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How to Create WordPress Backup Using JetPack (Formerly VaultPress)

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Do you want to create WordPress backups using Jetpack Backup (formerly VaultPress)?

Jetpack helps you create automatic real-time WordPress backups and store them in the cloud. In case of a mishap, you can easily restore your WordPress website with a few clicks.

In this article, we will show you how to easily create real-time WordPress backup using Jetpack (formerly VaultPress).

How to Create WordPress Backup Using Jetpack (Formerly VaultPress)

Why Choose the Jetpack Backup Plugin?

All websites on the internet are vulnerable to security threats. A good backup system is a good first step to keeping your WordPress website secure.

VaultPress is one of the best WordPress backup plugins. It was rebranded to merge with Jetpack, a powerful WordPress plugin suite, and is now called Jetpack Backup.

Jetpack offers backups as a paid subscription service. The plan includes:

  • Real-time backups as you edit
  • 10GB of cloud storage (1TB of storage costs extra)
  • 30-day backup archive
  • Easy 1-click restore
  • Priority expert support

We used VaultPress on WPBeginner for backups and found it to be an extremely reliable solution. The seamless real-time backup feature is very important for a large site like ours.

Related: For more information, see our detailed Jetpack review.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to create WordPress backups using Jetpack (formerly VaultPress).

Creating WordPress Backups Using Jetpack Backup

First, you need the correct Jetpack plugin. If you only want to use Jetpack for backups, then you should install and activate the free Jetpack VaultPress Backup plugin. If you wish to use the complete suite of tools, then you should install and activate the Jetpack plugin.

For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you will be asked to log in to use your Jetpack subscription or purchase a new one.

A Jetpack or Jetback Backup Subscription Is Required

For example, if you installed the Jetpack Backup plugin and wish to purchase a subscription, you should click the ‘Get Jetpack Backup’ button.

You will be directed to the Jetpack website, where you can purchase a subscription for a discounted rate.

You will need to enter your billing information and payment method. Jetpack subscriptions come with a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Jetpack Backup Order Form

After making the payment, your website will be connected to your Jetpack account, and your website will be automatically backed up.

Depending on the contents of your website, this may take a few minutes or a few hours.

First Backup Progress

When the backup has finished, it will be displayed on the Jetpack website along with the time that it finished.

If you have multiple backups, then you can browse between them using the date buttons near the top of the page.

Browsing Jetpack Backups

You can also download any backup to your computer for safekeeping, or to restore the site, or transfer it to another website.

Now, you can return to your website’s admin area by clicking the ‘WP Admin’ tab in the Jetpack sidebar. You will see the details of your last backup.

Last Backup Details in Jetpack » Backup

If you need to return to the Jetpack website in the future to view and manage your backups, then simply visit Jetpack » Backup and click the button labeled ‘See backups in the cloud’.

Alternatively, head to Jetpack » My Jetpack and click the ‘Manage’ button under Backup.

Click the 'Manage' Button Under Backup

Giving Jetpack Backup Access to Your Server

Jetpack Backup needs access to your server to restore backups and be more efficient. To do that, you need to return to the Jetpack website using one of the methods we just covered:

  • Visit Jetpack » Backup and click the ‘See backups in the cloud’ button
  • Visit Jetpack » My Jetpack and click the ‘Manage’ button under Backup

This will take you back to the Jetpack website. You need to click the ‘Enable restores’ button at the top of the screen.

Enable Restores in Jetpack Backup

This will take you to a page that lists popular WordPress hosting providers.

If you see your hosting provider, then you should click it. Otherwise, you will need to select the ‘I don’t know’ option at the bottom.

Select Your Hosting Provider From the List

You can now fill in your SSH, SFTP, or FTP server credentials. These were sent to you via email when you signed up for your WordPress hosting account.

Your FTP account information is also available in your hosting account’s cPanel dashboard.

Fill in Your Remote Server Credentials

If you select SSH from the ‘Credential type’ drop-down menu, then Jetpack will also ask you to add SSH keys to your server. This adds an additional layer of security.

However, if you are on a shared hosting provider, then chances are that you don’t have access to create that file. You will need to connect to your server using SFTP or FTP instead.

Make sure you click the ‘Test and save credentials’ button when you are finished.

Restoring Your WordPress Site Using Jetpack Backup

Jetpack Backup allows you to easily restore your WordPress site from a backup.

First, you need to view your cloud backups using one of these methods:

  • Visit Jetpack » Backup and click the ‘See backups in the cloud’ button.
  • Visit Jetpack » My Jetpack and click the ‘Manage’ button under Backup.

Next, you need to navigate to the backup you wish to restore by using the buttons near the top of the page.

Click the 'Restore to This Point' Button

Once you find the backup you wish to restore, simply click the ‘Restore to this point’ button.

On the next screen, you will see all of the items you can restore. To restore the entire website, leave all the boxes checked. Or you can restore only certain items by unchecking the other boxes.

Select the Items You Wish to Restore

When you click the ‘Confirm restore’ button, Jetpack will begin to restore your website.

You can see the progress on the screen.

Jetpack Backup Is Currently Restoring Your Site

Depending on the size of your site, this may take several minutes or even hours. You don’t need to wait and can close your web browser or shut down your computer if necessary. Jetpack will email you when the restore has finished.

Once finished, you will see a success message.

Jetpack Backup Restore Successful

You can click the ‘View your site’ button to make sure your website is working as expected.

Expert Guides on WordPress Security

Now that you have learned to improve your website’s security by creating backups using Jetpack, you may wish to see our guides on other ways to keep your WordPress site secure:

We hope this article helped you learn how to back up and restore your WordPress website using Jetpack Backup. You may also want to see our guide on how to keep your WordPress site secure or our expert picks for the best SEO plugins and tools.

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Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi with over 16 years of experience in WordPress, Web Hosting, eCommerce, SEO, and Marketing. Started in 2009, WPBeginner is now the largest free WordPress resource site in the industry and is often referred to as the Wikipedia for WordPress.

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Reader Interactions

8 CommentsLeave a Reply

  1. Syed Balkhi says

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  2. Jiří Vaněk says

    If I understand this article correctly, does Jetpack only back up to its own cloud? Is it possible to use another cloud where I have a subscription? So, for example, One Drive or Google Drive?

    • WPBeginner Support says

      Unless we hear otherwise, the only current option would be to have your backups on Jetpack’s servers.

      Admin

      • Jiří Vaněk says

        I understand. This bothers me because I have a subscription to Google Drive, where I have a large capacity and could have backed up more websites there. For Jetpack, I would have to pay extra instead, which means additional costs. Anyway, thanks for the reply.

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