How To Restore Your WordPress Site With ShieldBACKUPS

Restoring a WordPress site is one of the most critical tasks any site owner can face. Whether it’s due to a hack, server failure, or user error, having a reliable backup solution is key.

This article will guide you through the full process to restore your site using ShieldBACKUPS.

With ShieldBACKUPS, you can perform two main types of restorations:

  1. Full Site Restoration: This restores your entire WordPress site, including all files and the database, to a selected backup point.
  2. Database-Only Restoration: This option restores only the WordPress database from a chosen backup, leaving your site files untouched.

Both options allow you to revert your site to a previous state with minimal effort.

Step-by-Step Restoration Process

Restoring your WordPress site with ShieldBACKUPS is straightforward. To begin the restoration process:

  1. Log in to your ShieldPRO account here.

  2. Navigate to your Sites Manager page and activate the backups using the button provided.

    Here you will see a list of available backups.

    Each backup entry displays the date and time it was created, allowing you to select the appropriate restore point.

  3. Decide whether you want to restore your full site or only the database.
  4. Request a ZIP download of the selected backup. After making the request, you will receive an email with a download link once the ZIP file is ready. The timing depends on the size of your backup.

  5. Using an FTP client or your hosting’s file manager, upload the backup ZIP file. Once the zip file in on your website hosting area, you'll need to:


    1. Unzip the zip file within your hosting account. How you might do this will depend on your host. E.g. cPanel lets you unzip an archive from within the FileManager App. You could also use SSH and unzip the archive using the unzip executable.
    2. The unzip process will place all your files from the backup into your webhosting directory. Within that it will create a directory called worpdrive, and within there you'll find an SQL export file that you can restore your entire database using a tool like phpMyAdmin.
  6. After restoration, test - check if your site loads properly, and ensure key features and media are working.

If you encounter any issues, feel free to reach out to our support for help.

Note: While the system cannot track the progress of an ongoing backup, if you request an on-demand (manual) backup, you will receive a notification once it completes.

Handling Domain/URL Changes Post-Restore

After restoring your WordPress site, you might need to update your domain or URL settings. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Update wp-config.php (if necessary)

Check that the site URL is correct in your wp-config.php file. This is optional but helpful if you cannot access the WordPress admin dashboard.

  1. Update WordPress Settings

Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard and navigate to Settings > General. Update the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) fields to the new domain or URL.

  1. Fix Permalinks

Go to Settings > Permalinks and click Save Changes without making any modifications. This refreshes your permalink structure and helps prevent 404 errors.

  1. Check Links and Media

Verify that internal links and media files (images, videos, etc.) point to the correct domain or URL. If many URLs need updating, consider using a search-and-replace tool on the database.

These simple steps will help ensure your site functions correctly after a domain or URL change post-restore.

For real-world examples of restoration scenarios, see this article here.