How to Backup WordPress in 2026: The Only Guide You Need (Free Method)

Imagine waking up tomorrow and your WordPress site is gone. A plugin update went wrong. Your hosting had a server failure. A hacker injected malware overnight. All your articles, pages, settings, and months of work just disappeared.

This happens to thousands of WordPress sites every single day. The difference between a minor inconvenience and a complete disaster is one thing: a backup.

A proper backup lets you restore your entire site to exactly how it was before anything went wrong. One click, a few minutes, and everything is back. Without a backup, you are starting from zero.

This guide shows you how to set up free, automatic WordPress backups that run in the background without you lifting a finger. Using UpdraftPlus, the most trusted backup plugin with over 3 million active installations.

What Does a WordPress Backup Include?

A complete WordPress backup contains two parts: your files and your database. You need BOTH to fully restore a site.

Files include: WordPress core files (the software itself), your theme files, all your plugins, your uploaded media (images, PDFs, videos), and configuration files like wp-config.php.

Database includes: All your posts and pages, comments, user accounts, site settings, plugin settings, widget configurations, and menu structures.

If you only backup files but not the database, you lose all your content. If you only backup the database but not files, you lose your theme, plugins, and media. A proper backup tool saves both automatically.

Why UpdraftPlus Is the Best Free Backup Plugin

UpdraftPlus is the most popular WordPress backup plugin with over 3 million active installations and a 4.8 star rating. Here is why we use and recommend it:

Backs up your entire site (files AND database) with one click
Schedule automatic backups (daily, weekly, or monthly)
Store backups off site in Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, or other cloud storage
One click restore from any backup
Choose exactly what to backup (database, plugins, themes, uploads, or everything)
Free version handles everything most sites need
Compatible with every major hosting provider including Hostinger and Cloudways

The premium version adds features like incremental backups, migration tools, and multisite support. But the free version is more than enough for backing up and restoring a standard WordPress site.

How to Set Up WordPress Backups (Step by Step)

Step 1: Install UpdraftPlus

Go to your WordPress dashboard. Navigate to Plugins > Add New. Search for “UpdraftPlus.” The first result will be UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin. Click Install Now, then click Activate.

After activation, go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups to access the plugin dashboard.

Step 2: Connect Cloud Storage

This is the most important step. You need to store your backups somewhere OTHER than your web server. If your server crashes or gets hacked, backups stored on the same server are useless.

Click the Settings tab in UpdraftPlus. Under “Choose your remote storage,” select Google Drive (free and easy). Other options include Dropbox, Amazon S3, Microsoft OneDrive, and more.

Click the Google Drive option. UpdraftPlus will display a link to authenticate with your Google account. Click the link, sign in with your Google account, and allow UpdraftPlus access. Once connected, your backups will automatically upload to a dedicated UpdraftPlus folder in your Google Drive.

Why Google Drive? It is free (15 GB of storage), reliable, and most people already have a Google account. For a standard WordPress blog, 15 GB is enough for 5 to 10 full backups.

Step 3: Schedule Automatic Backups

In the Settings tab, set your backup schedules:

Files backup schedule: Select Weekly and retain 3 backups. This means UpdraftPlus creates a new file backup every week and keeps the 3 most recent copies. Older ones are automatically deleted to save storage.

Database backup schedule: Select Weekly and retain 5 backups. The database is much smaller than files, so keeping more copies is easy and gives you more restore points.

If you publish daily or run a WooCommerce store, change both schedules to Daily. Ecommerce sites should never go more than 24 hours without a backup because orders and customer data change constantly.

Step 4: Choose What to Backup

Scroll down in the Settings tab. Under “Include in files backup,” make sure all boxes are checked: Plugins, Themes, Uploads, and any other directories.

Click Save Changes. Your automatic backup schedule is now active. UpdraftPlus will run backups in the background at the scheduled times without any action from you.

Step 5: Create Your First Backup

Do not wait for the schedule. Create your first backup immediately. Go to the Backup / Restore tab and click the blue Backup Now button.

Check both boxes: “Include your database in the backup” and “Include your files in the backup.” Also check “Send this backup to remote storage.” Click Backup Now.

UpdraftPlus will create a complete backup and upload it to your Google Drive. This may take a few minutes depending on your site size. Once complete, you will see the backup listed under “Existing backups.”

