Backing up your WordPress website is essential to ensure the safety of your data and content. Sometimes, you may need to back up your WordPress files and database separately for specific needs or due to hosting limitations. The database holds all the crucial information such as posts, pages, comments, and settings, while the files contain your themes, plugins, media, and other content.
In this guide, we will show you how to back up both your WordPress database and files separately, giving you flexibility and control over your website’s backup process.
Why Backup Separately?
Backing up your WordPress database and files separately allows you to:
•Customize your backup: Only back up what you need.
•Save bandwidth: Some files (like media files) can be quite large, so separating them can reduce the size of your database backups.
•Faster backups: Backing up just the database or files individually can speed up the process.
How to Backup Your WordPress Database
There are a few methods for backing up your WordPress database separately, but using phpMyAdmin or a plugin is the most common and user-friendly approach.
Method 1: Backup Database Using phpMyAdmin
phpMyAdmin is a popular database management tool that allows you to export and back up your WordPress database manually.
1. Log into your Hosting Account:
•Go to your hosting provider’s control panel (cPanel, Plesk, etc.).
•Look for the phpMyAdmin option and click on it.
2. Select Your WordPress Database:
•Once inside phpMyAdmin, you will see a list of databases on the left-hand side.
•Find and click on the database used by your WordPress website. This is typically named after your website or something similar.
3. Export Your Database:
•With the database selected, click on the Export tab at the top of the screen.
•Choose the Quick export method (this is the simplest and fastest option).
•Select SQL as the export format (this is the standard format for WordPress databases).
•Click Go, and your database will be downloaded to your computer.
Method 2: Backup Database Using a Plugin
If you prefer a plugin, UpdraftPlus is one of the most popular choices. It allows you to back up your database separately from your WordPress files.
1. Install UpdraftPlus:
•Go to Plugins > Add New from your WordPress dashboard.
•Search for UpdraftPlus, then click Install Now and Activate.
2. Configure UpdraftPlus for Database Backup:
• After activation, go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups.
•In the Backup Now section, uncheck the Include your plugins/themes options and only select Database.
•Click Backup Now to start backing up your database.
3. Store Your Backup:
•You can set UpdraftPlus to store your database backup on cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon S3.
•To do so, go to the Settings tab and link your cloud storage account.
How to Backup Your WordPress Files
Now that your database is backed up, let’s move on to backing up your WordPress files. You can either manually back up your files using an FTP client or use a plugin.
Method 1: Backup WordPress Files Using FTP
To back up your files manually, you can use an FTP client like FileZilla. Here’s how you can do it:
1. Install an FTP Client:
•Download and install an FTP client like FileZilla from the official website.
2. Connect to Your Website:
•Open FileZilla and enter your FTP login credentials (host, username, and password).
•These credentials are typically provided by your hosting provider or found in your hosting control panel.
3. Download Your Files:
•Once connected, you will see two panels: one for your local computer and one for your website files.
•In the right panel, navigate to your WordPress root directory (usually named public_html or the directory where WordPress is installed).
•Select all files and folders (themes, plugins, media, etc.) and right-click to download them to your local computer.
4. Store Your Backup:
•Ensure you keep the backup in a safe location, preferably with an external storage drive or cloud storage service.
Method 2: Backup WordPress Files Using a Plugin
You can also use a backup plugin like UpdraftPlus to back up your WordPress files.
1. Install UpdraftPlus:
•If you haven’t already, go to Plugins > Add New from your WordPress dashboard.
•Search for UpdraftPlus, install it, and activate it.
2. Configure File Backup with UpdraftPlus:
• Go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups.
•In the Backup Now section, uncheck Database and only select Files.
•Click Backup Now to back up your website files.
3. Store Your Backup:
•Like with database backups, you can store your files backup on cloud storage such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon S3 by configuring the plugin’s settings.
Best Practices for Backing Up Your Website Separately
1. Backup Frequency:
•Schedule regular backups for both your database and files. The frequency will depend on how often you update your content or make changes. If your website changes frequently, back up more often (daily or weekly).
2. Multiple Backup Locations:
•Always store backups in more than one location, such as cloud storage, local drives, or external servers. This reduces the risk of losing data in case one backup location fails.
3. Test Your Backups:
•Periodically test your backups by restoring them to a test environment. This ensures that your backups are functional and can be restored when needed.
4. Use Secure Cloud Storage:
•Use reliable and secure cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon S3 to store your backups. Ensure that these services have proper encryption and access controls.
Conclusion
Backing up your WordPress database and files separately gives you more control over your website’s backup process and helps you optimize storage. By using tools like phpMyAdmin, FTP, and plugins like UpdraftPlus, you can easily back up both your database and files.
Remember, regular backups are vital for website security, and keeping both your database and files backed up separately can ensure a quicker recovery in case of emergencies. Stay proactive with your backups, and your WordPress website will always be safe from data loss.
If you need any help or have questions about backing up your website, feel free to reach out to our support team via your Client Area.
