Backups and restores: frequently asked questions

Short answers to the questions we hear most about backups and restores. Each answer links to the article with the details.

Backups

Does WP Safer back up my site automatically?

Only when the site belongs to an active backup schedule. Connecting a site does not create a schedule by itself. Open Schedule Backups, click + New schedule and assign the site. A site's Backups tab shows Schedule: None when no schedule covers it. See Schedule automatic backups.

What is the difference between a full and an incremental backup?

A full backup is a complete copy of the files and the database and can be restored on its own. An incremental backup stores the database and only the files that changed since the previous backup, so it needs the full backup it builds on. See How WP Safer backups work.

What is backed up?

The WordPress installation folder — core files, wp-content with themes, plugins and uploads — and the site's database. E-mail accounts, DNS settings and anything outside the WordPress folder are not part of the backup.

To keep archives small, some files inside the WordPress folder are always skipped:

• cache and log folders: wp-content/cache, wp-content/uploads/wc-logs, and *.log, *.tmp, *.temp files;
• other backups and archives: wp-content/backup, wp-content/backups, and *.zip, *.rar, *.tar, *.tar.gz, *.tar.bz2, *.tar.xz, *.wpress files anywhere on the site;
• development folders: .git, .svn, node_modules.

If your site offers ZIP files for download (for example in the media library), keep your own copy of them: they are not included in WP Safer backups.

Where are my backups stored?

Off-site, in private cloud object storage in Amsterdam, the Netherlands (EU). They are not kept on your web host: the copy the plugin creates on your server is removed once WP Safer has received it.

How long are backups kept?

Scheduled backups are kept according to Full backups to retain in the schedule: the latest 1 to 10 full backups per site, together with their incremental backups. Older ones are deleted when a new full backup completes. Manual backups stay until you delete them. See Schedule automatic backups.

My schedule runs at the wrong time.

The Run time (UTC) is in UTC, not your local time. Edit the schedule and pick the UTC hour that matches your local time. If the site was busy (for example a restore was running), the run starts later within the Missed-Run Grace hours.

A backup failed. What should I do?

Nothing right away: WP Safer retries a failed backup automatically, up to three attempts. If all attempts fail, the account owner receives a "Backup failed" e-mail and the failure appears in Logs → Backups. The most common cause is that WP Safer could not reach the site — check that the site is online and that the WP Safer plugin is active, then start a backup from the site's Backups tab to test.

Why did I receive a "No usable full backup" e-mail?

The site's latest full backup is older than the schedule's Max Chain Age plus two days, so the recent incremental backups could not be restored if you needed them. Start a full backup from the site's Backups tab, and check that the schedule is active and the site is reachable.

Can I back up all my sites at once?

Yes, with a schedule: assign all sites to it (Select all in the schedule form). Manual backups are started one site at a time from each site's Backups tab.

Do backups count toward my storage?

Yes. The Storage used card on the Sites page shows your usage against the cloud backup space of your plan. Deleted backups stay in the trash and still count until you delete them permanently via Manage.

Restores

How long does a restore take, and is my site offline?

It depends on the size of the backup, the number of archives in the chain and the speed of your host. The download and extraction run while the site stays online; visitors see the WordPress maintenance message only while files and the database are being replaced. The progress bar on the Backups tab shows the current step and the elapsed time. See Restore a site from a backup.

Can I restore only the database, or only some files?

No. A restore always puts back both the files and the database of the chosen backup. If you need a single file, click Download next to the backup and take the file from the ZIP archive.

I restored the wrong backup. Can I go back?

Yes, for 24 hours: click Undo the restore in the progress area of the site's Backups tab. After that, restore another backup instead.

Why was I logged out after a restore?

A restore replaces the database, including user sessions, so every signed-in user is signed out. Log in again with the user name and password that were valid when the backup was taken.

The restore says "Rolled back". Is my site broken?

No. "Rolled back" means the restore ran into a problem after the swap and WP Safer put the previous files and database back automatically. The site is as it was before the restore. The reason is shown in the progress area.

Why is the Restore button disabled?

A restore is already running for this site. Backup, restore and delete buttons stay disabled until it is finished. If a backup of the site is waiting in the queue, the restore cannot start either; wait for the backup under Tasks → Backup tasks to finish.

My server's disk filled up after a restore.

For the 24-hour undo window, the site's previous files and database tables are kept on your server next to the restored site. They are removed automatically when the window closes.

Can I restore a backup to a different site or a new host?

Not with Restore, which always writes to the same site. To move a site to a new hosting account, use the migration wizard (Migrate to a new host on the Backups tab). See Before you migrate.