Back up and restore a VPS in Virtualizor

Virtualizor can take full-disk backups of your VPS when your provider has enabled a backup plan. A full backup captures the whole server – OS, configuration and data – so you can roll back after a failed update or an attack. This guide explains how to use these backups and why you should also keep your own.

Before you start

• Check whether your VPS plan includes Virtualizor backups. If the Backups section is missing, backups are not enabled; ask your provider about adding them.
• Know your provider's retention: how many backups are kept and how often they run.

View existing backups

1. Log in to Virtualizor and open your VPS.
2. Click Backups.
3. You see a list of available backups with date, size and type (scheduled or manual).

Create a manual backup

1. On the Backups page, click Create Backup (or Backup Now).
2. Confirm. The task starts in the background; the VPS normally stays online, although disk performance may drop briefly.
3. Wait until the backup appears in the list with status completed.

Create a manual backup before major changes: OS upgrades, control panel installs, large migrations. Providers often limit the number of manual backups you can keep.

Restore a backup

1. On the Backups page, find the backup you want.
2. Click Restore and confirm.
3. The VPS is stopped, the disk is overwritten and the VPS starts again. Watch progress in the task list.
4. When it is online, log in and check services, websites and databases.

Scheduled backups

If your plan includes scheduled backups, Virtualizor runs them automatically (for example daily or weekly) and rotates old ones. Some versions let you choose the schedule in the Backups settings; on others it is set by the provider.

Add your own off-site backups

Panel backups are stored by your provider, often in the same data centre. For important data follow the 3-2-1 rule: three copies, two different media, one off-site. Practical options:

• File and database backups with restic or rsync to remote storage – see back up a Linux VPS with rsync and restic.
• Database dumps on a schedule – see automate MySQL backups.
• Control panel backups: Plesk Backup Manager or DirectAdmin Admin Backup to a remote FTP target.

Troubleshooting

• Backup fails: the backup storage may be full or the VPS disk busy. Retry later or contact support.
• Restore stuck: large disks take time. Check the task log before starting another action.
• Need a single file: full-disk backups usually restore everything. Use your own file-level backups for single files, or ask your provider whether they can mount a backup.

Next steps

• Reinstall the OS.
• Off-site backups with restic.
• Recover data with rescue mode.