How to download a copy of your website backup

This article explains how to download a full copy of your website backup from the Web60 portal.

How to download a backup

Log in to the Web60 portal.
Go to Backups in the sidebar.
You will see a list of available backups, sorted by date.
Click on any backup to expand it.
Click Download.

The download starts in your browser. Depending on the size of your site, this may take a few minutes.

What the backup contains

The downloaded file is a ZIP archive. Inside it you will find:

WordPress files: your themes, plugins, uploads (images and media), wp-config.php, and all other files that make up your WordPress installation.
MySQL database dump: a .sql file containing all your site content, including posts, pages, comments, settings, and user accounts.

These two components are everything needed to restore your website on any WordPress hosting platform.

Typical file sizes

The size of your backup depends on your site's content, particularly the media library. A site with a few pages and a handful of images might be 50MB to 200MB. A site with a large gallery or many product images could be 1GB to 2GB or more.

For very large sites

If your site backup is very large (over 1GB), the browser download may time out or be slow. In this case, you can use SFTP to download backup files directly from the server. Connect via SFTP using the credentials from the portal (go to SFTP in the sidebar) and navigate to the backup directory.

Storing your downloaded backups

Web60 keeps 30 days of automated backups on its servers. After 30 days, older backups are removed. If you want to keep backups for longer than 30 days, download them and store the ZIP files in a safe location.

Good places to store backup copies:

Google Drive or Dropbox for cloud storage
An external hard drive for local storage
Both, for extra safety

A regular habit of downloading a monthly backup gives you a long-term archive independent of Web60's retention window.

When to download a backup

Consider downloading a backup:

Before making significant changes to your site (new theme, major plugin update)
Before cancelling your Web60 plan
Once a month as a long-term archive
Before giving a developer access to make changes

FAQ

Q: What is inside the backup ZIP file?

A: The ZIP archive contains all your WordPress files (themes, plugins, uploads, and configuration) and a MySQL database dump as a .sql file. Together, these are everything needed to restore your site.

Q: How large is a typical backup download?

A: Most Web60 site backups are between 50MB and 2GB. The size depends mainly on how many images and media files your site contains.

Q: How long does Web60 keep backups?

A: Web60 retains 30 days of backups. After 30 days, older backups are automatically removed. Downloaded copies are yours to keep as long as you want.