How to Back Up and Restore a Website on Hostinger in 2026

A website backup is one of the most important safeguards against accidental changes, failed updates, malware, and unexpected technical problems. If something goes wrong, a recent backup can help you recover your website without rebuilding everything from scratch.

Hostinger provides backup and restoration options through its hPanel control panel. Depending on your hosting plan and website type, you may be able to restore an entire WordPress website, recover selected files, restore a database, or download backup copies to your computer.

In this guide, you will learn how to back up and restore a website on Hostinger, protect your current website data before restoring, and troubleshoot common backup problems.

1. Why Are Website Backups Important?

A website contains important files, images, themes, plugins, configuration settings, and sometimes a database containing posts, customer information, orders, and other content.

If these components become damaged or are accidentally deleted, your website may stop working correctly. A backup gives you a previous version that you can use to recover the website.

Here are some common situations where backups are useful:

• Failed updates: A plugin, theme, or CMS update may cause compatibility problems.
• Accidental deletion: You might remove important website files, pages, or database records.
• Malware or security incidents: A clean backup may help recover your website after a security problem, provided the backup itself is safe.
• Website redesign: You can return to the previous version if a redesign or configuration change causes problems.
• Technical errors: Incorrect file edits or database changes can make a website inaccessible.
• Migration problems: A backup provides a recovery point before moving your website to another hosting provider.

2. Understanding Hostinger Backup Options

Hostinger provides several ways to work with backups. The options you see depend on your hosting plan, website type, and the backup features available in your account.

How often does Hostinger create backups?

Backup frequency depends on the hosting plan and the features currently included in your subscription. Hostinger's current documentation states that Web and Cloud hosting plans include automatic weekly backups, while Business or higher plans include daily backups. Some plans may offer additional backup options.

Do not assume that every Hostinger plan has the same backup schedule. Check the backup information displayed in your hPanel account before relying on a particular recovery point.

3. How to Check Backup Availability in Hostinger

Before creating or restoring a backup, check which backup dates and options are available for your website.

1. Log in to your Hostinger hPanel account.
2. Open the Websites section.
3. Find the website you want to protect and click Dashboard or Manage site.
4. Find Backups in the left-hand sidebar.
5. Open the backup page and review the available backup dates and sections.

You may see options such as Website backup, Files backup, Database backups, and Manual backups. The labels and available options can differ between accounts.

Check the latest available backup date and confirm that it is recent enough for your recovery needs.

4. How to Create a Manual Backup on Hostinger

If your hosting plan supports manual backups, you can create a new backup before making important changes to your website.

For example, create a backup before installing a major WordPress update, changing your theme, modifying important files, or updating website configuration.

Steps to create a manual backup

1. Log in to Hostinger hPanel.
2. Go to Websites and open the dashboard for your website.
3. Select Backups from the sidebar.
4. Look for the Manual backups section.
5. Click Select or the available create-backup option.
6. Review the confirmation message and click Continue to start the process.
7. Wait while Hostinger prepares the backup.

The preparation time depends on the size of your website and its database. A large website may take longer than a small one.

After the backup is prepared, check the available options to download or restore it.

5. How to Download Website Backups from Hostinger

Downloading backups is a good way to keep an independent copy of your website. It is especially useful before restoring an older version or moving your website to another hosting account.

Download website files

1. Open your website dashboard in Hostinger hPanel.
2. Navigate to Backups.
3. Open the Restore and download section.
4. Select Files backups.
5. Choose the backup date you want to download.
6. Click Download files and wait for the backup preparation to finish.
7. When the download becomes available, save the archive to your computer.

Hostinger provides website file backups as a compressed .tar.gz archive.

Download a database backup

1. Return to the Backups page in hPanel.
2. Choose Database backups.
3. Select the database associated with your website.
4. Choose the backup date.
5. Click Download database.
6. Save the generated database backup to your computer.

Database backups are provided as compressed .sql.gz files. Keep the files and database backups together and label them with the website name and backup date.

Download a backup of a specific WordPress website

Hostinger also documents an option to generate a backup for an individual WordPress website. When available, the prepared backup link is sent to the registered email address associated with the account.

If you manage a website through shared access, the download link may be sent to the account owner's email instead. Ask the account owner to share the backup with you.

Note: Hostinger's documented backup download feature is not available for websites created with Hostinger AI Website Builder. Check the separate Website Builder backup workflow.

6. How to Restore a WordPress Website on Hostinger

If your WordPress website is broken after an update or an incorrect change, restoring a previous backup may help you recover it.

Hostinger offers a full website restoration option for eligible WordPress websites. When available, this option restores both website files and the database to the selected backup date.

Before restoring your website

• Download your current files and database if possible.
• Choose a backup date from before the problem started.
• Check whether you have published new content or received new orders after that date.
• Understand that the selected backup will replace the current website data.

Steps to restore a WordPress website

1. Log in to your Hostinger account.
2. Open Websites and select the WordPress website you want to recover.
3. Open its dashboard and select Backups.
4. Go to the Restore and download section.
5. Under Website backup, select the date you want to restore.
6. Click Restore website.
7. Read the data replacement warning carefully.
8. Confirm that you understand the changes and proceed with the restoration.
9. Wait for the restoration to complete. Check the Restore History section for its status.

Once the process finishes, visit your website and check whether the original problem has been resolved. You may also need to clear your browser cache or website cache to see the restored version correctly.

7. How to Restore Individual Website Files and Databases

You do not always need to restore the entire website. If only one directory, file, or database is damaged, Hostinger provides separate restoration options for supported hosting plans.

