WordPress Backup Guide 2026: How to Protect Your Site from Disaster
Your WordPress site is valuable. Months or years of content, SEO rankings, customer data and revenue - all vulnerable to a single server crash, hack or bad update. Without a backup, you lose everything. With a backup, you restore in 5 minutes. In 2026, with 12,000+ monthly searches for "WordPress backup", site owners are taking data protection seriously. This guide shows you how to set up reliable WordPress backups, compare the best backup plugins and ensure you can always restore your site. Bluehost Pro plans include automatic daily backups.
Automatic Daily Backups with Bluehost
Bluehost Pro: Automatic daily backups, one-click restore, off-server storage. From $13.95/month.
Get Bluehost Pro →Top WordPress Backup Plugins 2026
| Plugin | Free | Pro Price | Installs | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UpdraftPlus | Yes | $70/yr | 3M+ | Best overall |
| BackWPup | Yes | $99/yr | 700K+ | Free features |
| Duplicator | Yes | $49/yr | 1.5M+ | Migration + backup |
| Jetpack Backup | No | $9.95/mo | - | Real-time |
| BlogVault | No | $89/yr | - | Staging + backup |
How to Set Up WordPress Backups with UpdraftPlus
- 1.Install UpdraftPlus from Plugins > Add New. Search "UpdraftPlus" and click Install.
- 2.Go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups.
- 3.Click Settings tab and choose backup frequency: Daily for active sites, Weekly for static.
- 4.Set retention: keep 7-30 backup copies.
- 5.Choose remote storage: Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3 or OneDrive.
- 6.Authenticate with your cloud storage account.
- 7.Click "Backup Now" to create your first backup.
What to Backup: Files and Database
A complete WordPress backup includes two components:
- 1.Files: WordPress core, themes, plugins, uploads (images, PDFs), wp-config.php and .htaccess.
- 2.Database: All posts, pages, comments, users, settings, WooCommerce orders and product data.
UpdraftPlus backs up both by default. Never backup only files or only database - you need both to restore your site.
Backup Best Practices
- 1.Follow the 3-2-1 rule: 3 copies of your data, 2 different media, 1 off-site. UpdraftPlus + Bluehost backups + local download = 3 copies.
- 2.Test restores quarterly: A backup you have not tested is not a backup. Restore to a staging site.
- 3.Backup before updates: Always backup before updating WordPress, plugins or themes.
- 4.Use off-server storage: Never store backups on the same server. If the server fails, you lose everything.
- 5.Encrypt sensitive backups: UpdraftPlus Premium supports AES-256 encryption for sensitive data.
Protect Your Site with Bluehost
Automatic daily backups, one-click restore, off-server storage. From $13.95/month.
Get Bluehost Pro →FAQ
What is the best WordPress backup plugin?
UpdraftPlus is the best WordPress backup plugin with 3+ million installs. The free version includes scheduled backups, cloud storage integration and one-click restore. Premium adds incremental backups and site migration for $70/year.
How often should I backup my WordPress site?
Backup active sites daily and static sites weekly. Ecommerce stores should backup hourly during business hours. Keep at least 7 backup copies in rotation. Bluehost Pro plans include automatic daily backups.
Does Bluehost offer automatic backups?
Yes. Bluehost Pro and above plans include automatic daily backups with one-click restore. CodeGuard is available as an add-on for other plans. Backups are stored off-server for maximum safety.
Where should I store WordPress backups?
Store WordPress backups off-server in cloud storage: Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3 or OneDrive. Never store backups on the same server as your website. If the server fails, you lose both your site and your backups.
How do I restore WordPress from a backup?
With UpdraftPlus: go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups, click Restore, select the backup date and click Restore. With Bluehost: go to cPanel > Backups, select the date and click Restore. The process takes 5-30 minutes depending on site size.