You’re Probably Restoring WordPress Backups Wrong (Do This Instead for Better Results)
Written By:
Joella Dunn
Joella Dunn
Joella is a writer with years of experience in WordPress. At Duplicator, she specializes in site maintenance — from basic backups to large-scale migrations. Her ultimate goal is to make sure your WordPress website is safe and ready for growth.
Reviewed By:
John Turner
John Turner
John Turner is the President of Duplicator. He has over 20+ years of business and development experience and his plugins have been downloaded over 25 million times.
January 16, 2025
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March 30, 2023
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8:00 am
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One morning, you try to log into your WordPress site, only to find it completely gone.
But then you remember – you have a backup!
With the right tools and knowledge, you can restore your site back to a point when everything was working perfectly. No more mysterious errors.
In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to restore your WordPress site from a backup. By the end, you’ll have the confidence to handle any situation that comes your way.
Quick Summary: How to Restore WordPress From a Backup
1. Back up your website.
It’s very hard to restore your website without a backup. Before disaster strikes, use a backup plugin like Duplicator to save full copies of your data. We’d recommend automatically scheduling backups so you never forget!
2. Set up disaster recovery.
Once you create a complete backup, you can set it as the disaster recovery point. Duplicator will give you a recovery link that will immediately launch the recovery wizard.
3. Use the disaster recovery link.
Whenever you see an error or get hacked, paste your recovery link into a browser window. This instantly rolls your site back to a clean backup, getting your content back online.
If you don’t want to read the full post, watch this short video. It’ll walk you through backup restoration in less than 10 minutes!
Why You Might Need to Restore WordPress From a Backup
After you start your first website, it’s important to create backups regularly. A website backup is a saved copy of your WordPress database and files.
A backup acts as a safety net when something goes wrong. If you see an unexpected change or error, you can simply restore one of your saved site backups.
Here are some reasons why you might need to restore your website from a backup:
For example, your live site might display the White Screen of Death (WSOD). If you want to restore your WordPress theme, you’ll need to find a backup where it’s functioning correctly. Once you restore this version, your website will be back up and running.
Essentially, site restore options can prevent you from troubleshooting unexpected errors. You can go to a recent site backup, restore it, and immediately solve the problem.
To make sure you don’t lose important website files, you’ll want to have a recovery plan. Don’t worry, we’ll give you a step-by-step guide on how to restore WordPress from a backup!
Method 1: Restore WordPress With One Click
One simple way to back up and restore your website is to install a WordPress backup plugin. This prevents you from having to manually edit your site files or database.
Duplicator is a flexible plugin for making database and file backups. You can use this tool to schedule backups and restore your site with just one click.
Along with backup and restore options, here are some more helpful features available in Duplicator Pro:
Can you restore your site in less than 3 minutes? KOROVA can! This web design agency uses Duplicator to get their clients’ sites back online after major errors.
Step 1: Install Duplicator Pro
To start restoring your site, select a subscription for Duplicator Pro. This will include support for one-click restores and disaster recovery. Once you check out, download the plugin.
We’d recommend creating a full backup of your entire website.
However, you can also use the one-click restore button to roll back your database or other parts of your site. So, feel free to customize the backup.
Once you continue to the next step, Duplicator will scan your website. Review any notices before hitting Create Backup.
At this point, Duplicator will automatically start performing a file and database backup.
Step 3: Use the One-Click Restore Button
Now that you have a backup of your website, you can restore it whenever you need to. Your website will revert back to these saved files and database settings, removing any errors.
Some WordPress backup plugins make it difficult to restore your website. Not Duplicator!
First, find the backup you want to restore. Then, click on the Restore button next to it.
You can even restore cloud backups in one click! Duplicator will first download the backup to your local server.
Then, it’ll automatically open the restoration wizard. Accept the terms and notices before hitting Restore Backup.
Now Duplicator will instantly roll back your site to its previous state. Use the Admin Login button to access your error-free site.
If you restored an old backup, newer backups will have a warning that they were created after the last restored backup. This lets you avoid any backups with errors.
