To restore WordPress from backup safely, put the files back first and import the database second. Choose the method that matches your backup: your host's control panel for host backups, a plugin importer for plugin archives, or FTP plus phpMyAdmin or WP-CLI for manual copies. Before you touch the live site, export its current database so you can roll back if something goes wrong.
TL;DR:
- A complete backup includes a database for posts, settings, and plugin data, plus files for themes, uploads, plugins, and configuration.
- Plugin restores can target only affected components, so restoring a broken theme need not roll back recent orders or comments in the database.
- Manual imports require an existing target database and replace its contents; use a new database if you need to preserve current content temporarily.
- After restoring, test pages, media, admin access, forms, and checkout, then clear caches; a loading homepage alone does not confirm recovery.
- After a hack, use a backup made before the breach, replace core, plugin, and theme files, change passwords and API keys, and scan for malware.
Table of Contents
- What should you check before you start the restore?
- How do you restore from your host's backup tools?
- How do you restore with a backup plugin?
- How do you restore manually with FTP and the database tools?
- How do you confirm the restore actually worked?
- How do you restore a WordPress multisite network?
- How do you handle SSL certificates and domain settings after a restore?
- Why does the restore sequence matter more than the tool?
- What does InSave Hosting offer for backups and restores?
- FAQ
- Sources
What should you check before you start the restore?
A restore goes wrong most often because of something missing at the start, not because of a bad command. A complete backup has two layers. The WordPress Developer Handbook explains that the database holds posts, comments, settings and plugin data, while the files hold themes, plugins, uploads and configuration. A file archive alone usually has no database, and a SQL dump usually has no media or plugins. Check which pieces you actually have.
Run through this list before you begin:
- Open the archive or SQL dump and confirm it is not empty or corrupted.
- Gather your FTP/SFTP login, hosting control panel access, phpMyAdmin or SSH access, and a WordPress admin login.
- Export a fresh copy of the current database, so content added since the backup date is not lost for good.
- If you expect downtime, let stakeholders know before starting the restore.
Pro Tip: Name the fresh export with today's date and keep it off the server, for example on your laptop. If the restore fails halfway, that file is your way back.
If your backup habits are loose, our SMB website backup guide covers storage and retention in more detail.
How do you restore from your host's backup tools?
A host restore may be convenient when your backup is stored in the hosting control panel. Check your host’s instructions for the available restore options.
- Sign in to your hosting control panel and open the Backups or JetBackup section.
- Pick the restore date, choosing one from before the problem started.
- Restore the files first, then the database.
- If your host splits file and database restores into separate screens, keep that same order: files, then database.
- Open wp-config.php and check that DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD and DB_HOST still match the database you restored. The handbook notes that if database credentials changed, you need to update wp-config.php.
- Load the site and move on to the verification checks below.
Some situations call for your host's support team instead of a self-service restore. A full-server restore, a very large site, or backups kept on different retention schedules for files and databases are all good reasons to open a ticket. Give support the exact date and time you want, and tell them whether you need files, database or both.
How do you restore with a backup plugin?
If you made the backup with a plugin, restoring with the same plugin is usually the least risky path. As the WPBeginner restore guide describes, plugins such as Duplicator, UpdraftPlus and All-in-One WP Migration offer in-dashboard restore workflows. A typical flow looks like this:
- Upload the archive or point the plugin to where it is stored.
- Select the components to restore: plugins, themes, uploads, the database, or all of them.
- Read the overwrite warning carefully, because the plugin extracts files and imports the database over current content.
- Confirm, wait for the process to finish, then log in again if prompted.
Upload size limits may be a snag. You can connect the plugin to cloud storage and restore from there, copy the archive by FTP into the plugin's own restore folder, or use the plugin's server-side import option if it has one. For plugin picks aimed at stores, see this partner article on WooCommerce backup plugins.
Partial restores are a real advantage. If only a theme broke after an update, restoring just the themes folder is far safer than rolling the whole database back and losing recent orders or comments.
How do you restore manually with FTP and the database tools?
When you only have raw files and a SQL dump, you do the work yourself. Start with the files, then the database.
- Upload the wp-content folder and your wp-config.php through FTP or SFTP. If your original wp-config.php is gone, edit a fresh one with your database credentials.
- Replace core files with a clean WordPress download if you suspect they are damaged. The official files guidance says core can be replaced this way, and it lists .htaccess among files worth preserving.
- For phpMyAdmin, log in, select the target database, open Import, choose your SQL file, confirm the SQL format is selected, and click Go.
