How to create a backup

How do I back up a WordPress Multisite network?

Multisite Migrate (Rosenheinrich) creates chunked, resumable backups of a single WordPress site or an entire Multisite network. Full network backup from Network Admin is included in Free — no Plus/Pro license required. Open MM → Backups → Backup now, choose scope (full network, selected subsites, or one site), then start the job. Free includes one local schedule. Plus adds cloud schedules and BYO cloud upload; Pro adds remote import, empty-server installer, staging, and WP-CLI.

Before you start

• Disk space — Roughly 1.5–2× site size during the job (local archive is built before any cloud upload).
• Health — Open Health in the plugin menu for PHP and disk warnings.
• Plan — Free covers local backup/restore, full multisite scope, and one local schedule. Plus adds cloud upload and cloud/multiple schedules. Pro adds remote import, installer, staging, and WP-CLI.

Install the plugin

All plans.

1. Plugins → Add New — search Multisite Migrate, install, activate. Or upload the ZIP from download.
2. Multisite: use Network Activate so network admins can run network-wide backups.
3. Open MM (Free) or MM Pro (Plus/Pro) in the admin sidebar — you land on Backups.

Setup wizard

On first visit a short wizard runs (you can skip anytime). While it is unfinished, Setup Wizard also appears in the plugin menu. Steps differ slightly by edition:

Free (wp.org plugin)

1. Welcome — Overview.
2. Scope — Default backup scope (required). On multisite: full network, include-list, or exclude-list of subsites.
3. Storage — Local archive path (cloud destinations need Plus).
4. Schedule — Optional one local automated backup (daily, weekly, or monthly).
5. First backup — Run a test backup or skip (required to finish).

Plus / Pro (licensed)

1. Welcome → Scope → Storage (local and optional cloud).
2. Schedule — Optional automated backup with cloud destinations, multiple schedules, and incremental options (Plus+).
3. First backup — Run a test job or skip.

Backup now

All plans for local destination. Cloud destination requires Plus+.

1. Open Backups → click Backup now.
2. In the create panel choose:
   • Profile — Full, database only, files only, or custom.
   • Scope (multisite) — Network, selected/filtered subsites, current site, or One archive per site (split) on Pro (creates N full archives).
   • Destination — Local, or a connected cloud destination (Plus+).
   • Incremental (Plus+) — File changes since the last full backup in the same scope (optional checkbox when licensed).
   • Installer package (Pro) — Embed empty-server installer in the archive when available.
3. Review → Start backup. Progress continues on Backups; you can close the create panel.

What the engine does

Every backup job (manual or scheduled) runs these engine steps in order:

1. Init — Disk check, work directory, table list.
2. Database — Chunked SQL dump.
3. Archive — Pack files into .zip / .daf (and build the manifest).
4. Finalize — Hashes, optional .venc encryption, validation, mark complete.
5. Upload — Only when destination is not local and you have Plus+ cloud capability. Chunked remote upload after the local archive exists.

Backup options

Scope (multisite) — Free+

Scope	Included	Who can run it
Full network	All subsites + network tables	Network admin (Free+)
Selected / filtered subsites	Chosen blogs + required network tables	Network admin (Free+)
Single subsite	One site only	Network admin, or subsite admin with a Plus/Pro seat
One archive per site (split)	N full archives (one per selected site, or every accessible site)	Network admin with Pro (CAP_NETWORK_SPLIT)

Network split (Pro): Choose One archive per site (split) on the backup create panel. Disk and cloud usage multiply by the number of sites. Restore each archive to its own WordPress install. Full walkthrough: Network split guide. For an existing network archive, prefer Extract one site as standalone instead of re-backing up.

Continue remaining: If a child site fails mid-split, use Continue with remaining sites in the progress panel (or WP-CLI split-resume --yes). Finished archives stay; only remaining blogs re-run.

Blog 1 / main site: Supported in split and extract. Main-site media usually lives under uploads/ (not uploads/sites/1/); extract keeps that tree when you pick blog ID 1.

Single-site installs always back up the whole site. Scope is chosen in the create panel (and defaults can be set in the Setup Wizard) — there is no separate Multisite menu.

Profiles & formats — Free+

• Full — Database + wp-content, wp-config.php, .htaccess when included by profile.
• Database / files / custom — Narrower profiles for faster jobs.
• .zip / .daf / .venc — Standard, streaming, or encrypted archives. Encryption is available on all plans.
• Incremental files (Plus+) — Needs a prior full backup in the same scope.

While the backup runs

All plans. Jobs run in chunks via HTTP workers and WordPress cron. Watch progress on Backups or in the Activity Log. Only one backup or restore runs at a time.

After backup

1. Confirm status Complete under Backups.
2. Download the archive before moving hosts if you need a portable copy (Free+).
3. Recovery point — Pin important backups so retention does not prune them (Free+).
4. Pro: If you enabled the installer package, the archive can include multisite-migrate-installer.php for empty-server migration.

Cloud storage (Plus+)

Plus and Pro — connect destinations and upload backups. Importing an archive from cloud without a prior local copy is Pro only (see restore guide).

1. Open Cloud Storage.
2. Connect Google Drive, Dropbox, S3-compatible storage, or SFTP. Test the connection and save.
3. In Backup now, choose that destination. Upload runs as the final engine step after the local archive is built.

If upload fails, the local archive usually remains valid — retry upload or download manually.

Scheduled backups

Free: one local schedule (daily, weekly, or monthly). Plus and Pro: cloud destinations, multiple schedules, and incremental file backups.

1. Open Schedules (or finish the schedule step in the setup wizard).
2. Enable a schedule, pick frequency, profile, and scope. Free stores archives locally; Plus+ can choose cloud destinations and incremental backups.
3. Set retention so old archives are pruned automatically.

The scheduler runs on WordPress cron. Free runs one local schedule without a license. Plus/Pro cloud schedules continue for a short grace period after license expiry (see pricing footnotes).

Encrypted archives (.venc)

All plans.

1. Settings → Backup Settings → Security layers → enable Encrypt archives at rest and set a passphrase.
2. Store the passphrase securely — required for restore, import, and the empty-server installer.

Troubleshooting

Backup failed

Check Activity Log, free disk space, Health, and Settings → Tools & logs.

Cloud upload failed

Local archive remains — retry from Backups or re-run with the same destination (Plus+).

Subsite admin blocked

Network admin must enable the subsite under Settings → Site access. Needs Plus (≤3 seats) or Pro (≤10 seats). See site limits.

Incremental option missing

Incremental file backups require Plus or Pro and a previous full backup in the same scope.

Next: How to restore a backup

Backup FAQ

Quick answers while you create archives. For cloud and schedules, jump to those sections above.

How much disk space do I need?

Plan on roughly 1.5–2× the site size while a job runs (temporary working files plus the finished archive). Free space first if Health shows disk warnings.

Can I back up only some multisite subsites?

Yes. Use backup scope to select full network, selected subsites, or a single subsite (when that admin has access on Plus/Pro).

What happens if PHP times out mid-backup?

Jobs are chunked and resumable. Refresh Backups — progress should continue from the last completed chunk instead of starting over.

Where are local archives stored?

Under wp-content/multisite-migrate-archives/ by default. Download from Backups, or connect cloud destinations on Plus with your own credentials.

Do schedules require Plus?

No. Free includes one local schedule. Plus and Pro add cloud destinations, multiple schedules, and incremental file backups.

Can I encrypt archives on disk?

Yes. Optional AES-256 encryption writes .venc archives so copies on shared hosting or in your cloud stay protected at rest.