Christopher S. Penn – Marketing AI Keynote Speaker

How to back up your WordPress blog in 60 seconds

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by

Christopher S Penn
in ,
Warning: this content is older than 365 days. It may be out of date and no longer relevant.

Backing up your WordPress blog takes less than 60 seconds and will save you hours of heartache later if something goes wrong. Back up frequently, at least once every few posts so that you don’t lose them or the comments your readers have left. Start by installing the free BackWPUp plugin from the WordPress codex.

Now go to BackWPUp -> Add News.

Manage Backups ‹ Christopher S. Penn : Awaken Your Superhero — WordPress

Click to see this full size.

This plugin is handy because it backs up both the database and your uploaded files, and you can specify a target like DropBox or Amazon S3 to store your backup files.

Other blog platforms should be just as easy. If you’ve ever lost a blog, you know how much of it – especially comments – is unrecoverable and permanently lost.

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Comments

110 responses to “How to back up your WordPress blog in 60 seconds”

  1. Gill Avatar
    Gill

    Thanks man!

    Reply
  2. Gill Avatar
    Gill

    Thanks man!

    Reply
  3. Gill Avatar
    Gill

    Thanks man!

    Reply
  4. Matthew Ebel Avatar
    Matthew Ebel

    Yeah… I use a plugin that automatically backs up the whole database and emails it to me. Daily. I save a month's worth of backups so if something goes ugly or gets hacked, I can walk it back to when it WORKED. 🙂

    Reply
  5. Matthew Ebel Avatar
    Matthew Ebel

    Yeah… I use a plugin that automatically backs up the whole database and emails it to me. Daily. I save a month's worth of backups so if something goes ugly or gets hacked, I can walk it back to when it WORKED. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Matthew Ebel Avatar
    Matthew Ebel

    Yeah… I use a plugin that automatically backs up the whole database and emails it to me. Daily. I save a month's worth of backups so if something goes ugly or gets hacked, I can walk it back to when it WORKED. 🙂

    Reply
  7. Jeremy M Avatar
    Jeremy M

    Please be aware, though, that the WP export function only backs up internal-to-wordpress portions of your database.

    If you use plugins that store information in DB fields (such as PodPress), this will not keep that data safe.

    For that, I suggest you use WP-DB-Backup

    Reply
  8. Jeremy M Avatar
    Jeremy M

    Please be aware, though, that the WP export function only backs up internal-to-wordpress portions of your database.

    If you use plugins that store information in DB fields (such as PodPress), this will not keep that data safe.

    For that, I suggest you use WP-DB-Backup

    Reply
  9. Jeremy M Avatar
    Jeremy M

    Please be aware, though, that the WP export function only backs up internal-to-wordpress portions of your database.

    If you use plugins that store information in DB fields (such as PodPress), this will not keep that data safe.

    For that, I suggest you use WP-DB-Backup

    Reply
  10. Gill Avatar
    Gill

    Thanks man!

    Reply
  11. Matthew Ebel Avatar
    Matthew Ebel

    Yeah… I use a plugin that automatically backs up the whole database and emails it to me. Daily. I save a month’s worth of backups so if something goes ugly or gets hacked, I can walk it back to when it WORKED. 🙂

    Reply
  12. Jeremy M Avatar
    Jeremy M

    Please be aware, though, that the WP export function only backs up internal-to-wordpress portions of your database.

    If you use plugins that store information in DB fields (such as PodPress), this will not keep that data safe.

    For that, I suggest you use WP-DB-Backup

    Reply
  13. billhanifin Avatar
    billhanifin

    Chris, This simple post was invaluable for those of use who work hard to create the content and might overlook something critical like making sure we have that content protected. Can't thank you enough.

    Reply
  14. billhanifin Avatar
    billhanifin

    Chris, This simple post was invaluable for those of use who work hard to create the content and might overlook something critical like making sure we have that content protected. Can't thank you enough.

