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Create and Restore Backups

Through the Plesk interface, you can create, schedule, and restore backups of your website and database as needed.

Important

All backups are performed exclusively to a remote destination – the server itself does not store local backups.

Without a configured storage destination (see Supported Backup Destinations), manual backups are not possible!

Create a Manual Backup – Step by Step

  1. Log in to your Plesk account.
  2. Navigate to Websites & Domains > Backup and Restore.
  3. Click on Create Backup.

Select Backup Scope

Choose which content to back up:

  • Configuration (always included, cannot be deselected)
  • Email Messages (selectable but non-functional – email hosting is disabled)
  • User Data (your websites and content)
  • Database(s) (all associated databases)

Define Destination

  • Select the desired remote destination (e.g., SFTP, Amazon S3, Google Drive).
    This option is only available if at least two destinations are configured.

Set Backup Type

  • Full: Creates a complete backup of all selected content.
  • Incremental: Backs up only changes since the last full backup.
    (Note: The first backup in this mode is always a full backup.)

Advanced Options (Optional)

  • Split Backup Across Multiple Files: Enable this option if the backup should be divided into multiple files.
    Specify the desired maximum size per part in MB.
    Useful for FAT32 storage destinations, which do not support files larger than 4 GB.

  • Add a Note: Enter a description for the backup – e.g., Backup before CMS update.

  • Exclude Log Files: Excludes web server and error logs from the backup.

  • Exclude Specific Files: Define paths for files or folders to exclude from the backup.

  • Email Notification: Receive a notification upon backup completion.

Start Backup

Click OK to start the backup. The progress will then be displayed in the Backup and Restore section.

Supported Backup Destinations

The following cloud services and storage providers are supported:

Destination Type Notes
SFTP, FTP(s) Recommended for personal servers or external storage
S3 e.g., Wasabi, MinIO, AWS, DigitalOcean, or custom endpoints
Google Drive Connection via OAuth (Google account required)
Dropbox Linked via OAuth, stored in the app folder
Microsoft OneDrive Requires a Microsoft account, OAuth integration

The desired destination must be pre-configured by the hosting provider or support team.

Schedule Automatic Backups

You can conveniently set up scheduled backups in Plesk via the Backup and Restore section.

How to Set Up a Schedule

  1. Open Websites & Domains > Backup and Restore.
  2. Click on Schedule.
  3. Choose the desired backup interval:
    • Daily
    • Weekly
    • Monthly
  4. Select the desired schedule type.

Fine-Tune the Schedule

Then configure the following parameters:

  • Time: Time of the automatic backup.
  • Enable Incremental Backup (optional):
  • If enabled, only the first backup will be a full backup – subsequent backups will only include changes.
  • Perform Full Backup: Specify how often a new full backup should occur (e.g., weekly, monthly).
  • Retain Full Backups For: Specify how many full backups to keep (Leave blank = unlimited retention, depending on your remote storage capacity).

Additional Options

All other fields correspond to the settings for manual backups:

  • Backup scope: Files, databases, configuration.
  • Description/Note.
  • Split backup into multiple files.
  • Define exclusions (logs, specific files).
  • Email notification upon completion.

Save the Schedule

Click OK to activate the scheduled backups.

Recommendation

For production websites, we recommend daily backups with a retention period of at least 7–14 days.

Restore a Backup

  1. Under Backup and Restore, select an existing backup.
  2. The available backups will be listed; choose one to restore.
  3. Select what to restore:
  4. Only websites.
  5. Only database(s).
  6. Everything.
  7. Confirm the process.

Caution

Existing data will be overwritten during a restore.
Carefully check if the restore is necessary beforehand.

Retention and Management

  • The number of stored backups depends on the configured schedule and chosen destination.
  • Old backups can be manually deleted in the menu to free up storage space.

Need Help?

For assistance with setting up a backup destination or configuring your storage, please contact our support team.

Did You Know?

Plesk offers helpful tutorials related to the active page. You can also check for help directly within Plesk.

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