Running an online store means you’ve got valuable data that needs protection. Your WooCommerce site contains all your products, customer orders, blog posts and media files – losing this would be catastrophic for your business. Let’s explore how to keep everything safe with proper backups.
Two ways to back up your site
When it comes to WooCommerce, your site’s data lives in two main places.
First, there’s the wp-content folder which houses all your themes, plugins and uploaded media files. Second, there’s your database where all products, orders, posts, pages and settings are stored. Both need regular backups.
Automatic backups
The simplest and most reliable way to back up your WordPress and WooCommerce site is through an automated service like Jetpack VaultPress Backup.
To get started with Jetpack VaultPress Backup:
First, visit your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Plugins > Add New. Search for “Jetpack” and install the Jetpack plugin. After activation, you’ll need to connect it to a WordPress.com account.
Once connected, go to Jetpack > Settings in your dashboard and look for the Backup section. You’ll need to purchase a backup plan that suits your needs. After subscribing, VaultPress will be automatically installed on your site.
The service then begins creating comprehensive backups of your entire site without any further action needed from you. These backups include your database with all orders, products, customer information, as well as your themes, plugins, media files and customisations.
What makes this particularly valuable for WooCommerce stores is that if you need to restore your site, you can revert to a previous version while still keeping your recent orders and product changes intact. This means even if you restore from a backup taken last week, today’s orders won’t be lost.
If you ever need to restore your site, simply log into your Jetpack dashboard, select the backup point you want to restore from, and click the restore button. The process is handled automatically, and you’ll receive a notification when it’s complete.
Manual backup options
If you prefer to handle backups yourself, follow these detailed steps:
For your site content (database):
- Log into your WordPress admin dashboard
- Go to Tools > Export
- Select “All content” if you want everything, or choose specific content types
- Click “Download Export File” which will create an XML file containing your posts, pages, comments and settings
- Save this file securely on your computer or cloud storage
For your theme and plugin files:
- You’ll need an FTP client like FileZilla (free) or a file manager in your hosting control panel
- Connect to your site using your FTP credentials (available from your hosting provider)
- Navigate to the wp-content folder, which typically contains:
- A themes folder with all your installed themes
- A plugins folder with all your installed plugins
- An uploads folder with all your media files
- Download these folders to your computer by right-clicking and selecting “Download”
- Store these files in a secure location, ideally with the date of backup in the folder name
For a complete WordPress backup, you should also export your database separately:
- Log into your hosting control panel
- Find the phpMyAdmin tool
- Select your WordPress database
- Click the “Export” tab
- Choose “Quick” export method and SQL format
- Click “Go” to download your database as an SQL file
For maximum security, store these backups in multiple locations, such as an external hard drive and a cloud storage service. Create a backup schedule and stick to it – weekly backups are recommended for active stores, or daily if you process many orders.