    Reply
  15. billhanifin Avatar
    billhanifin

    Chris, This simple post was invaluable for those of use who work hard to create the content and might overlook something critical like making sure we have that content protected. Can't thank you enough.

    Reply
  16. billhanifin Avatar
    billhanifin

    Chris, This simple post was invaluable for those of use who work hard to create the content and might overlook something critical like making sure we have that content protected. Can't thank you enough.

    Reply
  17. Avery Horzewski Avatar
    Avery Horzewski

    Thanks Chris!

    Reply
  18. Avery Horzewski Avatar
    Avery Horzewski

    Thanks Chris!

    Reply
  19. Avery Horzewski Avatar
    Avery Horzewski

    Thanks Chris!

    Reply
  20. Avery Horzewski Avatar
    Avery Horzewski

    Thanks Chris!

    Reply
  21. Alice Avatar
    Alice

    Thanks for this info. This simple tutorial will help many new bloggers to preserve their content.

    Reply
  22. Alice Avatar
    Alice

    Thanks for this info. This simple tutorial will help many new bloggers to preserve their content.

    Reply
  23. Alice Avatar
    Alice

    Thanks for this info. This simple tutorial will help many new bloggers to preserve their content.

    Reply
  24. Alice Avatar
    Alice

    Thanks for this info. This simple tutorial will help many new bloggers to preserve their content.

    Reply
  25. Nick Soper Avatar
    Nick Soper

    What about uploads?

    Reply
  26. Nick Soper Avatar
    Nick Soper

    What about uploads?

    Reply
  27. nicksoper Avatar
    nicksoper

    What about uploads?

    Reply
  28. devinotway Avatar
    devinotway

    Sounds like a good plugin, whats the name of it if you don't mind sharing?

    Reply
  29. scrodiddy Avatar
    scrodiddy

    Sounds like a good plugin, whats the name of it if you don't mind sharing?

    Reply
  30. Christopher S. Penn Avatar
    Christopher S. Penn

    WP-backup!

    Reply
  31. Christopher S. Penn Avatar
    Christopher S. Penn

    WP-backup!

    Reply
  32. scrodiddy Avatar
    scrodiddy

    Sounds like a good plugin, whats the name of it if you don't mind sharing?

    Reply
  33. Christopher S. Penn Avatar
    Christopher S. Penn

    WP-backup!

    Reply
  34. Blue Moon Candles Avatar
    Blue Moon Candles

    Thanks Chris!
    I wish everything was as easy as you made this. The visual really helped me.

    Reply
  35. Blue Moon Candles Avatar
    Blue Moon Candles

    Thanks Chris!
    I wish everything was as easy as you made this. The visual really helped me.

    Reply
  36. Blue Moon Candles Avatar
    Blue Moon Candles

    Thanks Chris!
    I wish everything was as easy as you made this. The visual really helped me.

    Reply
  37. Diana Avatar
    Diana

    Damn that was so useful. THANKS!

    Reply
  38. Diana Avatar
    Diana

    Damn that was so useful. THANKS!

    Reply
  39. Diana Avatar
    Diana

    Damn that was so useful. THANKS!

    Reply
  40. Arnold Karsten Avatar
    Arnold Karsten

    Thanks

    Reply
  41. Arnold Karsten Avatar
    Arnold Karsten

    Thanks

    Reply
  42. mads Avatar
    mads

    I wouldn't recommend this backup options if your blog is big/many posts. I recently tried to backup my blog with the export feature and I ended up with a xml file bigger than 10Mb. I really had to change many things and split the xml file before I could proceed. I recommend a proper database backup.

    Reply
  43. mads Avatar
    mads

    I wouldn't recommend this backup options if your blog is big/many posts. I recently tried to backup my blog with the export feature and I ended up with a xml file bigger than 10Mb. I really had to change many things and split the xml file before I could proceed. I recommend a proper database backup.

