Different Ways To Backup Your WordPress Database

Different Ways To Backup Your WordPress Database Manually

Different ways to backup your WordPress database

Having the backup of your website and the database is the first thing you should focus on. Whether you install a new plugin or try something else, it’s always recommended to backup your WordPress website.

As you all know the database gets updated every time you publish any post, install a plugin, delete a plugin, install or delete a theme.

Are you using a plugin or the manual method? You would be happy to know that there are different ways to backup your WordPress database manually.

In this tutorial, you will learn to backup all the database tables or the database skipping those which were created by the plugins.

Use phpMyAdmin To Backup The Database

This is the conventional method which should be followed for every WordPress website.

You have to use the cPanel of your web hosting account. There are a few steps to follow.

Step 1:- Login to your cPanel account and search for the databases’ section. Click on the phpMyAdmin icon and a new tab will open.

Step 2:- At the left side menu, you will see all the databases you have created so far. Whether you’re running a single website or multiple, you will see the list of the databases.

Choose the database name according to your website and it will show many tables.

Step 3:- Click on the “Export” link from the main navigation menu. It will show you an option to export the database in the SQL form.

Click on the “Go” button and the download will get started. This will consist all the database tables even those which were created by the plugins you have deleted.

Some plugins don’t delete their tables even after their uninstallation. That’s why it’s always recommended to uninstall a WordPress plugin completely from the database by removing all its tables.

But you haven’t done that then don’t worry, you can also skip those tables using the custom database backup method.

Choose the custom option and you will see many table names. You can uncheck the tables created by the plugin you have uninstalled.

Scroll down and you will see a few more option from which you have to choose the type of compression. Choose the “Zipped” file and you’re good to go.

Scroll till the end and click on the “Go” button to backup your database.

Backup The Database Using All In One Backup Section.

As you all know, you can directly backup your WordPress website and the database from the cPanel from the backup section.

You can use this method only for your database. To do that you have to navigate to the “Files” section and click on the “Backup” icon.

A new page will open showing you many options to backup your website and the database. You will see an option to backup the home directory which consists the whole data of your website.

If you’re hosting multiple websites, this one option can help you backup all the websites together.

Another option is to “Download a MySQL Database Backup”.

Under this section, you will see the names of the databases. Click on the database you want to backup. Either the download will get started or you will see an SQL file.

If such file appears, click on that file and then you will be able to download the database.

If you’re hosting a single website and don’t want to deal with the complicated structure of the phpMyAdmin then this method is perfect.

This is one of the different methods to backup your WordPress database you should try. Depending on the size of the database, you will have the backup file on your computer.

Have You Used Any of The Different Ways To Backup Your WordPress Database

Though most of the beginners try to find a plugin for backing up their website and the database but still if you’re going to choose the manual method then this guide is for you.

Do you use a plugin or manually accomplish this task? What’s your preferable method from all the different ways to backup your WordPress database?

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by Ravi Chahar

A WordPress Professional and the LinkedIn Influencer. A coder by passion and a blogger by choice. WordPress theme development is his forte. He is your WordPress guy who will teach you how to solve WordPress errors, WordPress security issues, design issues and what not.


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6 comments

  1. Hi Ravi,

    Happy Monday ?

    Informative post indeed, because backing up your site is SO-SO essential for bloggers! It reminds of the time when I had just started off on the free blogger platform, years back, and had no idea about backing up, till I started reading and learning. Of course, then I switched to WordPress and there has been no looking back. Honestly, now I hardly take care of the admin, as my better-half handles that part of the blog, so it’s a relief for me!

    Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead ?

    1. Hey Harleena,

      I remember the time when I used to seek for the right plugin for backing up my website. After getting scared, I bought the web hosting plan which consists automatic daily backup service.

      But once I jumped in the WordPress pit, I didn’t look back. People rely on one method anyone ever told them. They should have alternatives.

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

      ~Ravi

  2. Hello Ravi Sir,

    You have explained a pretty helpful information about backing up the WordPress database.

    Well, I think that, Regularly taking a Backup of your WordPress DB and files are one of the most significant moves you can make to safeguard against losing your data.

    I do have an experience with taking incremental backups from cpanel backup and restore module. Though, I never tried the phpmyadmin method. Will surely try this next time.

    Thank you for sharing.

    Regards,

    Prakhar.

    1. Hey Prakhar,

      The worst can happen anytime. This internet world is full of people with negative thoughts. You can’t expect someone to take care of your blog. Only you can save it.

      Keeping the backup of your database is always the one thing you should do in the regular interval of the time. I use phpMyAdmin most of the time.

      Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.

      Enjoy your week ahead.

      ~Ravi

  3. This another great tutorial Ravi,

    We all know the importance of constantly backing up our sites. Anything can happen at anytime, like your site being compromised. And when this happens, you’ll stand on the verge of losing everything you’ve labored for, but if you have a backup, you won’t have anything to worry about.

    For me, I’m used to backing up my sites via the PHPmyadmin.

    Thanks for sharing.

  4. Hey Ravi,

    Right now, I am using BlogVault to keep a daily backup of my blog. But I’ve used the manual method before in the past.

    I actually think it’s nice to learn how to use the manual method just in case something goes wrong with the plugin. After all, we all know that plugins do break down every now and then.

    I also use this method when I am migrating sites for a client manually.

    You’ve definitely shared a great step-by-step tutorial that will help bloggers start taking control of their own backups.

    Thanks for taking the time to put this together for us.

    Have a great day ?

    Susan

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