Need to back up just your site’s database and move it to another site? This guide covers creating a Database Only backup and importing it on the destination site.

These instructions cover database-related actions only. A Database Only restore assumes the destination site’s files already match what the database expects, so check file and database sync before proceeding, see Check Database and File Sync below.

Note: Database backup feature is available with all versions of Duplicator including the free version.

Creating Database Backups

Begin with creating a new Backup by navigating to Duplicator Pro » Backups and click the Add New button.

Name the Backup, move to the Backup section, and select the Database Only tab:

You can also exclude the tables of your choice from the backup. To exclude database tables, enable the option Database Filters, and select the tables to exclude from the area next to Exclude Tables:

At the bottom of the page, click on Next and proceed towards the Scan process of your Database backup:

Once your backup is scanned successfully, go ahead and create the Backup. This process will take a few minutes, and your database backup will be ready.

Now, you’ll see the Database backup under Backups, from where you can Download the it:

Import Your Backup to the Destination Site

If you are using the Lite version of Duplicator, please see this guide to Transfer the Backup by manually pasting the downloaded files to the root directory of your Destination site.

For Duplicator Pro, navigate to the Destination site and Import the Backup.

Note: The Import Backup feature is only available with Duplicator Pro licenses.

Make sure you have the licensed version of the Duplicator Pro plugin installed on your Destination site. To import the backup, go to Duplicator Pro » Import Backups, and Select File or Drag & Drop the downloaded [archive.daf] or [archive.zip] file from your computer:

Please be sure to set a Recovery Point and copy URL in a safe note to revert your website to the previous version in case anything goes wrong during the migration process.

Now, at the bottom of the page, you can click on Launch Installer:

Launching the Installer starts System validation:

Scroll to the bottom of the Page, accept the terms & notices and click on Next:

An Install Confirmation window appears. If a Recovery Point was set earlier, the same window offers a Copy button for the Recovery URL again, so it’s still accessible even if it wasn’t saved the first time. Verify the site and database settings, then click OK:

This will start the database installation on your Destination Site.

For a complete walkthrough of the installer beyond database-only restores, see The Ultimate Guide to the Installer.

Check Database and File Sync

How do you confirm if your files and database are synchronized? While there isn’t a definitive answer, there are general guidelines to consider. Usually, the file system updates when you:

• Add new images, videos, or files to a page, post, or media content
• Install a new plugin or theme
• Modify a plugin setting that writes to files like the .htaccess file (such as security plugins)

If any of these actions happened, WordPress likely wrote to both the file system and the database.

Consider this scenario: “Source Site, Site A” and “Destination Site, Site B.” A new plugin gets installed on Site A, then a Database Only backup is created and moved to Site B using the Database Only Install option.

In this case, the files on Site B aren’t in sync with the database created on Site A, because Site B lacks the plugin files. Installing the Site A database onto Site B can run into issues since Site B doesn’t have the plugin files that were installed on Site A.

Installing the plugin on Site B usually resolves the issue. For substantial changes on Site A, updating those files on Site B too is advisable.

A Database Only restore only moves the database. It assumes the destination site’s files already match what the database expects, plugins, themes, and media included. If they don’t match, install or update those files on the destination first, or the imported database will reference files that aren’t there.

The Database Install feature simplifies database backups to a few steps. For comprehensive website database and file synchronization, use the Custom Backup feature instead, which includes additional elements like media files, plugins, and themes in the backup.