    Reply
  44. FromAtoPink Avatar
    FromAtoPink

    Thank you! This was SO helpful! One question: Say I DO lose my content, how do I restore it using the back up file I just created?

    Reply
  45. FromAtoPink Avatar
    FromAtoPink

    Thank you! This was SO helpful! One question: Say I DO lose my content, how do I restore it using the back up file I just created?

    Reply
  46. Christopher S. Penn Avatar
    Christopher S. Penn

    There's an Import option right next to the Export one.

    Reply
  47. Christopher S. Penn Avatar
    Christopher S. Penn

    There’s an Import option right next to the Export one.

    Reply
  48. Paul Avatar
    Paul

    Fantastic. Just what I was looking for. Thanks a lot, I feel happier now.

    Reply
  49. Paul Avatar
    Paul

    Fantastic. Just what I was looking for. Thanks a lot, I feel happier now.

    Reply
  50. Ed Avatar
    Ed

    Very invaluable! cheers mate. thnx again.

    Reply
  51. Ed Avatar
    Ed

    Very invaluable! cheers mate. thnx again.

    Reply
  52. Carol Giambri Avatar
    Carol Giambri

    What are you backing up to? CD, a folder on hard drive? Thanks tons.

    Reply
  53. Mukul Verma Internet Marketing Avatar
    Mukul Verma Internet Marketing

    Thanks a lot, this was useful in helping me backup wordpress in 20 seconds 🙂

    Reply
  54. jdpruitt Avatar
    jdpruitt

    Quick and to the point. I love it. Thanks!

    Reply
  55. jdpruitt Avatar
    jdpruitt

    Quick and to the point. I love it. Thanks!

    Reply
  56. Ralphibus Avatar
    Ralphibus

    Is this equal to a backup of the database? After reading more about backups I think I will try the Word Press Database Backup” plugin.

    Reply
  57. Ralphibus Avatar
    Ralphibus

    Is this equal to a backup of the database? After reading more about backups I think I will try the Word Press Database Backup” plugin.

    Reply
    1. Christopher S. Penn Avatar
      Christopher S. Penn

      This is now updated for files and database.

      Reply
  58. Chris Avatar
    Chris

    Thanks for the (easy) tip Chris. Do you recommend any other way to save wordpress blogs if something happens on the server side? I've read about the DB manager plugin, but I've also read about paid services that will back everything up. Recommendations?

    Reply
  59. Chris Avatar
    Chris

    Thanks for the (easy) tip Chris. Do you recommend any other way to save wordpress blogs if something happens on the server side? I've read about the DB manager plugin, but I've also read about paid services that will back everything up. Recommendations?

    Reply
  60. Latifah Shay Artist Avatar
    Latifah Shay Artist

    Found this post through Google.
    Thanks for sharing this info – it really was a 60 sec backup. 😉

    Reply
  61. Latifah Shay Artist Avatar
    Latifah Shay Artist

    Found this post through Google.
    Thanks for sharing this info – it really was a 60 sec backup. 😉

    Reply
  62. Federico Avatar
    Federico

    Awesome

    Backup done in 15 seconds. Great tip!

    maitravelsite.com

    Reply
  63. Rhandell Mitchell Avatar
    Rhandell Mitchell

    Thanks a lot… I also found this post on Google… I'm taking my blogging efforts very seriously and I want to ensure that my information is all saved and filed away safely. Thanks again.

    Reply
  64. Federico Avatar
    Federico

    Awesome

    Backup done in 15 seconds. Great tip!

    maitravelsite.com

    Reply
  65. Rhandell Mitchell Avatar
    Rhandell Mitchell

    Thanks a lot… I also found this post on Google… I'm taking my blogging efforts very seriously and I want to ensure that my information is all saved and filed away safely. Thanks again.

    Reply
  66. djsteen Avatar
    djsteen

    Thanks for this tip, Chris! I didn't know it was this dead-simple to export/backup a WordPress installation.

    I have been using Backupify and WordPress Database Backup for double the backup goodness.

    I've never lost any WordPress installations, but ever since I lost a hard drive I backup anything and everything with redundant methods.

    Reply
  67. djsteen Avatar
    djsteen

    Thanks for this tip, Chris! I didn't know it was this dead-simple to export/backup a WordPress installation.

    I have been using Backupify and WordPress Database Backup for double the backup goodness.

    I've never lost any WordPress installations, but ever since I lost a hard drive I backup anything and everything with redundant methods.

    Reply
  68. Josh Avatar
    Josh

    True to your word. Backed up in 60 seconds. Thanks for your help.

    Reply
  69. Josh Avatar
    Josh

    True to your word. Backed up in 60 seconds. Thanks for your help.

    Reply
  70. Vivek Bandebuche Avatar
    Vivek Bandebuche

    ty for this nice post

    Reply
  71. Vivek Bandebuche Avatar
    Vivek Bandebuche

    ty for this nice post

    Reply
  72. Tim Colletti Avatar
    Tim Colletti

    This was a GREAT tip. I just had a scare with my blog, so I am backing it up right now!

    Reply
  73. Tim Colletti Avatar
    Tim Colletti

    This was a GREAT tip. I just had a scare with my blog, so I am backing it up right now!

    Reply
  74. Pl Warner Avatar
    Pl Warner

    I feel like a fool, but I'm not sure I did this right…I exported and downloaded onto my computer, then dragged into an external hard drive. But when I opened it up on that drive, it showed 2 errors, and a ton of writing. What should it look like when I open it up on that external hard drive?

    Reply
  75. Pl Warner Avatar
    Pl Warner

    I feel like a fool, but I'm not sure I did this right…I exported and downloaded onto my computer, then dragged into an external hard drive. But when I opened it up on that drive, it showed 2 errors, and a ton of writing. What should it look like when I open it up on that external hard drive?

    Reply
  76. Pl Warner Avatar
    Pl Warner

    I feel like a fool, but I'm not sure I did this right…I exported and downloaded onto my computer, then dragged into an external hard drive. But when I opened it up on that drive, it showed 2 errors, and a ton of writing. What should it look like when I open it up on that external hard drive?

    Reply
  77. ronaldredito Avatar
    ronaldredito

    I tried this to back up my old blog but it only made back ups on post, pages and comments. I had a hard time backing up the photos.

    I think my site was penalized because of broken links when I transferred to a new host.

    Reply
    1. Christopher S. Penn Avatar
      Christopher S. Penn

      This is now updated for files and database.

      Reply
  78. Gary B. Avatar
    Gary B.

    Priceless!

    Reply
  79. How to backup Wordpress completely –

    […] First, backup your content by exporting it from WordPress.  Like so. […]

    Reply
  80. Aaron Sylvan Avatar
    Aaron Sylvan

    FYI, I have a photo blog, with about a 0.5GB of images on it… and the dump I just got from these instructions was only 1.6MB, suggesting that it’s basically text-only.

    Also, I’m pretty sure these instructions don’t capture theme settings, just your writing. Of course it *is* important to back up your writing. But it might be a good idea to do a full mySQL dump and/or to archive all the media files that might be used by your blog.

    Reply
    1. whatever Avatar
      whatever

      I agree with you, AND it takes ages to set up, then getting rid of it is nightmare.

      Reply
  81. Charlotte Hills Avatar
    Charlotte Hills

    Thanks for that, I’ve been trying to work out how to back up my blog site since I don’t have a plugin feature available on my site. Thanks!!

    Reply
  82. Backing Up Your Wordpress Blog for Beginners!

    […] I was writing this, I came across this site purporting Backing Up in 60s, which looks dead easy but once I read the comments on the post  I wasn’t convinced that it was […]

    Reply
  83. Tibi Avatar
    Tibi

    That is really good, though a full backup from cpanel would be better

    Reply
  84. Tibi Avatar
    Tibi

    That is really good, though a full backup from cpanel would be better

    Reply
  85. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Thank you so much.

