How to download a WordPress site

Downloading a WordPress site is useful when you want to move to a new host, create a staging copy or simply keep a copy of your website somewhere safe.

But downloading a complete WordPress site involves more than saving the pages you can see in your browser. Your site is made up of files, including themes, plugins and media uploads, as well as a database containing your posts, pages, settings and other important information. To create a complete copy, you’ll need both.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to download a WordPress site using a backup plugin, your hosting tools or FTP/SFTP, including how to download both your website files and database.

You’ll learn how to:

• Download a complete copy of your WordPress site with UpdraftPlus.
• Download WordPress files using your hosting control panel or FTP.
• Export your WordPress database.
• Choose the right method depending on what you need the downloaded copy for.

For most WordPress users, a backup plugin is the easiest way to download a complete copy of a website. Instead of manually downloading your files and exporting your database separately, a plugin can package the different parts of your site into backup files that you can save to your computer.

For this example, we’ll use UpdraftPlus. The free version lets you create a complete backup and download your database, plugins, themes, uploads and other WordPress files directly from your dashboard.

The process is straightforward: install UpdraftPlus, create a backup containing your website files and database, then download the completed backup to your computer.

Follow the steps below to create and download a complete copy of your WordPress site.

• In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New Plugin and search for “UpdraftPlus”.
• Click Install Now, then Activate.

For more detailed instructions, see our UpdraftPlus installation guide.

• Go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups and open the Backup / Restore tab.
• Click Backup Now.
• Make sure both your database and files are included in the backup.
• Click Backup Now again to start the backup.

UpdraftPlus will now create your backup. The time this takes will depend on the size of your website, so wait until the process has finished before downloading your files.

Once complete, the backup will appear under Existing backups, ready to download.

Under Existing backups, you’ll see the different components that make up your WordPress backup, including:

• Database
• Plugins
• Themes
• Uploads
• Others

Click each component, then select Download to your computer.

If you want a complete copy of your WordPress site, make sure you download every component before moving on.

• Check that you’ve downloaded every component of the backup, including your database, plugins, themes, uploads and other files.
• Keep all files from the same backup together and clearly label the folder with your site name and the backup date.
• Store your downloaded copy somewhere secure, such as an external drive or another protected storage location.

Tip: A local copy is useful, but for ongoing backups it’s a good idea to keep an additional copy off-site. UpdraftPlus can automatically send backups to remote storage services such as Google Drive, Dropbox or UpdraftVault.

• Create a fresh copy before major changes: Download a new backup before updating themes or plugins, redesigning your site or making other significant changes.
• Test important backups: If you’re relying on the downloaded copy for a migration or recovery, consider testing it in a staging environment to make sure it can be restored successfully.
• Keep more than one recent backup: Don’t rely on a single downloaded copy. Keeping multiple restore points gives you another option if your latest backup contains a problem.
• Keep an off-site copy: In addition to downloading your site locally, storing another copy in a separate location can protect you if your computer or primary storage fails.

You can also download a complete WordPress site without using a backup plugin. This gives you direct access to your website files and database, but requires a little more technical knowledge and involves downloading the two separately.

To create a complete copy of your site manually, you’ll need to:

• Download your WordPress files using your hosting provider’s File Manager or an FTP/SFTP client.
• Export your WordPress database using a tool such as phpMyAdmin.
• Keep the website files and database together so you have everything needed to restore or move the site later.

Your WordPress files include your themes, plugins, media uploads and WordPress core files. You can usually download these through your hosting control panel’s File Manager or by connecting to your server using FTP/SFTP.

Make sure you download the entire WordPress installation rather than only the wp-content folder if you want a complete copy of the site.

Your database contains important site data including your posts, pages, settings, users and other WordPress and plugin data. Downloading your files alone therefore isn’t enough to create a complete copy of your website.

Most hosting providers give you access to phpMyAdmin or another database management tool that you can use to export the database as an SQL file.

Pros:

• Direct control over which files and database you download.
• No backup plugin required.
• Useful if you already have experience working with hosting tools, FTP/SFTP and databases.

Cons:

• More technical than using a backup plugin.
• Files and the database need to be downloaded separately.
• There’s a greater chance of creating an incomplete copy if you accidentally miss files or export the wrong database.

• Large sites can take longer to download: Sites with large media libraries or lots of files may take longer to back up and download, and can require more server resources.
• Make sure you have both your files and database: Downloading only your WordPress files isn’t enough for a complete copy of your site. You’ll also need your database.
• Check that your download is complete: Before deleting, migrating or making major changes to your live site, make sure all the files you expect are present and your database export has completed successfully.
• Don’t rely on a single copy: Keeping your only backup on the same server as your website leaves both vulnerable to the same server failure or security issue. Consider keeping an additional copy in remote or cloud storage.
• Keep downloaded backups secure: Your site files and database can contain sensitive information, so store them somewhere secure and avoid leaving backup files publicly accessible.

There are several ways to download a WordPress site, and the right method depends on what you need the copy for and how comfortable you are working with website files and databases.

For most users, a backup plugin is the easiest option. UpdraftPlus lets you create a complete backup and download your WordPress files and database directly from your dashboard. If you prefer more control, you can download your files manually using your hosting File Manager or FTP/SFTP and export your database separately.

Whichever method you choose, make sure you have both your WordPress files and database, check that the download is complete and store your copy somewhere secure. That way, you’ll have everything you need if you want to restore, move or work with your site later.