Pro tip: Always create a manual backup BEFORE updating WordPress core, plugins, or themes. If an update breaks something, you can restore immediately from the pre-update backup.

How to Restore Your Site from a Backup

Restoring is as simple as backing up. Go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups. Click the Backup / Restore tab. You will see a list of your existing backups with dates.

Find the backup you want to restore from. Click the Restore button next to it. Select which components to restore: Plugins, Themes, Uploads, Others, and Database. In most cases, select all of them for a complete restoration.

Click Restore. UpdraftPlus will download the backup from your cloud storage and restore your site. This typically takes 2 to 10 minutes depending on your site size.

When to restore: After a failed plugin or theme update. After discovering malware or a hack. After accidentally deleting content. After any change that breaks your site.

The 3 Rules of Good Backups

Rule 1: Automate your backups. Do not rely on remembering to backup manually. Set a schedule in UpdraftPlus and let it run automatically. Human memory is not reliable. Automation is.

Rule 2: Store backups off site. Never keep your only backup on the same server as your website. If the server fails, both your site and your backup are gone. Use Google Drive, Dropbox, or another cloud service.

Rule 3: Test your backups. A backup you cannot restore is useless. Every few months, test a restore on a staging site to verify your backups work correctly. If you do not have a staging environment, Cloudways includes staging on every plan. See our Cloudways Review.

When Should You Backup?

Automatic schedule: Weekly for most blogs. Daily for high traffic sites and WooCommerce stores.

Manual backup before: Updating WordPress core. Updating themes or plugins. Installing a new plugin. Making significant changes to your site design. Switching themes. Any major change where something could go wrong.

The golden rule: If you are about to do something that could break your site, backup first. It takes 2 minutes and can save you hours of recovery work.

Your Host’s Backups vs Plugin Backups

Most good hosting providers include automatic backups. Hostinger includes daily automatic backups on all plans. Cloudways includes automated backups with adjustable frequency.

So why do you also need a plugin backup? Because relying on a single backup source is risky. If your hosting has an issue that affects their backup system, you lose both your site and your backups. Having UpdraftPlus sending backups to YOUR Google Drive gives you an independent copy that exists completely outside your hosting environment.

The best strategy is both: let your host handle daily backups AND use UpdraftPlus for weekly off site backups. Double protection with zero effort after initial setup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is UpdraftPlus free? +

Yes. UpdraftPlus free version includes full site backups, scheduled automation, cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.), and one click restore. The premium version adds incremental backups, migration tools, and multisite support. The free version is enough for most WordPress sites.

How often should I backup my WordPress site? +

At minimum, weekly for blogs and content sites. Daily for WooCommerce stores and membership sites where data changes frequently. Also always backup manually before any major update or change. Set it once in UpdraftPlus and it runs automatically.

Where should I store my backups? +

Always store backups off site, meaning somewhere other than your web server. Google Drive is the easiest free option (15 GB free storage). Dropbox and Amazon S3 are also good choices. Never rely solely on backups stored on the same server as your website.

How long does it take to restore a WordPress backup? +

Typically 2 to 10 minutes depending on your site size. UpdraftPlus downloads the backup from cloud storage and restores everything automatically. You click one button and wait. No technical knowledge needed.

Do I still need a backup plugin if my host does backups? +

Yes. Host backups are a first layer of protection, but if the hosting server fails, those backups could be lost too. UpdraftPlus stores backups in YOUR cloud storage, completely independent from your host. Having both gives you double protection. See our WordPress Security Guide for the complete protection strategy.

Will backups slow down my site? +

UpdraftPlus runs backups in the background during low traffic periods. You may notice a slight slowdown during the actual backup process, but it does not affect your site’s normal performance. Schedule backups for times when traffic is lowest (like early morning) to minimize any impact.

Protect Your WordPress Site Today

Setting up WordPress backups takes 10 minutes. Recovering from data loss without a backup takes hours, days, or is sometimes impossible. The math is simple.

Install UpdraftPlus, connect Google Drive, set your schedule, and create your first backup right now. From this point forward, your site is protected. If anything ever goes wrong, you are one click away from a full restoration.

Never Lose Your Site Again

Automatic backups to Google Drive. One click restore. Free forever.

Install UpdraftPlus (Free)