How to Setup UpdraftPlusA well designed and content-rich website is usually the result of brainstorming, hard work, development and dedication. Nothing, therefore, is more disappointing and frustrating than to lose absolutely everything due to a personal faux pas for example when handling the files in FTP incorrectly, a wrong database command or getting hacked. There is sometimes no other option left than to restore everything from a backup to get back to normal. Backups are nothing but a hassle and cost time but they can be automated. One backup plugin solves this quite nicely. The text below describes the process how to setup UpdraftPlus to backup your WordPress Website to Dropbox so you no longer need to take care of it.

If you are looking for ways to secure your WordPress Site check out this post.

Become a WordPress Hero!

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WordPress runs on PHP too.

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How to Setup UpdraftPlus to Backup Your WordPress Website

  1. Install and activate the UpdraftPlus plugin (free) from the WP plugin marketplace or from within WordPress Plugins -> Add new. 
  2. After activation, navigate to Settings -> UpdraftPlus Backups page to configure the plugin. 
  3. Once in the UpdraftPlus plugin page, click on the Settings tab.
  4. Under the Settings tab, you will be able to customise the frequency of backups. NOTE: The frequency you set is at your discretion, however, there are a few things to consider here. If your website is constantly being updated on a regular basis (for example an e-commerce website where products are being added), it is best to select a timeframe that is under a day.

    Keep in mind that WordPress is heavily database dependent (posts, pages, comments and website settings are stored in the database), so ideally your Files backup schedule and Database backup schedule should match.

  5. Next up, we will set up a remote cloud service to accept the file and database backups directly from the UpdraftPlus plugin. This is an important practice as your backups will be safe in the cloud even if your main web host is hacked. For the purpose of this demonstration, we shall use Dropbox as our cloud service. 
  6. Click on the “Save Changes” button at the bottom of the page.

  7. Upon clicking on “Save Changes”, the web page will undergo processing and you will be presented with the following dialog box:Click on the link in the prompt to continue to Dropbox access authorization.
  8. Dropbox will require you login before you can proceed. After logging in, the following prompt will appear:  Click on the Allow button to proceed with authorization and grant Dropbox access to UpdraftPlus. Click on Complete setup to proceed. This will authorise Dropbox access and take you back to the plugin settings page.
  9. Congratulations! Your WordPress installation/website will now be backed up to Dropbox at intervals of your choice.

Restoring Backup Using UpdraftPlus

In case you need to restore your WordPress site, you do not have to worry because your files are stored in Dropbox inside the “app folder”. Simply navigate to the UpdraftPlus plugin page and click on the Restore button and select the respective backup you would like to be restored. That’s it, you now have your website back up and running. It is absolutely important that you familiarise yourself with the recovery process before you actually depend on it so to make sure your backups are actually useful to you.

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Unhappy with UpdraftPlus?

Here are a few more backup plugins that might work better: