Beginner's Guide: Setting Up Automated Backups with UpdraftPlus

Regular backups are important for protecting your website from data loss, hacking attempts, or technical failures. With UpdraftPlus, a popular WordPress plugin, you can easily configure automated backups on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.

Step 1: Install and Activate UpdraftPlus:

1. Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
2. Navigate to 'Plugins' > 'Add New'.
3. Search for "UpdraftPlus" in the plugin search bar.
   
   
   
   
4. Locate UpdraftPlus and click "Install Now".
5. Once installed, click "Activate" to activate the plugin.

Step 2: Access UpdraftPlus Settings:

1. After activating UpdraftPlus, you will find a new menu item labeled "UpdraftPlus Backups" in the sidebar of your WordPress admin dashboard. Click on it.
   
   
   
   
2. This will take you to the UpdraftPlus settings page, where you can configure backup options and schedules.

Step 3: Choose Backup Schedule:

1. On the UpdraftPlus settings page, you will find the 'Settings' tab. Click on it.
   
   
   
   
2. Under the "Files Backup Schedule" section, select the frequency for your backups: daily, weekly, or monthly. Choose the option that best suits your needs.
   
   
   
   
3. Adjust the time and day settings according to your preferences. For example, if you select weekly backups, you can choose the specific day and time when the backups should be initiated.

Step 4: Select Backup Contents:

1. In the "Include in files backup" section, you can choose which components of your website you want to include in the backups. By default, UpdraftPlus backs up all files and databases.
   
   
   
   
2. If you wish to exclude certain files or folders from the backups, you can specify them in the "Exclude these from Uploads" and "Exclude these from Others" fields.
   
   
   
   

Step 5: Configure Remote Storage:

1. UpdraftPlus allows you to store your backups remotely for added security. In the "Choose your remote storage" section, select the cloud storage service of your choice, such as S3, Google Drive, Dropbox, and more.
   
   
   
   
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to connect UpdraftPlus with your chosen cloud storage service and authorize the plugin to access the storage.

Step 6: Save Settings and Initiate Backup:

1. After configuring your backup schedule and remote storage settings, click the "Save Changes" button at the bottom of the page to save your settings.
2. UpdraftPlus will now initiate the first backup according to the specified schedule.

Step 7: Check Backup Status and Restore Points:

1. To check the status of your backups, navigate to the "Backup/Restore" tab on the UpdraftPlus settings page.
2. Here, you can view the date and time of the last backup, the storage location (your connected cloud storage), and the size of the backup files.
3. UpdraftPlus also keeps restore points, which allow you to restore your website to a previous state if needed. You can access the restore points under the "Existing backups" tab.
   
   
   

By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can easily set up automated backups for your website using UpdraftPlus. Regular backups are important for protecting your website's data and ensuring that you can recover quickly in the event of an incident. With UpdraftPlus, you have a reliable solution for scheduling backups on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, along with the option to store them remotely.