ATTENTION<\/p><\/div>
WP Engine keeps all website backup data off site in AWS data centers. The current backup location for the Tel Aviv data center is Frankfurt, Germany. Because of this, we can confirm that customer site data is readily available in the event of any regional outages around Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/a>\n\n\n\n All backup and restore functionality takes place from the same page in your User Portal, called \u201cBackups\u201d. To access the Backups<\/em> page:<\/p>\n\n\n\n NOTE<\/p><\/div> The Backups<\/em> page shows the 40 most recent backup checkpoints. However, WP Engine stores up to 60 days worth of checkpoints. If you need a checkpoint that is not displayed, please contact Support<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n Daily backup checkpoints are made automatically, but if you\u2019re planning to make updates to your site you will typically want to make a fresh backup checkpoint before proceeding- just in case you need to quickly revert the change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NOTE<\/p><\/div> The email notification may be filtered into Junk<\/em> or Spam<\/em>. Be sure to check these folders in your email inbox!<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Once completed, the new checkpoint will be added to the backup checkpoint list. At this point the new backup checkpoint can be prepared for download or restored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We now have a status banner for showing the status of a backup currently in progress. In the banner you\u2019ll also see a link to a side drawer with more details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll now see a status banner whenever a user on an environment starts a backup. This will let you quickly see when you\u2019re not able to start a new backup because another backup is currently in progress. You\u2019ll also be able to confirm that your backup has not yet completed, without having to rely on a confirmation email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The banner will also persist after the backup is completed for 10 minutes or until you click Dismiss<\/strong>. If there is an error message for a backup failure, the banner will persist for 1 hour or until you click Dismiss<\/strong>. After clicking Dismiss<\/strong> the View Details<\/strong> link will no longer be accessible for that backup. You\u2019ll still be able to see details about backups started from the User Portal under Account Activity<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Create backup<\/strong> button will also be disabled while a backup is in progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To see more details click the View Details<\/strong> link in the status banner on any page within the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll see a drawer with more details about the backup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some details that you\u2019ll see in the detailed view will be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n To restore (or \u201crollback\u201d) your website to a previous version:<\/p>\n\n\n\n NOTE<\/p><\/div> It\u2019s possible for the email notification to be filtered into Junk or Spam. Be sure to check these email folders.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n The restore process is destructive<\/strong>, meaning all content will be overwritten to match the content of the backup point selected. This means files not present in that backup point, will be removed upon restore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>\n\n\n\n Sometimes you will need to push a specific backup point for an environment to a completely different environment that you have access to. This option was previously available in the Restore<\/strong> feature of the backups menu, but now this action is handled in our copy site feature using the Push to<\/strong> option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Backups can be downloaded as a ZIP archive and can be requested as full or partial. If you have a large site, or need to manually restore a single directory, partial backups can be useful. The last 40 backups taken on an environment can be accessed on the Backups<\/em> page. Our support<\/a> team can also access backups for the last 60 days if you need a backup outside of the 40 most recent backups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a backup is requested, it is first compiled. Once the backup has been prepared it can be downloaded from the Backups<\/em> page by clicking Download ZIP<\/strong> next to the checkpoint. The Download ZIP<\/strong> links for backups cannot be manually deleted and any backup that\u2019s already been prepared can be downloaded from this page for up to 7 days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this time there is no way to automatically export WP Engine generated backups to another service, such as Amazon S3. However, you can still use your own backup integration to offload backups to a separate location. Bear in mind that your WP Engine local storage is limited, and excess storage can impact performance, so these third-party backups should never be stored on the same server as your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At times you may want to restore a single directory, or just the database. WP Engine\u2019s automated restore feature will not work in these cases so the restore must be done manually. Partially restoring specific tables in the database is