Duplicator plugin is primarily designed to migrate WordPress site to another domain or hosting server in 3 easy steps. You can also use it to easily create a full backup of your WordPress site in a single zip archive.
If you ever need to backup your WordPress site manually, I’d highly recommend using Duplicator to simplify the process. The plugin can help simplify the backup process in 3 steps:
- Create,
- Scan and
- Build Package.
Job done! No need to have FTP access or access to your cPanel to backup your WordPress files and database tables – you get things done simply in the WordPress admin panel.
The plugin is completely free and fairly easy to use: just install it and create your backup in just a few clicks.
Why use Duplicator for manual backups?
- Backup the contents of your files and database, all wrapped up into one package.
- You can use File filter to exclude files and folders from your package.
- You can use Table filter to choose which database tables to include or exclude from your package.
- You can use mysqldump for large databases.
- System scan ensure that build process runs smoothly without any issues.
The filter option can be useful if you don’t want to include a large files in your package such as videos or mp3 files.
Here’s how to use Duplicator plugin to backup your WordPress site.
Create your own backup easily with Duplicator plugin
1. Install and Activate Duplicator.
2. After installing the plugin, click on Duplicator from the menu on the left, then click on Create New tab.
3. See if the system requirements has pass status. (System requirments must pass for the Duplicator to work properly.)
4. If you pass the requirements, click Next. Duplicator will now run a system scan for any potential issues. If you get a warn status on any of the items then click on the relevant link and and review each suggestion.
For example, if you have a large files such as videos or other data, you likely get a warn status on large files as they can cause issues with server timeout during the backup process. At this point, you may need to go back and use a file filters optionto exclude these files from the backup or ask your hosting provider to increase your timeout limits.
If you are using a caching plugin, you may also want to exclude the “cache” directory from the package by entering its path in file filters. For details on each warnings or errors see the FAQ page.
5. If you are not worried about the warning, click Build. Duplicator will now put together a package for you to download. This process may take several minutes depending on the size of your site. Keep this window open until the process completes.
If you are experiencing errors during the ‘Build Process’ see the FAQ page for troubleshooting steps.
6. When it’s done, you’ll be given two files to download, “Installer” and “Archive”.
- Archive is your backup file that contains the files and the database contents.
- Installer is just a PHP file that you use to migrate the site.
Go ahead and download these files to your computer. Once you’ve downloaded the package files, save them in a safe place, such as an external hard drive or cloud storage solution. Do not attempt to rename the file names.
That’s it. You’ve successfully created a full backup of your WordPress site.
Backing up your entire site has never been this quick and easy!
You can have a look at the quick video demo showing you how to create a WordPress backup in under 3 minutes.