Backups turn a broken update, a deleted page or a hacked site from a disaster into a few minutes of work. WP Squared includes backup and restore tools for your WordPress sites, and MdmHost adds server-level backups on top. Knowing how to use them before you need them is the most valuable ten minutes you can spend.
Before you start
- Access to the WP Squared dashboard from MdmHost dashboard → Services.
- Know what a WordPress backup contains: files (core, themes, plugins, uploads) and the database (posts, pages, settings, users, orders). A restore needs both from the same moment.
Check your backups
- Open the WP Squared dashboard and select the site.
- Open its backups section and look at the list of available backups and their dates.
- Confirm that recent backups exist and include both files and database.
If you see no backups for a new site, wait for the next scheduled run, or create a manual backup if your dashboard offers it.
Create a backup before big changes
Before a redesign, a major plugin update or a WordPress major release, create a manual backup if the option is available, or note the time of the latest automatic backup. Combine this with a staging test for risky changes.
Restore a site
- In the site's backups section choose the backup from before the problem started.
- Start the restore and confirm. The site may be unavailable for a short time while files and database are replaced.
- When the restore finishes, purge caches and open the site in a private window.
- Log in and check the content you expected, such as the latest post.
Warning: A restore replaces current content with the backup's content. Export new orders, form entries or posts created after the backup date before restoring, then re-enter them afterwards.
Which backup to choose
| Situation | Restore from |
|---|---|
| Update broke the site an hour ago | The last backup before the update |
| Page deleted last week | Consider recovering only the page from the WordPress trash first |
| Site hacked | The last backup before the first sign of the hack, then update everything and change passwords |
| Accidental settings change | Try undoing the setting first; restore if that fails |
Keep an extra copy
Built-in backups live with your hosting. For business-critical sites keep an independent copy too: a backup plugin such as UpdraftPlus can send scheduled backups to cloud storage. Keep at least two weeks of daily database backups and weekly file backups.
Test a restore
Once a quarter, restore a backup to a staging copy and click through it. You learn how long a restore takes and confirm that backups really work.
Troubleshooting
- Restore finished but the site still looks broken: purge LiteSpeed Cache and any CDN, then reload.
- Restored site shows a database error: the database was not included or failed to restore. Restore again or contact support.
- Backup you need is not listed: older backups rotate out. Contact our team quickly; server-level backups may still have it.
For help with any restore, open a ticket at Support → New ticket with the site name and the date you want to restore to.