A backup stored on the same server as your website isn’t much of a backup. If the server fails, your hosting account is suspended, or the site is hacked, those backups can disappear along with everything else. A remote backup keeps a copy somewhere else entirely.
This guide sets up free daily backups of your WordPress site to Google Drive or Dropbox using UpdraftPlus, one of the most widely used backup plugins. It takes about 15 minutes.
What you’ll need
- Administrator access to your WordPress dashboard
- A Google account (for Google Drive) or a Dropbox account, with enough free space for several copies of your site
Step 1: Install UpdraftPlus
- In your dashboard, go to Plugins → Add New Plugin.
- Search for UpdraftPlus.
- Click Install Now, then Activate.
Step 2: Choose a backup schedule
Go to Settings → UpdraftPlus Backups and open the Settings tab. UpdraftPlus backs up files (themes, plugins, and uploads) and the database separately, so you can schedule each one.
- Database: daily. Your posts, pages, orders, and settings live here, and it changes most often. Keep 14 backups.
- Files: daily for busy sites or online stores, weekly for sites that rarely change. Keep at least 7.
Keeping a couple of weeks of backups matters. Problems such as a hack aren’t always noticed right away, and you want a clean copy from before they started.
Step 3: Connect Google Drive or Dropbox
- Still on the Settings tab, under Choose your remote storage, click Google Drive or Dropbox.
- Scroll down and click Save Changes.
- UpdraftPlus shows a link asking you to authenticate. Click it, sign in to your Google or Dropbox account, and allow access.
- You’ll return to WordPress. Click Complete setup if prompted.
UpdraftPlus creates its own folder in your storage: UpdraftPlus in Google Drive, or Apps → UpdraftPlus.Com in Dropbox.
Step 4: Choose what to include
In the files section, leave Plugins, Themes, Uploads, and Any other directories found inside wp-content checked. Exclude cache folders and other backup plugins’ folders, which only make archives larger.
While you’re here, turn on Email reporting so you get a note after each backup. Save your changes.
Step 5: Run your first backup
- Open the Backup / Restore tab and click Backup Now.
- Leave the database and files options checked, and make sure the backup will be sent to remote storage.
- When it finishes, the backup appears under Existing backups.
- Open Google Drive or Dropbox and confirm the files are there.
Make sure scheduled backups actually run
WordPress runs scheduled tasks when someone visits the site. On a quiet site, a daily backup can be late or skipped. If your backup emails stop arriving, ask your host to set up a real server cron job for wp-cron.php. Most hosts can do this in a few minutes, or let you do it in the control panel.
How to restore a backup
If the site is still working, go to Backup / Restore, find the backup under Existing backups, click Restore, and choose which parts to restore.
If the site is gone entirely:
- Install a fresh copy of WordPress.
- Install UpdraftPlus and connect the same Google Drive or Dropbox account.
- On the Backup / Restore tab, click Rescan remote storage.
- Restore the most recent clean backup.
Tips for backups you can rely on
- Test a restore. A backup you’ve never restored is a guess. Try one on a staging copy of your site a couple of times a year.
- Watch your storage space. A free Google account’s 15 GB is shared with Gmail and Photos. Large sites may need more space.
- Back up before updates. Run a manual backup before major plugin, theme, or WordPress updates.
- Consider a second destination. UpdraftPlus Premium adds features such as sending backups to more than one place and incremental backups.
Know when a backup fails
The most common backup problem is one nobody notices: storage fills up, a connection expires, or the schedule stops running. The Repork dashboard is designed to show your last successful backup and any failures at a glance, right next to your security and uptime status.
Want to compare backup options first? See why backing up your website is important.