not an option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Restoring a single, or several directories requires first downloading and opening a backup, then uploading the specified content back to your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Restoring just the database of a WordPress website requires first downloading and unpacking a backup point to locate the database file. Next you will clear out the existing database and import the database file from your backup to the website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n NOTE<\/p><\/div> A database file can also be imported using SSH Gateway<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n Every backup (manual or automated) includes<\/em> the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The things we choose not<\/em> to backup on our platform typically fall into the following 5 buckets:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Temporary Files (Cache, temporary files, versioning files, etc):<\/b> These files are meant to be kept around temporarily and therefore can be regenerated easily. In most cases it\u2019s actually bad if we restored these files as they contain time specific content and may affect the functionality of your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Stock files (samples, templates): <\/b>These files are provided by the maintainer of the software to illustrate sample content in various config files. EX: Backups (backups, snapshots, .bak files): <\/b>These files are redundant to the backups we offer as part of our platform, and for that reason we choose not to include them as part of the backups we create. We recommend never creating backups locally (we disallow some plugins<\/a> that perform this), but we do permit additional offsite backups to be created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Log files (logs, error logs, debug logs): <\/b>Log files as they would appear in the WordPress root are relevant only at the time of creation, or shortly after. We believe that backing up these files is typically unnecessary and instead recommend downloading relevant log files when the necessary information is captured. Long running log files can also create a large amount of local storage, and we recommend disabling wp debug and other logs once you are done using them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Obsolete software (unmaintained or prohibited): <\/b>This category contains things like timthumb<\/a> and other softwares that aren\u2019t something we recommend using. If you are using unmaintained software, we strongly recommend working to eliminate that software from your site as a security precaution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n WP Engine backups contain the majority of your uploads, though some are excluded. Start your troubleshooting process here if you receive an email that your WP Engine backup, restore, or copy has failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The following database items are currently not fully supported on WP Engine specifically because they interfere with the checkpoint process. Unlike files, however, these items are not<\/strong> ignored automatically by our system. The entire database is backed up at once without any modifications, taking any problem-causing items with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the database is restored or imported with these items, Superadmin<\/em> permissions are required. For security purposes, our system does not allow Superadmin<\/em> actions and the process will fail, leaving your site potentially broken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The following database items should be removed to prevent issues:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n NOTE<\/p><\/div> While these items may work on your live site itself, they will directly interfere with WP Engine backup, restore and copy environment processes and should be removed if you intend to use these services.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n Only one backup, Copy Environment<\/a> or restore can run for an environment at any given time. Starting any additional operations will cause the new process to immediately fail if the old process has not yet completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you receive a failure email after starting an additional backup\/restore\/copy, this typically means there is no error at all with the original process. Simply need to wait a bit longer for the original process to finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re still having issues or simply have questions, our Support team<\/a> is always happy to help!<\/p>\n\n\n\n As part of our standard environment, WP Engine includes an awesome restore checkpoint<\/a> feature that allows you to easily create a backup of your site at a single point in time. This feature may not be something that you remember to use often, so we include a popup to prompt you to create a restore point before making updates to plugins or themes on your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This warning appears as follows:
