Your WordPress site is broken, hacked, or lost after a bad update. Don’t panic—if you have a backup, you can restore everything back to normal. Restoring from a backup is like using a time machine for your website. It brings your site back to exactly how it was when the backup was created.
This beginner-friendly guide walks you through the entire restore process step-by-step. You don’t need technical knowledge—just follow along carefully, and you’ll have your site back up and running in no time. We’ll cover when to restore, what to check before restoring, how to actually do it, and what to verify afterward.
What You’ll Learn
- Understanding when to restore from backup – Recognizing situations requiring restoration
- Pre-restore preparation and safety checks – Protecting yourself before making changes
- How to restore your WordPress site step-by-step – Complete walkthrough with explanations
- What happens during the restore process – Understanding what’s changing on your site
- Post-restore verification – Making sure everything works correctly
- Common restore issues and solutions – Fixing problems that might occur
Before You Restore
When Should You Restore from Backup?
Restore from backup in these situations:
Your Site Was Hacked: Malware, spam links, or unauthorized changes appeared on your site. Restoring a clean backup from before the hack removes all malicious code.
Bad Plugin or Theme Update: An update broke your site. White screen, errors everywhere, or features stopped working. Restore the backup from before you updated.
Accidental Deletions: You accidentally deleted important pages, posts, or settings. Restore a recent backup to get them back.
Database Corruption: Error messages about database problems, site not loading, or admin panel inaccessible. Database backup restoration fixes these issues.
Major Mistakes: Made changes to theme files or settings that broke your site and you don’t know how to undo them. Restore saves you.
Testing Went Wrong: Tried something experimental and it crashed your site. Restore to stable version.
Migration Failed: Attempted to move your site and something went wrong. Restore the original backup.
Before Important Changes: Good practice—test restore capability before making major changes.
Important Pre-Restore Checklist
Complete these steps before restoring:
✓ Verify You Have a Current Backup of Current State
Before restoring an old backup, create a new backup of your site’s current state (even if broken). This gives you a safety net. If the restore makes things worse, you can restore this “pre-restore backup.”
Example: Your site was hacked yesterday. You have a clean backup from 3 days ago. Before restoring that 3-day-old backup, create a backup of today’s hacked site. This preserves recent legitimate posts or orders that came in during the last 3 days.
✓ Identify the Correct Backup to Restore
Look at backup dates and labels:
- When was your site last working correctly?
- Do you need yesterday’s backup or last week’s?
- Is the backup before or after the problem started?
Wrong backup choice = Won’t fix the problem (or might create new problems)
✓ Check Backup Size and Completeness
Verify the backup file isn’t corrupted:
- File size looks reasonable (not 0 bytes or suspiciously small)
- Backup shows “completed successfully” status
- No error messages on backup creation
✓ Understand What Will Be Overwritten
Restoring replaces your current site with the backup. This means:
- Posts created after backup date = LOST
- Orders received after backup = LOST
- Settings changes after backup = LOST
- Plugin/theme updates after backup = UNDONE
Make peace with losing recent changes, or find another solution.
✓ Enable Maintenance Mode (Optional but Recommended)
Put site in maintenance mode during restore so visitors don’t see a half-restored broken site. Most backup plugins do this automatically, but worth checking.
✓ Have Backup Download Available
If restoring from cloud storage, ensure you have good internet connection and the cloud backup is accessible.
Understanding Restore Validation
Before actually overwriting your site, Backup Copilot Pro validates the backup:
What Validation Checks:
- Backup file isn’t corrupted
- Database structure is valid
- Required files are present
- Backup compatible with current WordPress version
- Enough disk space for restore
- File permissions allow writing
Validation Passes: Restore proceeds safely.
Validation Fails: Error message explains the problem. Fix the issue before attempting restore.
Why Validation Matters: Prevents partial restores that leave your site in worse condition than before.
