Restoring files, a database, or a mailbox from a backup

Restoring files, a database, or a mailbox from a backup

What you'll learn: how to recover something you lost or broke, from your most recent backup.

Before you restore

  • Pause if you can. Restoring overwrites current data. If only one file is wrong, restore just that file — not the whole site.
  • Pick the right backup. "The last backup before I broke it" is usually what you want. The panel shows you a date and time for each backup.
  • Take a fresh backup first, if possible, in case the restore itself goes wrong. Some panels do this automatically.

Open the Backups page

Sidebar → look for Backups (or it may be under your account's home page as "Restore from backup").

You'll see a list of backups with dates. The newest is at the top.

[screenshot here: backup list]

Restoring just one file or folder

  1. Click the backup you want to restore from (usually the most recent).
  2. Browse the file tree until you find the file or folder you need.
  3. Tick the file(s) or folder(s).
  4. Click Restore selected.

The file is restored to its original location, replacing the current version.

Restoring a database

  1. Click the backup → Databases tab.
  2. Find the database you want.
  3. Click Restore.
  4. Confirm.

The current contents of that database are replaced with the backup. Anything that was added since the backup is gone — that's why you take a fresh backup first.

Restoring a mailbox

  1. Click the backup → Mailboxes tab.
  2. Find the mailbox.
  3. Click Restore.
  4. Confirm.

Same idea: the current mailbox is replaced with the backed-up version.

Restoring everything (the whole account)

This is the "nuclear option" — useful if everything is broken or compromised.

  1. Click the backup → Restore entire account.
  2. Confirm carefully.

Everything in your account — files, databases, mailboxes, settings — is rolled back to the state it was in at backup time. Anything since then is gone.

After the restore

Open your website and key apps to make sure they look right. Common things to check:

  • Your website loads
  • WordPress (or whatever) admin still works
  • A test email arrives at restored mailboxes
  • Recent images and uploads are present (if they were before the restore)

Tips

  • The closer in time the backup, the less you lose. A 6-hour-old backup loses 6 hours of changes.
  • For "I just deleted one file" — restore one file. Don't restore everything.
  • Tell your hosting provider if you're not sure which backup to pick or what the safest path is. They restore things every day and can guide you.

If something goes wrong

  • The restore fails — try a slightly older backup. Occasionally a backup is incomplete; the previous one usually works.
  • Restored mail isn't appearing in your email app — make sure your app is using IMAP (not POP3) and is configured to sync from the server.
  • Site still broken after restore — clear your browser cache and any caching plugin's cache. If still broken, the issue might be older than the backup you picked — try the next one back.
  • You restored the wrong thing — restore again from the auto-backup the panel took just before your restore.

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