Introduction
Imagine waking up one morning and finding your website completely gone. No pages, no posts, no images — just an error screen. It sounds like a nightmare, but it happens to website owners more often than you might think. Servers crash, plugins conflict, and hackers attack — sometimes without any warning at all.
That is exactly why every WordPress website owner needs a backup.
A website backup is simply a saved copy of all your website files and data. If anything goes wrong, you can restore your site quickly and get back online without losing months of hard work.
The best part? You do not need to spend any money to do this. There are excellent free WordPress backup plugins that do all the heavy lifting for you.
In this step-by-step guide, you will learn how to back up your WordPress site for free — even if you have never done it before. Let’s get into it.
Why Backing Up Your WordPress Site Is So Important
Many beginners skip this step because they think nothing bad will ever happen to their website. Unfortunately, that is a risky assumption.
Here are some of the most common reasons websites get damaged or lost:
Hacking and Malware
WordPress is the most popular website platform in the world, which also makes it a common target for hackers. If your site gets infected with malware, a clean backup can save everything.
Plugin or Theme Conflicts
Sometimes, installing a new plugin or updating your theme causes your website to break. A recent backup lets you undo the damage instantly.
Accidental Deletion
It is very easy to accidentally delete an important page or database record. Without a backup, that content could be gone forever.
Hosting Server Problems
Even reliable hosting companies can experience server failures, data corruption, or unexpected outages. Your host may not always be able to recover your data.
A regular backup gives you peace of mind. You know that no matter what happens, you can restore your site and carry on.
Best Free WordPress Backup Plugin: UpdraftPlus
There are several backup plugins available for WordPress, but UpdraftPlus is by far the most popular and trusted free option. It has over 3 million active users and an easy-to-use interface — perfect for beginners.
Here is what you can do with the free version of UpdraftPlus:
- Back up your entire WordPress website
- Schedule automatic backups (daily, weekly, or monthly)
- Save backups to cloud storage like Google Drive or Dropbox
- Restore your website with just one click
Let’s now go through the full setup, step by step.
How to Backup Your WordPress Site for Free: Step-by-Step
Step 1: Install the UpdraftPlus Plugin
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
- On the left menu, go to Plugins → Add New.
- In the search bar, type UpdraftPlus.
- Click Install Now, then click Activate.
UpdraftPlus is now installed and ready to use on your website.
Step 2: Open the UpdraftPlus Settings
- In your WordPress dashboard, go to Settings → UpdraftPlus Backups.
- You will see the main UpdraftPlus page with several tabs at the top: Backup / Restore, Migrate / Clone, Settings, and more.
- Click on the Settings tab to start configuring your backup preferences.
Step 3: Set Up Automatic Backup Schedule
This is one of the most important steps. Instead of remembering to back up your site manually, you can set UpdraftPlus to do it automatically.
Files Backup Schedule
- Find the Files backup schedule dropdown.
- Choose how often you want your files backed up — Weekly is a good choice for most beginners.
- Set how many backups to keep (2 or 3 is usually enough).
Database Backup Schedule
- Find the Database backup schedule dropdown.
- Set this to Daily if possible. Your database contains all your posts, comments, and settings, so it changes more often.
- Keep 2 to 3 copies here as well.
Step 4: Choose a Remote Storage Location
Storing your backup only on your own server is risky — if the server fails, you lose the backup too. It is much safer to save your backups to a remote location like Google Drive.
How to Connect Google Drive:
- Under the Choose your remote storage section, click on Google Drive.
- Scroll down and click Save Changes.
- You will see a message asking you to authenticate with Google. Click the link and follow the instructions.
- Sign in to your Google account and allow UpdraftPlus access.
- You will be redirected back to your WordPress dashboard with Google Drive connected.
Your backups will now be automatically saved to your Google Drive — completely free.
Other free storage options: UpdraftPlus also supports Dropbox, OneDrive, and email. Choose whichever one you already use.
Step 5: Run Your First Manual Backup
Before relying on automatic backups, it is a good idea to run one manual backup right away.
- Click on the Backup / Restore tab in UpdraftPlus.
- Click the big blue Backup Now button.
- A small window will appear. Make sure both Include your database and Include your files are checked.
- Click Backup Now again to confirm.
UpdraftPlus will now start backing up your entire website. This may take a few minutes depending on the size of your site. Once it is done, you will see the backup listed below under Existing Backups.
Step 6: Check That Your Backup Was Saved
After the backup finishes, take a moment to confirm it was saved correctly.
- Scroll down to the Existing Backups section.
- You should see your backup listed with today’s date and time.
- If you connected Google Drive, log in to your Google Drive account and look for a folder called updraftplus. Your backup files should be there.
Seeing that folder gives you real confidence that your backup worked.
Step 7: How to Restore Your WordPress Site from a Backup
If something ever goes wrong with your website, restoring it is simple with UpdraftPlus.
- Go to Settings → UpdraftPlus Backups.
- Click the Backup / Restore tab.
- Find the backup you want to restore in the Existing Backups list.
- Click the Restore button next to it.
- Choose which parts to restore — Plugins, Themes, Uploads, Others, and Database.
- Click Restore and wait for the process to finish.
Your website will be restored to exactly how it was when that backup was made. It really is that straightforward.
Extra Tips to Keep Your WordPress Backups Safe
Here are a few simple habits that will make your backup strategy even stronger:
Back Up Before Making Any Big Changes
Before installing a new plugin, updating your theme, or making changes to your website’s code, always run a manual backup first. This gives you a safe point to return to if anything breaks.
Keep Multiple Backup Copies
Do not rely on just one backup. Keep at least two or three recent copies stored in different places — for example, one on Google Drive and one downloaded to your computer.
Test Your Backups Occasionally
A backup is only useful if it actually works. Every few months, try restoring your site on a test environment to make sure your backups are complete and not corrupted.
Do Not Store Backups Only on Your Hosting Server
As mentioned earlier, if your server goes down, local backups could disappear with it. Always use a remote storage option like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive.
Conclusion
Backing up your WordPress website is not optional — it is one of the most important things you can do as a website owner. It takes just a few minutes to set up, and it could save you hours (or even years) of hard work if disaster ever strikes.
With the free UpdraftPlus plugin, you can schedule automatic backups, store them safely on Google Drive, and restore your entire site with a single click — all without spending a single penny.
Do not wait until something goes wrong. Set up your WordPress backup today, and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your website is always protected.