Create and restore backups in Plesk (Backup Manager)

Plesk includes a built-in Backup Manager that lets you create backups of your website content and configuration, download backups, and restore them when needed.

What is included in a Plesk backup?

Depending on what you select, a backup can include:

• Website files (for example, WordPress files in httpdocs)
• Databases (MySQL/MariaDB databases used by your site)
• Mail (mailboxes and mail content, if enabled for your subscription)
• Domain configuration (hosting and subscription settings)

Tip: On shared hosting, backups are stored inside your hosting subscription. For best safety, download a copy to your computer (especially before major changes).

Create a backup in Plesk

1. Log in to Plesk (you can open it from My.GARMTECH → Services → your hosting plan → Login to Plesk).
2. Go to Websites & Domains.
3. Find your domain and click Backup Manager (or open Backup Manager from the left menu).
4. Click Back Up.
5. Select what you want to include:
   • Keep Domain configuration enabled (it is usually included by default).
   • Include User files and databases to back up your website and database.
   • Include Mail configuration and content if you also need email in the backup.
6. Add an optional comment (for example, “Before plugin update”).
7. Start the backup and wait until the status becomes Completed.

Download a backup

1. In Backup Manager, find the backup you want to download.
2. Click the backup name and choose Download.
3. Store the downloaded file in a safe place (it may contain database dumps and configuration data).

Restore from a backup

Important: Restoring rewrites data. If possible, create a new backup before you start restoring.

1. Open Websites & Domains → Backup Manager.
2. Click the backup you want to restore.
3. Select what to restore (examples):
   • Sites (website files + related objects)
   • Databases (only a selected database)
   • Mail accounts (selected mailbox data)
4. Click Restore and confirm.

Common issues and solutions

• Backup fails due to insufficient disk space: delete old backups from Backup Manager, or download them first and then delete from the server.
• Backup is too large: consider excluding mail content if you only need the website; large mailboxes can significantly increase backup size.
• You only need to restore one file: it may be faster to upload the file via FTP-SSL and/or use Plesk File Manager instead of restoring the whole backup.

Good practice

• Create a backup before updates (WordPress core, themes, plugins) and before changing PHP versions.
• Keep at least one recent backup outside the hosting server (downloaded to your computer or stored in a separate safe location).
• Do not share backup files publicly.