\n\n\n\nAccess Backups<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/backups-page-1024x513.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nMake a Backup Checkpoint<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/create-backup-1024x513.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/create-backup-options-1024x490.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/new-backup-checkpoint-list-1024x345.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nStatus Visibility for Backups<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Status Banner<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/banner-backup-started.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/banner-backup-finished.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/backup-in-progress.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nStatus Drawer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/banner-view-details-932x1024.png\")
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/backup-sidebar-763x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/backing-up-content.png\")
<\/li>\n\n\n\n![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/backup-complete.png\")
<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nRestore a Backup<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/restore-backup-1024x513.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/restore-a-backup.png\")
<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
The automated restore process can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. This largely depends on the size of your site and the number of files. An email will be sent to the email addresses listed when the restore has completed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nRestore a Backup to Another Environment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/push-backup-to-other-environment.png\")
<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nDownload a Backup<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n
![\"Screenshot](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/prepare-zip-1024x481.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\/wp-content\/mysql.sql<\/code>\n\n
\/wp-content\/themes\/*<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n\/wp-content\/uploads\/*<\/code><\/li>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/prepare-zip-options-1024x758.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/wpengine.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/backup-download-zip-1024x349.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nPartial Restore<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Restore a Directory<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
Restore Database Only<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n\n\n\nBackup Inclusions and Exclusions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
WordPress core files\nThemes\nPlugins\nDatabase<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Backup Exclusions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
sample-wp-config.php<\/code> in WordPress core. The files are not used in rendering a site, and can be gathered again if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFull List of Backup Exclusions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Here is our list of files and directories that are not backed up:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\".*~\"\n.*\/_wpeprivate\n\".*\\.(svn|cvs|git|log|tmp|listing|bak|swp)\"\n.*\/log\\.txt\n.*\/wp-content\/upgrade\n.*\/wp-content\/.logs\n.*\/pclzip-.*\n.*\/wp-content\/uploads\/sucuri\n.*\/.sucuriquarantine\n.*\/wp-content\/cache\n.*\/cache\/.*\\..*\n.*\/imagecache.*\n.*\/ics-importer-cache\n.*\/gt-cache\n.*\/et-cache\n.*\/wp-content\/w3tc.*\n.*\/wp-content\/w3-.*\n.*\/wp-content\/uploads\/igcache\n.*\/wp-content\/nitropack\/.*\/pagecache\n.*\/wp-content\/.*-nitropack\n.*\/wp-content\/podscache\n.*\/wp-content\/backups\n.*\/wp-content\/snapshots\n.*\/wp-content\/plugins\/wpengine-snapshot\/snapshots\n.*\/wp-content\/uploads\/snapshots\n\".*\/wp-content\/updraft\/.*\\.(zip|gz)\"\n\".*\/wp-content\/uploads\/backupbuddy_backups\/.*\\.(zip|gz)\"\n.*\/wp-content\/ai1wm-backups\/.*\\.wpress\n.*\/wp-content\/aiowps_backups\/.*\\.wpress\n\".*\/wp-content\/backups-dup-pro\/.*\\.(zip|gz)\"\n\".*\/wp-content\/envato-backups\/.*\\.(zip|gz)\"\n\".*\/wp-content\/uploads\/backup\/.*\\.(zip|gz)\"\n\".*\/wp-content\/uploads\/backup-guard\/.*\\.(zip|gz)\"\n\".*\/wp-content\/uploads\/db-backup\/.*\\.(zip|gz)\"\n\".*\/wp-content\/uploads\/pb_backupbuddy\/.*\\.(zip|gz)\"\n\".*\/wp-content\/uploads\/tCapsule\/backups\/.*\\.(zip|gz)\"\n\".*\/wp-content\/uploads\/wp-file-manager-pro\/fm_backup\/.*\\.(zip|gz)\"\n\".*\/wp-content\/wpvividbackups\/.*\\.(zip|gz)\"\n.*\/wp-content\/managewp\n.*\/wp-content\/infinitewp\n.*\/wp-content\/wfcache\n.*\/wp-content\/wflogs\n.*\/wp-content\/plugins\/adobe-xmp-for-wp\/cache\n.*\/wp-content\/plugins\/wordfence\/tmp\n.*\/wp-content\/plugins\/wp-clean-up-optimizer\/views\/error-logs\n.*\/wp-content\/uploads\/gravity_forms\/logs\n.*\/wp-content\/uploads\/sessions\/sess_.*\nwp-cli.yml\nwp-cli.yaml\nwp-cli.local.yml<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<\/a>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nBackup Errors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Database<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Definers\nCustom Views\nCustom Procedures\nCustom Functions<\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Too Many Processes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nRestore Checkpoint Prompt in WordPress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Before taking this action, we at WP Engine recommend that you create a Restore Point of your site. This will allow you to undo this action within minutes.<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\n