How to Backup Elementor Website

Elementor stores your page designs as JSON data in the WordPress database, specifically in the wp_postmeta table under the meta key _elementor_data. On top of that, Elementor generates CSS files and stores them in wp-content/uploads/elementor/css/. A complete Elementor backup needs both: the database export (for the layout data) and the file system (for the generated CSS). Backing up only one of these is not enough to fully restore a broken site.

Here are the main scenarios where a backup saves you:

• Failed updates: A WordPress core update, plugin update, or Elementor version bump can sometimes break your layouts or cause a white screen of death. With a recent backup, you can restore in minutes.
• Plugin or theme conflicts: Installing a new plugin can occasionally conflict with Elementor and break your site’s frontend. A backup means you can undo the conflict instantly.
• Hacking: If your site is hacked, the attacker may modify your files and database. A clean backup lets you restore to a known-good state rather than trying to identify and remove every change.
• Accidental changes: It is easy to accidentally overwrite a section or delete a page in Elementor. Regular backups mean any mistake is recoverable.
• Hosting migration: Moving your site to a new host is much smoother when you have a full backup to import.

When to run a manual backup:

• Before every Elementor or WordPress core update (mandatory)
• Before installing any new plugin or theme
• Before a major redesign or content overhaul
• Before switching hosting providers

The general rule: run a manual backup before any major change, and keep scheduled automatic backups running at all times so you always have a recent restore point regardless of what happens.

There are three approaches to backing up an Elementor website. Choose based on how much control you want and whether you need a full site backup or just your Elementor designs.

Method 1: Backup Plugin (recommended for most users)
A backup plugin handles the full site backup, files and database, automatically. Top WordPress backup plugins like UpdraftPlus, BackWPup, and Duplicator are popular options. UpdraftPlus is the most widely used and has a free tier that covers most sites.

UpdraftPlus setup (step by step):

1. Install and activate UpdraftPlus from the WordPress dashboard under Plugins > Add New.
2. Go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups, then click the Settings tab.
3. Set your backup schedule. For the Files backup, choose Daily or Weekly. For Database backup, choose Daily.
4. Under Remote storage, click Google Drive or Dropbox (or another option). Follow the on-screen OAuth flow to authorize UpdraftPlus to write to your cloud storage account. This is the most important step: without off-site storage, a server failure takes your backups down with it.
5. Save your settings, then return to the main UpdraftPlus tab and click Backup Now to create an immediate copy.
6. To verify the backup completed: scroll down to the Existing Backups table. You should see a new row with today’s date, with green checkmarks (or links) next to Database, Plugins, Themes, Uploads, and Others. You can also check the log by clicking the Last Log Message link.

Method 2: Manual Backup via FTP and cPanel
This method gives you the most direct control and does not require any plugins.

1. Back up the database: Log into your hosting control panel (cPanel). Find phpMyAdmin, select your WordPress database, and click Export. Save the .sql file locally. The tables you care most about for Elementor are wp_posts and wp_postmeta (the latter holds all _elementor_data JSON). Export the entire database to be safe.
2. Back up the files: Connect with an FTP client (FileZilla is free). Download your entire wp-content/ directory. This contains your themes, plugins, uploads, and critically the wp-content/uploads/elementor/ folder where Elementor stores its generated CSS. Also download wp-config.php. Missing the Elementor CSS folder is a common mistake that leads to broken styling after a restore.

To restore: re-upload the files via FTP and import the .sql file through phpMyAdmin (Database > Import). If your new host uses a different database name, update wp-config.php with the correct DB_NAME, DB_USER, and DB_PASSWORD values before going live.

Method 3: Elementor Template Export (design-only backup)
If you only want to save your Elementor designs rather than the full site, Elementor has a built-in export. Note the difference between two separate export features: Elementor’s Export saves your layouts as a .json file that can be reimported into any Elementor site. The standard WordPress Export (Tools > Export) saves posts and pages as an XML file, which includes the post content but may not fully reconstruct Elementor layouts when imported to a fresh install.

For templates and saved sections:

1. Go to Elementor > My Templates.
2. For each template or saved section you want to back up, click the three-dot menu and select Export.
3. This saves a .json file you can reimport via Elementor > My Templates > Import Templates on any Elementor site.

For individual pages: open the page in Elementor, click the hamburger menu (top left), choose Save as Template, then export it from the Template Library. This is useful for migrating designs between sites or preserving specific page layouts, but it does not replace a full backup.

Knowing how to restore is just as important as having the backup in the first place. Here is how to restore from each of the three methods.

Restoring from a backup plugin (UpdraftPlus):

1. Go to Settings > UpdraftPlus Backups.
2. Scroll down to Existing Backups and find the backup you want to restore.
3. Click Restore next to that backup entry.
4. Choose what to restore: Database, Plugins, Themes, Uploads, and/or Others (core files). For a full site restore, select all. For just your Elementor pages and layouts, at minimum select Database and Uploads.
5. Click Restore. UpdraftPlus will download the backup from your remote storage, unpack it, and restore the selected components. The process can take a few minutes on larger sites.
6. After the restore completes, log back in and check your pages to confirm everything looks correct.

Restoring from a manual backup (FTP + database):

1. Connect via FTP (FileZilla or similar) and re-upload your wp-content/ directory to the server, overwriting the current files.
2. Log into phpMyAdmin. Select your WordPress database, click the Import tab, and upload your .sql file. If your new server’s database name, username, or password differs from the old one, update wp-config.php to match before importing.
3. Once the import completes, visit your site. If you see a white screen or database connection error, double-check the credentials in wp-config.php.

Restoring from an Elementor template export:

1. Go to Elementor > My Templates in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Click Import Templates and select your .json file.
3. The template will appear in your library and can be applied to any page.

Important: this method only restores the saved template, not the published page that used it. If the page itself was deleted or its content was wiped, you will need to create or edit the page and insert the restored template. For full site recovery, always rely on Method 1 or Method 2 rather than template exports.

There is no single right answer, but here are practical guidelines based on how active your site is.

• Active site (publishing frequently, running WooCommerce, or updating pages regularly): Daily automated backups are the right baseline. Run a manual backup before any plugin or theme update, and before any major design change in Elementor.
• Static or low-traffic informational site: Weekly automated backups are usually enough, as long as you always run a manual backup before updates.
• Before an Elementor version update: Always run a manual backup first. Elementor updates occasionally introduce breaking changes to widget markup or global styles that can shift layouts unexpectedly. This is mandatory, not optional.
• Before installing a new plugin or theme: Run a manual backup. Plugin conflicts with Elementor are one of the most common causes of broken pages.
• Before a hosting migration: Run a full backup immediately before migrating, then verify it is accessible from your new host before pointing DNS.

Simple rule of thumb: If you would be upset losing the last X days of work, your backup frequency should be shorter than X days. For most Elementor sites, daily automated backups to off-site storage covers most scenarios.

How many backups to keep: Keep at least the last 3 backup cycles. If you run daily backups, keep 3 days. If weekly, keep 3 weeks. This gives you a window to catch issues that are not immediately obvious, such as a corruption that went unnoticed for a day or two.