    Reply
  86. Jscook55 Avatar
    Jscook55

    Thanks! If you’re restoring this, how do you get your pictures back? How is that handled?

    Reply
    1. Christopher S. Penn Avatar
      Christopher S. Penn

      This is now updated for files and database.

      Reply
  87. Glamiva Avatar
    Glamiva

    Thanks for sharing this! I’m a wordpress newbie and was searching on how to backup my template. Thank u so much!

    Reply
  88. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Brilliant. Thank you! 

    Reply
  89. Michael Luster Avatar
    Michael Luster

    Excellent. Just tried this. Saves as xml file.

    Reply
  90. Ken Seeroi Avatar
    Ken Seeroi

    Well, that was easy!  Thanks!

    Reply
  91. Christopher S. Penn Avatar
    Christopher S. Penn

    This is now updated for files and database.

    Reply
  92. Christopher S. Penn Avatar
    Christopher S. Penn

    This is now updated for files and database.

    Reply
  93. Luke . Avatar
    Luke .

    Thank you for this. Very helpful. 

    Reply
  94. Panneer Selvan Avatar
    Panneer Selvan

    Thank You… I searched through google for backup plugin, finally i got it.:D

    Reply
  95. umain30 Avatar
    umain30

    I normally use export import plugin for backup.When we can post regularly then we can take a backup daily which needs only a few seconds .So i find it better than any other plugin.

    Reply
  96. Web Development Company Avatar
    Web Development Company

    Great post. I’ve also used Automatic WordPress Backup on a few of my projects and it works really well. It works with Amazon S3. Free plug-in. Easy to set up and you can choose how frequently it backs up. But I’m going to check out some of these others, as well. Thanks!

    Reply
  97. Sarahlynn Pablo Avatar
    Sarahlynn Pablo

    Hi! I downloaded the plugin .zip file to my computer but have no idea what to do next. I’m not a techie so super plain English would help a lot. Thanks.

    Reply
    1. Shazida Khatun Avatar
      Shazida Khatun

      Sarahlyn@sarahlynnpablo:disqus , It is better to go your Admin panel and search in Add new plugin then install and activate

      Reply
  98. whatever Avatar
    whatever

    never found anything that works, except a C Panel mysql dump. Maybe it is me.

    Reply
  99. sophia wright Avatar
    sophia wright

    Thanks !

    Reply
  100. Steph Zhong Avatar
    Steph Zhong

    Hi there. I want to archive a blog that’s been inactive for awhile. Mainly want to save a version that could be shown in an online portfolio. Does this backup process work for this purpose if I’m planning on sunsetting the blog? BTW, I’m a writer not a developer. I can do HTML, but anything else using tech speak goes over my head. Thanks!

    Reply
  101. John Crooks Avatar
    John Crooks

    I installed anti spam plug in that you recommended and in the last few days I have no spam in my folder to get rid of. This is great, as I was constantly emptying my spam folder, and now I can devote my time to other things. Thanks so much for the tip. I will be trying others…..

    Reply
  102. Ron Bray Avatar
    Ron Bray

    I was going to mention BackUp Buddy too. You’re right it is premium and it’s well worth the investment. The WP DB Backup one just stopped working for me one day – I didn’t get the emails anymore. Not sure why though.

    Reply
  103. Roxy Chan Avatar
    Roxy Chan

    Wow. Great I never knew I could backup my entire site using BackWPUp . Great to hear. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  104. Frieke Avatar
    Frieke

    sounds easy – but does t his also work on a self hosted word press blog?
    Frieke Karlovits
     

    Reply
  105. Jennifer Avatar
    Jennifer

    Thank you. I’m curious how I could use the content from the saved file to place on a new blog. Is this also good for backing up the template as well?

    Reply

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