Why is my backup getting stuck on the wp_posts database table?

In a WordPress installation, all of your page and post information is stored in the wp_posts database table.  As your site grows, the database can take up a lot of space.

If you don’t have access to enough memory, you may experience problems with backups.

• Optimise your database to reduce the size of the wp_posts table so that less memory is required.
• Increase the amount of available memory (if needed).

You can achieve this via a WordPress optimization plugin such as WP-Optimize.

Although it’s safe to use, make sure you take a manual backup of your database first.

 1. Install and activate the plugin

• Go to Plugins >> Add New Plugin and search for WP-Optimize.
• Click Install Now.
• Click Activate.

 2. Run the database optimisation

• Go to WP-Optimize >> Settings >> Database.
• Click the Run all selected optimizations button.

 3. Test

• Go to UpdraftPlus >> Backup / Restore.
• Click the Backup Now button.

Is your backup still getting stuck on the wp_posts table?  We recommend that you increase the amount of memory that WordPress can use

1. Check PHP memory limit

• Go to Tools >> Site Health >> Info >> Server.
• Note the value for PHP memory limit.

 2. Check WordPress memory limit

• Go to Tools >> Site Health >> Info >> WordPress Constants.
• Note the values for WP_MEMORY_LIMIT and WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT.

 3. Install Advanced File Manager plugin

• Go to Plugins >> Add New Plugin.
• Search for Advanced File Manager.
• Click Install Now, followed by Activate.

4. Open the config file

• Go to File Manager >> File Manager >> Database.
• Right-click on wp-config.php.
• Select the Edit Code menu item.

5. Check it isn’t already set

• Check that the text WP_MEMORY_LIMIT doesn’t already exist in the file.
• If it does you will need to edit that value rather than adding it again.

6. Add the new value or edit the existing one

Find the line in your wp-config.php file that says:

/* That's all, stop editing! Happy publishing. */

Just above this line, add the following code and replace 256M with your desired memory limit.

define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M');

Note: Don’t exceed your server’s PHP memory limit or the previously mentioned  WP_MAX_MEMORY_LIMIT.

Finally, save your changes to the wp-config.php file.

 7. Test

Go to UpdraftPlus >> Backup / Restore.
Click the Backup Now button.

I still can’t increase my memory limit

If you’re still having problems with your memory limit, we recommend contacting your hosting provider who will be able to advise you further.