Step-by-Step Restore Process
Selecting the Right Backup
Step 1: Access Your Backups
Log into WordPress admin panel:
- Go to WordPress dashboard
- Navigate to Backup Copilot Pro menu
- Click “Backups” or “Restore”
Step 2: Review Available Backups
You’ll see a list of backups showing:
- Date and Time: When backup was created
- Backup Type: Full, Database, or Files
- Size: How large the backup is
- Location: Local or cloud storage
- Status: Completed successfully or failed
Step 3: Choose the Correct Backup
Ask yourself:
- When was your site last working correctly?
- What’s the most recent backup from before the problem?
Example: Site hacked on January 15. Your backups:
- January 14 at 2 AM ✓ (choose this)
- January 10 at 2 AM (too old, loses 4 days of posts)
- January 16 at 2 AM (after hack, still infected)
Select January 14 backup.
Step 4: Verify Backup Details
Click on the backup to see details:
- Confirm it includes everything you need (database + files)
- Check backup completed without errors
- Verify file size is reasonable
Running the Restore
Step 1: Initiate Restore
Click the “Restore” button next to your chosen backup.
Step 2: Pre-Restore Backup (Automatic)
Backup Copilot Pro automatically creates a backup of your current site first. This safety backup can be used if something goes wrong.
Step 3: Validation
Plugin validates the backup (as explained above). If validation fails, error message appears. If passes, restore continues.
Step 4: Restore Options
You might see options:
- Restore Database: Check this to restore posts, settings, users
- Restore Files: Check this to restore themes, plugins, uploads
- Restore WordPress Core: Usually unchecked (you want your current WordPress version)
For most situations: Check both Database and Files.
Step 5: Confirm Restore
Big scary warning appears: “This will overwrite your current site. Are you sure?”
Review one more time. If ready, click “Yes, Restore Now.”
Step 6: Wait for Completion
Restore process runs. Don’t close your browser or turn off your computer. This typically takes:
- Small sites (< 1 GB): 2-5 minutes
- Medium sites (1-5 GB): 5-15 minutes
- Large sites (5+ GB): 15-30 minutes
Progress bar shows status. Patience is key.
What Happens During Restore
Understanding what’s happening helps you stay calm while waiting:
Phase 1: Preparation (10% complete)
- Creates pre-restore backup of current state
- Downloads backup from cloud (if stored there)
- Validates backup file integrity
Phase 2: Database Restore (10-50% complete)
- Drops current database tables (deletes them)
- Recreates tables from backup
- Imports all database data (posts, settings, users)
- Rebuilds database indexes
Phase 3: File Restore (50-90% complete)
- Removes current theme files
- Removes current plugin files
- Extracts backup files
- Restores themes, plugins, uploads
- Sets correct file permissions
Phase 4: Cleanup (90-100% complete)
- Clears WordPress caches
- Regenerates .htaccess
- Flushes rewrite rules
- Removes temporary files
Phase 5: Verification (100% complete)
- Checks database connection works
- Verifies files extracted correctly
- Tests site is accessible
- Displays success message
Verifying Your Restored Site
After restore completes, verify everything works:
✓ Visit Your Site
Open your website in a new browser tab:
- Does homepage load?
- Do you see the site as it was before the problem?
- No error messages?
✓ Check Admin Panel
Log into WordPress admin:
- Can you log in successfully?
- Dashboard accessible?
- Plugins and themes show correctly?
✓ Test Key Functionality
- Click through several pages (do they load?)
- Test contact forms (do they submit?)
- Check e-commerce checkout (does it work?)
- Verify user login/registration (if applicable)
✓ Review Recent Content
Check posts, pages, products:
- Are recent items missing (as expected)?
- Is content from backup date present?
✓ Check Media Library
- Images loading correctly?
- Media files accessible?
✓ Test Mobile Version
View site on phone or tablet to ensure responsive design works.
