How to Schedule Automatic Backups in Plesk

Regular backups protect your website files, databases, emails, and settings from accidental loss. Plesk's Backup Manager lets you schedule automatic backups so you never have to remember to do it manually.

Setting up a scheduled backup

1. Log in to your Plesk control panel.
2. Go to Websites & Domains and select the domain you want to back up.
3. Click Backup Manager from the domain dashboard.
4. Click the Schedule tab.
5. Tick the Activate this backup task checkbox.
6. Configure the schedule:
   • Run this backup task: Choose Daily, Weekly, or Monthly. Weekly is a good default for most sites.
   • Time: Pick a low-traffic period (e.g., 2:00 AM).
   • Use incremental backup: Leave ticked. Incremental backups only save changes since the last backup, saving disk space.
   • Perform full backup: Set how often a complete backup is created (e.g., weekly or monthly).
7. Under Backup settings, choose what to include:
   • User files and databases — website files, databases, and email.
   • Only configuration — settings only (domain config, email accounts, DNS).
8. Set Keep backup files for to control retention. For daily backups, 7–14 days is usually sufficient.
9. Choose the Store in location (defaults to local server storage).
10. Click Save (or OK) to activate.

Setting up remote storage (recommended)

Storing backups only on the same server defeats the purpose if the server fails. Plesk supports several remote options:

1. In Backup Manager, click Remote Storage Settings.
2. Choose a storage type: FTP/FTPS, Google Drive, Dropbox, or Amazon S3. Cloud options require their respective Plesk extensions.
3. Enter your credentials and test the connection.
4. Return to the Schedule tab and select the remote storage under Store in.

Optional settings

• Exclude log files: Reduces backup size by skipping server logs.
• Exclude specific files: Add paths to directories you don't need (cache folders, temp files).
• Email notifications: Enable error notifications so you'll know immediately if a backup fails.
• Suspend domains during backup: Only use this for active e-commerce databases that need perfect consistency. It causes brief downtime.

Important notes

• Backups consume disk space. Use incremental backups and set a retention period to automatically remove old ones.
• Always keep at least one backup copy off-server — remote FTP, cloud storage, or downloaded locally.
• Test your backups periodically by restoring to a staging environment. A backup you can't restore is worthless.
• Scheduled backups run whether your site is live or not. Deactivate the schedule if you take a site offline permanently.

Troubleshooting

• Backup fails with "not enough disk space": Delete old backups from Backup Manager or switch to remote storage.
• Schedule doesn't run: Confirm "Activate this backup task" is ticked and that you saved the settings.
• Remote storage connection fails: Check credentials, enable passive mode and FTPS if required, and verify the remote server is reachable.