A Comprehensive Guide to Backing Up Your WordPress Site Without a Plugin

WordPress is an incredibly widely-used website building platform that offers users a variety of customizable features, plugins, and templates. However, there is always a risk of losing your data. It could be due to user error, hacking, or server failure. In these cases, having a backup of your WordPress site is crucial to protect your data

The Importance of Backing Up Your WordPress Site

There are several reasons why backing up your WordPress site is vital for any user. Firstly, it provides a copy of your data in case of data loss, server downtime, or hacking. Losing your valuable asset of website data can be disastrous. Secondly, it allows you to restore your site to an earlier version in case of a website error or malicious attack. By having backups, you can reduce website downtime and prevent website visitors from being impacted by technical issues.

Manual Backup Without a Plugin

While many WordPress users rely on plugins to automate the backup process, it is possible to backup your website without using any plugin. Here, we explain how to backup your WordPress site manually in three ways: using cPanel, FTP, and phpMyAdmin.

Backup WordPress Site Using cPanel

1. Log in to your cPanel account with your username and password.
2. Once you are inside cPanel, scroll down to the “Files” section and click on “Backup”.
3. In the Backup screen, click on “Download a full website backup”.
4. In the next screen, select a backup destination such as Home Directory or Remote FTP Server.
5. Under “Backup Settings”, click on “Generate backup”.
6. Wait for the backup to complete. Once completed, you will receive an email notification with a download link.
7. Download the backup file to your computer by clicking on the provided link.

Backup WordPress Site Using FTP

1. Download an FTP client software such as FileZilla or Cyberduck.
2. Connect to your website using the FTP credentials provided by your web host.
3. Navigate to the root directory of your WordPress site, typically the “/public_html” folder.
4. Download all files and folders in the root directory to your computer.
5. Save a copy of your WordPress database using phpMyAdmin, described below.

Backup WordPress Site Using phpMyAdmin

1. Log in to your cPanel account.
2. Scroll down to the “Databases” section and click on “phpMyAdmin”.
3. In the phpMyAdmin screen, select your WordPress database from the left-hand side panel.
4. Click on the “Export” tab at the top of the screen.
5. Under Export Method, select “Quick – display only the minimal options”.
6. Under “Format”, select “SQL”.
7. Make sure all tables are selected.
8. Click “Go” to save the SQL file to your computer.

Conclusion

Although backing up your WordPress site manually without any plugin seems intimidating, it is an essential step to protect your website data. By following the methods described in this article, you can easily backup your website files and databases using cPanel, FTP, and phpMyAdmin. Remember to store your backup files securely and backup regularly to minimize the risk of downtime and data loss.