Post-Restore Steps
After successful restore, complete these tasks:
1. Change Passwords
If restoring after a hack:
- Change WordPress admin password
- Change database password
- Change hosting password
- Change FTP/SFTP password
2. Update WordPress, Plugins, Themes
If you restored an older backup:
- Update WordPress core to latest version
- Update all plugins
- Update themes
- But do it carefully this time, one at a time, testing after each update
3. Recreate Lost Content
If important content created after backup date:
- Rewrite posts published after backup
- Re-upload new images
- Reconfigure settings changed after backup
4. Security Scan (If Hacked)
Run security scan to ensure hack is truly gone:
- Use security plugin (Wordfence, Sucuri)
- Scan for malware
- Check user accounts for suspicious ones
- Review installed plugins for unknown additions
5. Test Third-Party Integrations
- Email deliverability (send test email)
- Payment gateway (test checkout)
- Analytics tracking (check Google Analytics)
- Contact forms (submit test message)
6. Create Fresh Backup
Immediately backup your newly restored, working site. This gives you a clean restore point for the future.
7. Monitor for Issues
Watch your site closely for next 24-48 hours:
- Check periodically that it’s still working
- Monitor for return of previous problems
- Review error logs for issues
Troubleshooting Restore Issues
Issue: “Restore Failed – Validation Error”
Cause: Backup file corrupted or incomplete.
Solution: Try a different backup. If all backups fail validation, contact support with error details.
Issue: “Database Connection Error” After Restore
Cause: Database credentials in wp-config.php don’t match restored database.
Solution:
- Access your server via FTP or File Manager
- Edit wp-config.php
- Update database name, username, password to correct values
- Save file
Issue: “White Screen” After Restore
Cause: PHP memory limit exceeded or plugin conflict.
Solution:
- Access wp-config.php via FTP
- Add:
define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M'); - Disable all plugins (rename plugins folder to plugins_old)
- If site loads, reactivate plugins one by one to find culprit
Issue: “404 Error on All Pages” After Restore
Cause: Permalink settings not regenerated.
Solution:
- Log into WordPress admin
- Go to Settings → Permalinks
- Click “Save Changes” (don’t change anything)
- This regenerates .htaccess and fixes permalinks
Issue: “Images Not Loading” After Restore
Cause: Image URLs still point to old domain or file paths incorrect.
Solution:
- Check if you restored correct backup
- Clear browser cache and WordPress cache
- Regenerate thumbnails using plugin
- Verify uploads folder permissions (should be 755)
Issue: “Site Looks Broken / Missing Styles”
Cause: CSS files not loaded or path issues.
Solution:
- Hard refresh browser (Ctrl+F5 or Cmd+Shift+R)
- Clear WordPress cache
- Disable caching plugins temporarily
- Check theme files restored correctly
Issue: “Can’t Login After Restore”
Cause: Browser cookies from old site version.
Solution:
- Clear browser cookies
- Try incognito/private browsing mode
- Try different browser
- If still fails, reset password via “Forgot Password”
Important Safety Tips
✓ Always Backup Before Restore
Create backup of current state before restoring old backup. Gives you escape hatch if restore makes things worse.
✓ Test on Staging First (If Available)
If you have a staging site, test restore there first. Confirms backup works before touching live site.
✓ Restore During Low-Traffic Hours
Schedule restores for overnight or early morning when few visitors on site. Minimizes disruption.
✓ Inform Team Members
If others work on your site, tell them before restoring so they don’t make changes during restore.
✓ Have Backup Download Locally
If restoring from cloud, download backup locally first. Faster restore and works even if internet connection drops.
✓ Don’t Panic If It Takes Time
Large site restores can take 30+ minutes. Don’t interrupt the process. Let it complete.
✓ Keep Backup Files Safe
Don’t delete old backups immediately after restore. Keep them for at least 30 days in case you need them.
✓ Document What You Restore
Note down which backup you restored and when. Helps track what content may be missing.
✓ Consider Professional Help
If restore fails repeatedly or you’re unsure, contact Backup Copilot Pro support or a WordPress professional. Better to get help than risk making things worse.
Relevant External Links
- WordPress Database Restoration Guide
- What to Do After Your Site is Hacked
- WordPress File Permissions
- Testing Your WordPress Site After Migration
Call to Action
Need emergency site recovery? Upgrade to Backup Copilot Pro for one-click emergency rollback and premium support. Get help when you need it most!