How to Create a Backup in Plesk

Creating regular backups is essential for protecting your website, email, and data against accidental loss, hacking, or server failure. Plesk makes it easy to create backups manually or on a schedule. This guide covers both methods.

Creating a Manual Backup

1. Log in to Plesk.
2. Go to Websites & Domains.
3. Click Backup Manager.
4. Click Back Up.
5. Configure the backup settings:
   • Backup type: Full (complete copy) or Incremental (only changed data since last backup — faster and uses less space).
   • Storage location: Choose the default server storage or a configured remote storage (FTP/SFTP).
   • Backup scope: Choose whether to back up the configuration only (settings and metadata) or configuration and content (includes website files, emails, databases).
   • Exclude specific files: Optionally exclude log files, statistics, or mail from the backup.
   • Send notification email: Enter your email to receive a notification when the backup is complete.
   • Password protection: Optionally set a password to encrypt the backup contents.
6. Click OK to start the backup.
7. A confirmation message will appear when the backup is complete.

Scheduling Automatic Backups

1. Go to Websites & Domains → Backup Manager.
2. Click Scheduled Backup Settings.
3. Configure the schedule:
   • Active: Select Switch on scheduled backups.
   • Run at: Set the day and time (e.g., "Daily at 02:00").
   • Backup type: Full or Incremental.
   • Keep backup files for: Set how many days of backups to keep.
   • Storage: Choose server storage or remote FTP storage.
4. Click OK.

Downloading a Backup

1. Go to Websites & Domains → Backup Manager.
2. Find the backup you want to download.
3. Click the Download icon (green arrow).
4. If the backup is not password-protected, Plesk will ask if you want to protect it. Optionally enter a password.
5. The backup file will be downloaded to your computer.

Important Notes

• Full backups include everything: website files, databases, email, and configuration. Incremental backups only include changes since the last full backup.
• Backups count towards your subscription disk space. Remove old backups to free up space.
• Always store a copy of your backup off-server (your computer or cloud storage).

Troubleshooting

Backup fails with an error:

• Ensure you have sufficient disk space.
• Contact your hosting provider if the issue persists.

"Scheduled Backup Settings" option is not visible:

• Your hosting provider may not have enabled scheduled backups for your plan. Contact support.