With one-click restores, you’ll have full control over your website. You can test new code, adjust your theme, and make other changes without worrying about losing any data.
By setting a backup as the disaster recovery point, you’ll launch the recovery wizard without needing to log in.
Step 1: Back Up Your Site
As a first step, back up your WordPress site. To use the disaster recovery feature, be sure to save the backup to local storage. Don’t exclude any core WordPress files or database tables.
Once you create a full backup, you can use it to recover your data if your site ever goes down!
Step 2: Set Disaster Recovery
Before you experience a WordPress error or hack, you can make your newest backup the disaster recovery point. Next to the backup, click on the blue house icon.
In the pop-up, hit Set Disaster Recovery.
Duplicator will then give you two different ways to restore your backup. You can either copy the recovery link or download the launcher.
Copy the recovery link and save it in a safe location, separate from your WordPress site. You can also download the launcher, which is an HTML file that launches the recovery wizard.
Step 3: Launch the Recovery Wizard
If your site goes down, find your recovery link. Open a new browser window and paste the URL.
This will let you recover your data without a functional site.
You can also open the launcher file. It will immediately start the recovery process.
Accept the terms and notices and click Restore Backup. You’ll have to confirm the installation since it will modify your current site.
Duplicator will take a few minutes to revert to your backup. When it’s finished, you can access your restored website! To do this, simply click on the WordPress Admin Login button.
But, you can upload a backup archive file and installer file to your site’s root directory. Use this URL to launch Duplicator’s restore wizard: https://your-domain/installer.php
Method 3: Manually Restoring WordPress From a Backup
If you’re trying to limit your plugin use, you can manually restore your backup files. However, you’ll need to have some experience with your WordPress files and database.
For complete beginners, I’d recommend using Duplicator to simplify the restore process. Plus, this can ensure that you don’t lose any data to user error.
Before you get started, you’ll need to do a manual backup of your database and site files. Once you have these files on your local computer, you can re-upload them to WordPress.
Step 1: Import Your Database
During a manual restoration, you’ll have to re-upload both your saved database and WordPress files. Let’s start by importing an error-free copy of the database.
Usually, your web hosting provider will allow you to log in to phpMyAdmin through your control panel. Alternatively, it may provide an easier way to manage your databases.
If you’re using cPanel, for example, find the MySQL Databases button.
Next, create a new database. This will be the location where you upload your saved database.
After this, add a new MySQL user. Be sure to pick a new username and password, especially after hacks or cyber attacks.
Now, find Add User to Database. Here, select the user and database you just created.
Once you have a new database and user, go back to your WordPress hosting account. You’ll need to find the phpMyAdmin login button.
This will open your database manager. Select your new database name and click on Import.
Under the File to import section, click on Choose File and upload your saved database file. It should be in a zipped SQL file.
Once you hit Go, your database will be restored! As a final step, open your wp-config.php file and find your database information.
You’ll need to update the database name, user, and login credentials to point to the new database.
Step 2: Upload Your Backup WordPress Files
To get your site up and running again, it’ll also need functioning WordPress files.
Once you have a backup saved, open a File Manager or File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client. Usually, your host will have a preferred method for managing site files.
For this tutorial, we’ll be using FileZilla, which is a free SFTP/FTP client. First, connect to your website using your host’s name, username, password, and port.
You’ll know your site connects when you see data in the Remote site box. Here, open the public_html folder. Select all of the files, right-click on them, and hit Delete.
Now you can simply drag and drop your saved backup files from your local computer to the public_html folder. If they upload properly, FileZilla will label it a Successful transfer.
If you don’t have a saved backup of your site, you can download a new WordPress installation from WordPress.org. Then, upload these files to your empty root directory.
However, keep in mind that the new wp-content file won’t have your custom plugins or theme edits.
Method 4: Restoring WordPress With cPanel
If your web host provides cPanel, this has an easy way to restore WordPress. All you’ll need to do is find the Files section and hit Backup.
