Have you had a situation where you needed to restore WordPress or clone WordPress for any reason? Those reasons could be that you made an update and it messed up your site, your site was infected with a virus, or you simply wanted to duplicate your site to another domain. Guilty as charged? You may be more than aware of the various options out there. Backup Creator is one of the newest plugin's on the market that gives you the ability and security knowing you have all those files. Sure, there is BackupBuddy, which I also use. I mean… who said you just had to have one option to backup your sites?
What Backup Creator does for you is it creates an easy to use plugin to install, click, and the patience to know you have your WordPress sites secured. You simply click one button to backup your site. Then choose where you want to send that backup you created!
Backup Creator Backup Options
- Download the file to your hard drive
- Email it to yourself (if you have a super large site… may not be the best option)
- FTP to backup offsite (probably the most recommended).
I've considered for a long time that I wanted something in addition to BackupBuddy. Backup Creator convinced me that it was the right tool for the job. It was incredibly simple to use. Once you download the plugin to your computer then we can get started. Essentially I tell my clients all the time that they should have a backup solution in place and that is why I decided to write this quick post about it.
Install Backup Creator Plugin
Just like normal if you're familiar with this process, you will go to “Plugins” on the left menu about midway down and select “Add new”. Then select “Upload”.
Activate
Once you've selected your file to upload and done so, it will ask you if you want to activate it? Of course…select “activate”.
Next, you will need to go to the Backup Creator's settings and enter your email and license key for Backup Creator. This will activate your copy of it. Get your license key here.
Additional Settings for Backup Creator
Now that you are ready to roll, Backup Creator has given you some additional settings to control what you would like to do once you do create a backup in your WordPress. You're options are to Automatically Backup, Email Backup, and FTP Backup. On the automatic backup, you can set a “schedule” if you choose to automatically backup your site. When selecting to “Email Backup” to you once a backup is done, just be cautious and know that most hosting companies and email programs will put a limit on how big of file can be “emailed”. If you have a big site then that option may not be best for you.
Regarding the FTP Backup…this may be a nice suitable option for many. Essentially I would create a new FTP user on your hosting account or another a separate hosting company (if you have more than one…ha) and enter those details below like hostname, username, and password. I'm really pleased to see this option because so many times developers leave this out as an option or they just give you the option to load to Amazon S3 which is solid but some people don't want to pay for that service.
“Press Backup Site”
Once done with “Settings” you want to select “Backups” on the top left of Backup Creator's Plugin screen. Now for the nitty gritty! The first radio button will say “Backup This Site” and it should be checked as this is the default action. Next, hit the big blue button below that says “Backup This Site” and watch the magic happen.
The process takes only a few minutes at most and depending on the size of your site, it can vary in times.
Restoring Your Site With Backup Creator
Let's say that you've needed to restore your site to a new domain or your existing one.
First let's go the route of installing it on a new domain. You basically get your wordpress installed like you've potentially done a million times. Install Backup Creator plugin and activate. Once that is accomplished referring to the screenshot above, simply select “Restore From File” and select your backup file on your compter and hit “Backup This Site”. Should be golden from there. You just have a few minor changes like “site title” and etc that you will have to update but the rest of your content will be ready to rock. At least this is one way.
If you're restoring on your current domain, you have the same options as above except the plugin is already installed (assuming you don't gut your site and start clean).
*I have included my affiliate link in this post.
Dynamic, high-energy executive with history of performance-oriented leadership to e-commerce sales and marketing within the online marketing and advertising industry. MichaelStults.com is where I share my thoughts on different marketing methods, wordpress, leadership, and various topics that I feel inspired to write about. Please take time to learn more about Rare Disease at www.BriParDun.com