up today.