user guide

Backing up your site

Backups in DashboardWP are stored off-site in secure cloud storage, run in the background without slowing your site down, and restore with one click. This guide covers creating them; Restoring a backup covers the way back.

What a backup contains

You choose what goes in, per backup and per schedule:

  • Database: all tables as a compressed SQL dump: posts, pages, orders, settings.
  • Files: plugins, themes and the rest of wp-content, without the media library.
  • Uploads: the media library.

WordPress core files are deliberately not included: they are identical for everyone and can always be re-downloaded from WordPress.org, so leaving them out keeps backups small and fast without losing anything.

Creating a backup

On the site’s Backups page click Create backup, tick the contents you want, and start it. The work happens on the site in small time slices, so even large sites on modest hosting get through without timeouts, and the finished archives are uploaded straight from the site to cloud storage in chunks. Progress shows live in the backup list and the notification bell; you can leave the page at any time.

Downloading and deleting

Every completed backup can be downloaded (the whole backup or a single artifact, for example just the database dump) via a secure, time-limited link. Deleting a backup removes both the record and the stored archives.

Automatic backups

Open Backup settings and turn on Automatic backups. Pick the frequency (Monthly, Weekly or Daily), the time of day, and what to include. Times run in your account’s time zone, so “daily at 03:00” means 03:00 where you are. Monthly automatic backups are free; weekly and daily schedules are part of the Premium site plan (see Site plans and billing).

Retention

The Retention tab of the settings modal sets how long backups are kept before old ones make room for new ones. Pick a window that matches how quickly you would notice a problem; two weeks is a sensible default for most sites.

Where backups live

Archives are stored encrypted in our cloud storage, in a private bucket, never on your own server (a backup stored next to the site dies with the site). Downloads always go through short-lived signed links, and no storage credentials ever touch your WordPress site during upload.