- For the command line, decompress .gz or .bz2 dumps first, then run
mysql -u user -p databasename < backup.sql. - With WP-CLI over SSH, run
wp db import backup.sql. Our WP-CLI basics post covers safe habits, and the WP-CLI handbook confirms it reads credentials from wp-config.php. - If you want to keep current content temporarily, import into a new database instead and point wp-config.php at it.
For command-line restores, the WordPress database documentation states the target database must already exist. Create it first, then import. Also remember that an import replaces the current database, which is why your pre-restore export matters.
How do you confirm the restore actually worked?
A page loading is not proof. Test the pieces visitors and editors depend on:
- Open the homepage, several posts and pages, and check that images and media load.
- Log in to the admin area and open the editor.
- Submit your contact form and, if you sell anything, run a test checkout.
- Go to Settings → Permalinks and click Save to refresh rewrite rules.
- Clear server caches, plugin caches and any CDN cache.
If you restored after a suspected hack, the backup date matters most. Confirm it predates the compromise, replace core, plugin and theme files with fresh copies, change every password and API key, and scan again for malware. Our guide on what to do in the first hour after a WordPress hack walks through that sequence.
Pro Tip: Do the first round of checks while logged out, in a private browser window. Cached admin sessions hide problems that visitors see right away.
Rolling back a bad update is a different job. Core's rollback for failed manual updates is not a full-site restore, and the temporary upgrade copies it keeps are not a long-term archive. For a single plugin or theme, WP Rollback can return it to an earlier version while the plugin's settings stay in the database.
How do you restore a WordPress multisite network?
For a multisite network, check the backup and restore instructions for your setup before restoring a subsite or the whole network.
If you are restoring a whole network, use a backup that includes both the files and the database. The usual restore order is files first, then the database.
Before importing, check that the files you are restoring include the configuration and other files your network needs. WordPress’s files guidance notes that .htaccess may be worth preserving.
If you only need one subsite back, check the restore options for your backup and network before importing the full database. Consider testing the restore on a staging copy.
Plugin and theme rollbacks are also handled differently here. The WP Rollback documentation limits that capability on multisite to Super Administrators working through Network Admin.
How do you handle SSL certificates and domain settings after a restore?
A restore may require you to check SSL certificates and DNS settings separately from the WordPress files and database.
After a restore, check that the site’s certificate is valid for its domain. If you moved the site to a new server or host, check with your provider whether the certificate needs to be installed or reissued. Our migration checklist shows where this step fits.
Check that the domain’s DNS points to the server holding the restored site, and that the site address and WordPress address in Settings → General match the URL you intend to use.
When a backup came from a staging or temporary URL, the database may contain that old address. Search and replace it with the live one, using WP-CLI's search-replace command if you have SSH.
Finally, clear your CDN cache and test the site in a private window, checking for a padlock on every page. If you need to register or move a domain, check the DNS management information on our domains page.
Why does the restore sequence matter more than the tool?
In my view, the tool you pick matters less than doing both halves of the job. Restoring files without the database leaves a site with themes and no content. Importing a database without files leaves content pointing at plugins and media that are gone. The combined restore, in the right order, is what makes a site whole again.
I would also set a clear line for escalating. If a restore is difficult or you suspect a compromise, consider asking your host or an experienced administrator for help. Time lost to a third failed attempt usually costs more than a support ticket. Managed backups, staging and migration help from a host can lower the risk of all of this.
— Ihor
What does InSave Hosting offer for backups and restores?
If you would rather not rebuild a site by hand next time, we built our hosting to support website management. Ask our team which backup, staging, and migration features are included in our WordPress-optimized plans.
Smaller sites can start on our shared hosting plans, while growing or business sites fit our WordPress hosting plans. Review backup frequency and support options with our team, then run a test restore in staging so you know the process works before you need it.
FAQ
My WordPress website is gone, how can I recover it?
Start with the newest complete backup you can find, either from your host's control panel or a backup plugin. Restore the files first, then import the database. If you have no backup of your own, ask your host whether they keep one.
Where are my WordPress backups?
They are usually in your hosting control panel under Backups or JetBackup, inside your backup plugin's dashboard, or in cloud storage the plugin connects to. Manual backups live wherever you saved them, often as a folder of files plus a SQL file.
How do I install a WordPress site from backup?
Restore the files, including wp-content and wp-config.php, then import the SQL dump with phpMyAdmin, MySQL or WP-CLI, as the WordPress database documentation describes. Make sure the target database exists and the credentials in wp-config.php match.
How do I restore from backup if I only have a partial one?
Restore only what the backup contains, such as the wp-content folder or just the database, and keep the rest of the site as it is. A files-only backup will not bring back posts or settings, so check what your archive holds first.