The first time I broke my own website, I stared at a white screen and thought, “Well… that’s it, I live here now.” That was also the day I finally learned how to backup WordPress site manually instead of trusting my host or half-configured plugins.
If you’ve ever worried about updates, hacks, or accidental deletes, manual backups give you full control. In this guide, I’ll walk you through files + database backups, how often to do them, and where to store them so you’re never one “oops” away from disaster.
Why should you learn how to backup WordPress site manually?
Even if you use backup plugins, knowing how to backup WordPress site manually is your safety net. Plugins can fail, get misconfigured, or conflict with other tools. When you understand the manual process, you can always step in and rescue your site yourself.
Manual backups also teach you what actually makes your WordPress site tick: your files (themes, plugins, uploads) and your database (posts, pages, settings). When you know where everything lives, troubleshooting becomes much less intimidating.
Finally, some hosts don’t offer reliable automatic backups, or they charge extra for them. A manual workflow gives you a free, host-independent way to keep copies of your site exactly where you want them.
What do you need before you manually back up WordPress?
To follow this guide, you’ll need a few basics that almost every shared host provides:
- cPanel or hosting control panel access for File Manager and phpMyAdmin
- Or FTP/SFTP access (via FileZilla, Cyberduck, etc.) to download files
- Enough space on your computer or external drive to store a compressed copy of your site
It also helps to know which folder holds WordPress. In many setups, it’s in public_html, www, or a subfolder like /public_html/mywebsite. That folder is your site’s root and contains wp-admin, wp-content, and wp-includes.
Before you start, avoid making big edits or updates. The quieter your site is during backup, the less chance of mismatched data (for example, a post created mid-backup).
How do you manually back up WordPress files?
Your files include WordPress core, themes, plugins, and media uploads. You can back them up through cPanel’s File Manager or via FTP/SFTP.
Option 1: Using cPanel File Manager
- Log in to cPanel and open File Manager.
- Navigate to your WordPress root (often public_html or the domain’s document root).
- Select all WordPress files and folders (wp-admin, wp-content, wp-includes, plus any loose files like wp-config.php).
- Use the Compress option to create a .zip or .tar.gz archive.
- Once compression finishes, select the archive and click Download to save it to your computer.
This gives you a snapshot of everything visible on your server for that site. It’s faster and safer than downloading thousands of individual files one by one.
Option 2: Using FTP/SFTP
- Connect to your server using an FTP/SFTP client. Enter your host, username, password, and port.
- Browse to the WordPress root folder.
- Select all WordPress files and folders and download them to a folder on your computer.
FTP can be slower than cPanel compression, but it works even when you don’t have cPanel or when your host provides a custom control panel.
How do you manually back up your WordPress database?
Your database contains your posts, pages, users, settings, menus, and more. To back it up manually, you’ll usually use phpMyAdmin from your hosting panel.
Step-by-step: Exporting the database with phpMyAdmin
- Log in to phpMyAdmin from cPanel or your hosting dashboard.
- In the left sidebar, select the database used by your WordPress site. (You can confirm its name in wp-config.php under DB_NAME.)
- Click the Export tab at the top.
- Choose Quick export method and SQL format for a simple, full backup.
- Click Go to download the .sql file to your computer.
That .sql file is your site’s brain. Paired with your file backup, you can restore your site on the same host or a completely different server if needed.
Advanced users might use “Custom” export for finer control over tables or compression, but the Quick export is enough for most site owners.
How often should you manually back up a WordPress site?
Backup frequency depends on how often your site changes. Official WordPress documentation and professional agencies recommend:
- Daily or near-daily backups for active blogs, ecommerce sites, or membership sites
- Weekly backups for smaller sites with occasional updates
- Monthly backups only for almost static sites that rarely change
A nice rule of thumb: back up at least as often as you’d be okay re-doing your work. If losing a week of posts would hurt, weekly isn’t enough—go more frequent.
Where should you store manual WordPress backups?
Never store your only backup on the same server as your website. If the server fails, gets hacked, or your host suspends your account, you lose everything at once.
Follow a simple version of the 3-2-1 rule:
- Keep at least 3 copies of your backups
- Store them on 2 different types of storage (e.g., local drive + cloud)
- Keep 1 copy off-site (Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, or another cloud service)
For example, you might keep one copy on your computer, one on an external drive, and one in cloud storage. That way, even if something happens to your laptop, your site can still be restored.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I manually back up WordPress without cPanel?
Yes, you can. If your host doesn’t use cPanel, you can still download your files via FTP/SFTP and export your database via whatever database tool they provide (often still phpMyAdmin or a similar interface). The concept is the same: copy your entire WordPress directory and export the database as an SQL file, regardless of the specific hosting interface.
2. Is a manual backup enough, or do I still need a plugin?
A good manual backup is absolutely valid, but it relies on you remembering to do it. Many site owners use a combination: they learn manual backups for emergencies and use a plugin for automated daily or real-time backups. Plugins like VaultPress or other tools can schedule backups and store them off-site automatically, which saves time and reduces human error.
3. How big will my manual WordPress backup be?
That depends mostly on your uploads (images, videos, and other media). The core WordPress files and database are usually relatively small; the wp-content/uploads folder tends to make up the bulk of the size. If you run an image-heavy blog or store, expect larger backups and give them enough time to download, especially over FTP or slower connections.
4. How do I know if my manual backup actually works?
The only real test of a backup is a restore. If you have a staging site or a local development environment, try restoring your files and database there following a reputable restore guide. Even if you don’t test every backup, test at least one so you’re confident in the process and know your files and SQL exports are usable when you actually need them.
Ready to rely less on luck and more on backups?
Learning how to backup WordPress site manually puts you in control of your own safety net. When you can grab your files and database on demand, you’re not at the mercy of plugins, hosts, or surprise bugs.
If you build a simple habit—regular manual backups stored in multiple safe places—you turn a potential catastrophe into a minor annoyance. Next time an update goes sideways or a plugin misbehaves, you’ll have options: restore, roll back, and move on with your day instead of starting from scratch.
Treat your backup routine like brushing your teeth: not glamorous, but absolutely essential for a healthy WordPress site.