Restore specific website files or folders

1. Open your website dashboard in hPanel.
2. Go to Backups and select Files backups.
3. Choose the backup date you want to use.
4. Click Show files if that option is available.
5. Browse the backup directory and locate your website folder.
6. Open the relevant website directory, such as public_html.
7. Select the files or folders you want to recover.
8. Click Restore selected or the corresponding restore option.
9. Confirm the operation and monitor its progress.

This method is useful when you accidentally delete a theme file, configuration file, image folder, or another important website component.

Restore a database

WordPress and many other dynamic websites use a database to store content and settings. If you restore website files but leave the database unchanged, the website may still show errors or inconsistent content.

1. Open the Backups section in hPanel.
2. Select Database backups.
3. Choose the correct database name.
4. Select the backup date that matches the files you restored.
5. Click Restore database.
6. Confirm the operation and wait for it to finish.
7. Check the restoration status in the backup history.

The database generally needs to exist in your current MySQL database list before you can restore it. If the database is missing, you may need to recreate it using the appropriate database name before retrying.

8. How to Back Up and Restore a Website Manually

If you prefer to keep your own backup copies, you can manually download website files and export the database. This method is also useful when transferring a website between hosting accounts or when the automatic restore option is unavailable.

Step 1: Download website files

Open Hostinger's File Manager and locate your website directory. For a typical primary domain, website files are stored inside the public_html folder.

Select the required files and folders, create an archive if needed, and download the archive to your computer. You can also use FTP software to transfer files.

Step 2: Export the database

If your website uses MySQL, open the database management area in hPanel and launch phpMyAdmin for the correct database.

1. Select the website's database.
2. Open the Export tab.
3. Choose the appropriate export method.
4. Select SQL as the format.
5. Start the export and save the resulting file.

Step 3: Keep the backup files safe

Store the website archive and SQL export together. Include the website name, backup date, and any important notes in the folder name.

Step 4: Restore website files

To recover the website, upload the saved archive through File Manager or FTP and extract it into the correct website directory. Avoid extracting files into an incorrect or nested folder.

Step 5: Import the database

Create or select the correct database, open phpMyAdmin, and use the Import tab to upload the SQL backup. Update your website's database configuration if the database name, username, password, or host has changed.

For WordPress, these settings are generally stored in the wp-config.php file.

Step 6: Test the restored website

Open your website and check the homepage, important pages, images, forms, login, and other essential features. Confirm that the website is using the correct database and that no major errors appear.

9. Backups for Hostinger Website Builder

Hostinger Website Builder uses a different backup and restoration workflow from a standard WordPress or PHP website.

Do not automatically follow the WordPress restore instructions if your website was created with Hostinger Website Builder. The standard website backup restoration process described for WordPress and hosting files does not apply to every Builder website.

Instead, use Hostinger's dedicated Website Builder backup instructions:

Visit Hostinger Help Center and search for Website Builder: How to create and restore website backups.

Follow the instructions for the Builder product and the options available in your account.

10. Common Hostinger Backup and Restore Problems

1. No backups found

This message may appear when the selected backup type is not available for your website. Check the Files backups and Database backups sections separately. Also confirm that you are using the correct website and hosting account.

2. The restore option is unavailable

Not every hosting product or website type supports the same one-click restore workflow. For example, the full Website backup option is intended for eligible WordPress websites. You may need to restore files and databases separately.

3. Database restoration fails

Check that the database exists in your current database list and that you selected the correct database. If it was deleted, recreate it using the required details and try again.

4. Website shows errors after restoration

Check whether the files and database were restored from matching dates. Verify database configuration, file permissions, and website settings. Clear relevant caches and test the website again.

5. Website still displays the old version

Your browser, WordPress cache plugin, CDN, or hosting cache may still be showing an earlier copy. Clear the relevant cache and test the website in a private browsing window.

6. Backup download is taking too long

Large websites may require additional time to prepare their backup archives. Wait for the preparation process to finish and check the download status in hPanel. Avoid repeatedly starting the same backup request.

7. You cannot find the manual backup option

Manual backup creation may be limited to certain hosting plans. Review your plan's included features and check Hostinger's current backup documentation.

11. Website Backup Best Practices

Following a few simple practices can make website recovery easier and reduce the risk of losing important information.

• Keep multiple copies: Maintain a copy in your hosting account and another on your computer or secure cloud storage.
• Back up before major changes: Create a backup before updating WordPress, changing themes, installing plugins, or modifying important settings.
• Protect files and databases: A database-only backup is not a complete copy of a dynamic website. Keep the website files as well.
• Use clear filenames: Label backup folders with the website name and date so you can identify the correct version.
• Test recovery: Periodically verify that your backup files are usable and that you understand the restoration process.
• Protect backup archives: Website backups can contain sensitive configuration files and personal data. Store them securely and limit access.
• Keep recent content in mind: Before restoring an older database, consider whether you need to preserve newer orders, registrations, comments, or submissions.
• Do not rely on backups alone for security: Keep WordPress, plugins, themes, and hosting credentials secure and updated.

12. Final Thoughts

Backing up your website regularly is an important part of website maintenance. Hostinger provides automatic backups and restoration options through hPanel, while manual downloads give you an additional copy that you can keep outside your hosting account.

For eligible WordPress websites, the full restore option can recover website files and databases together. If you only need to recover a particular directory or database, separate restoration options may be more appropriate.

Always check the backup date, protect your current data, and understand what will be overwritten before starting a restore. A little preparation can make website recovery much easier when something goes wrong.

Frequently Asked Questions

Editorial note: Hostinger's dashboard labels, backup availability, and plan features may change. Confirm the current options in your hPanel account before following a restoration procedure.