Then, you’ll see a variety of backup and restore options. If you downloaded a copy of your home directory with cPanel, you can upload this file under Restore a Home Directory Backup.
To restore your database, upload a backup to the Restore a MySQL Database Backup option.
After you upload both of these site components, you’ll fully restore your WordPress website!
Backup Tips For Quick Restorations
Maybe this time you ran into issues restoring your WordPress site. If you couldn’t find a backup, you likely had to dive into Google’s search cache and regenerate your files by hand.
Here are my top tips for avoiding restoration problems in the future!
Schedule Automatic Backups
If you only create manual backups, you might forget to regularly back up your site. There’s a good chance you won’t have the right backup when you need one.
That’s why you should always set up scheduled backups. With a plugin like Duplicator, you can automatically save copies of your site every hour, day, week, or month.
Feel free to customize your backup schedules for different parts of your site.
If you run a WooCommerce store, I’d recommend backing up your database daily. This prevents you from losing any new customer or order data.
Store Backups in the Cloud
Most backup plugins will automatically save your backups on your website’s server. If your server glitches or completely goes down, you might not have any backups to restore.
It’s always a good idea to save your site backups in the cloud. Your data will be safe and accessible in storage services like Google Drive or Amazon S3.
Duplicator has very flexible options when it comes to cloud backups. It connects to over 10 different third-party storage services.
As you create automatic backups, you can choose where your data is saved. This ensures your backups are safe in the cloud every time you need them.
Test Your Restoration Tools
You won’t want to find out your backup/restore plugin doesn’t work right after your site goes down. Before anything goes wrong, it’s important to do a test restoration.
If you’re using Duplicator, feel free to use the one-click restore buttons. You can also set a backup as the disaster recovery point. Copy and paste the recovery URL to make sure it launches the recovery wizard.
After restoring a backup, make sure you can log back into your site. Everything should be rolled back to how it was when that backup was created.
As a beginner, it can be useful to walk through these steps before an actual disaster. Learn what works and then you’ll be prepared for the worst!
Set Up Disaster Recovery
Being stuck with a crashed site without a backup isn’t a good feeling. It’s crucial to expect the worst, even if it never happens.
Duplicator allows you to set up disaster recovery. This is a way to restore a backup without even needing to open your dashboard. It’s most helpful for full-site errors or large-scale hacks.
I’d highly recommend enabling disaster recovery as soon as you can. Find the instructions in Method 2 of this tutorial!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How do I restore WordPress from a zip backup file?
You can restore WordPress from a zip backup file by creating a backup with Duplicator Pro. Then, set this backup as the disaster recovery point and copy the recovery URL. If your site crashes, paste this URL into a browser window and follow the steps to recover your site.
How do I restore a WordPress backup on localhost?
To restore a WordPress backup on localhost, build your locally hosted website. Next, install Duplicator Pro and find the Import page. Upload your backup and use the Duplicator recovery wizard to import all your data into the local site.
Where are my WordPress backups stored?
Your WordPress backups could be stored on your local server or on a third-party cloud storage location. With Duplicator, you can choose exactly where you want to save backups. It’ll provide many different storage options, including Google Drive, Dropbox, Microsoft OneDrive, and more.
How do I back up and migrate my WordPress site?
You can back up and migrate your WordPress site by installing the Duplicator Pro plugin. This tool allows you to compress your entire site into a single zipped archive file. Then, you can save this as a backup or easily transfer it to a new host, server, or domain name.
How do I restore my WordPress site without the database?
To restore your WordPress site without the database, create a backup with Duplicator that only includes your WordPress files. In the Backup section, on Custom and uncheck the database option.
Continue building the backup. If you ever need to restore this data, click on the Restore button next to it.
Once you continue with the restoration, Duplicator will only overwrite your files. It won’t perform any actions on the database.
Joella is a writer with years of experience in WordPress. At Duplicator, she specializes in site maintenance — from basic backups to large-scale migrations. Her ultimate goal is to make sure your WordPress website is safe and ready for growth.
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