How to Use Bluehost Basic Backup to Protect Your Website

Bluehost's Basic Backup (Weekly) is a built-in cloud backup solution that automatically saves your website and database once a week. This feature ensures your data is protected without requiring manual intervention, making it ideal for new customers who want a simple and reliable backup system.

Whether you need a copy for safekeeping or an offline archive, this guide walks you through every step of downloading your data.

• Understanding Basic Backup (Weekly)
• Navigate Basic Backup (Weekly)
• Manage Backups
• Summary
   

Understanding Basic Backup (Weekly)

Visibility & Limitations

• Site-level backups include only domain-specific files.
  Emails are excluded — you must contact Support for email-related backups.
• For Databases:
  • A complete list of all databases included in the hosting package is displayed.
  • Automatic mapping to specific sites is not feasible for generic sites.
  • For WordPress sites, the associated database is marked with "(Current Website)" for easy identification.

Download Experience

• Download links (for Files and Databases) are only active for 24 hours following their creation. The precise expiry time is listed just below the link.
• You can download only one File and one Database at a time.
• If another download is requested while one is active:
  • A warning will appear indicating that the existing link will be overwritten.

Backup Statuses

• Ongoing:
  • Backup generation is in progress.
  • Time to generate the download link depends on the backup size.
  • New backup requests are disabled during this phase.
     
• Success:
  • Downloadable links are generated.
  • Available for 24 hours.
     
• Failed:
  • An error message will be displayed.
  • You can retry or contact our Support team for assistance.

Navigate Basic Backup (Weekly)

1. Log in to your Bluehost Account Manager.
2. In the left-hand menu, click Websites.

   
    

3. Click the MANAGE button located next to the website you want to manage.

   
    

4. Click Backups in the top horizontal menu..

   
    

5. Under the Backups tab, you'll see two main sections:

   
    

   • Basic Backup (Weekly): Seamless cloud backup integrated into hosting.

     In the Basic Backup (Weekly) section, you'll find the Last Backup section, which displays the date and time of your most recent automatic backup.

     
      

   • Premium Backup Service: For enhanced backup capabilities
     • CodeGuard: A comprehensive backup solution offers both automated and manual backup options, providing complete control over your website's security and data integrity.
        
     • Jetpack: Robust backup solution tailored for WordPress users, providing real-time backups and effortless recovery tools to ensure your site remains secure and operates smoothly.

Manage Backups

From this section, you can easily download backups (file and database) from two main categories:

• File Backups – Includes all your website files.
• Database Backups – Contains your site's database content.

How to Download File Backups

1. Click ACCESS BACKUPS under File Backups.

   
    

2. Select a date from the dropdown, click Download, then Continue.

   
    

   • If you attempt to download a backup created before your website was set up, an error message will show that the download cannot proceed. This is because no valid site data exists for that backup point.

     
      

   • If you attempt to download a file while one is already available, a pop-up will prompt you to confirm whether you want to replace the existing download link.

     
      

3. Wait for the download to complete (this may take some time).

   
    

   • If the download is completed successfully, you will see a Completed status and a download link generated, along with the expiry date of the link.

     
      

     A backup of a Primary Site will have a tooltip beside the downloadable link. Due to a cPanel folder structure limitation, backing up your primary site will automatically include data from all your addon sites. It is recommended that you extract and restore only the files necessary for the primary site after downloading the backup.
   • If the download fails, you will see an error message in the Manage Backups section indicating the failure.

     
      

4. Click Download File Backup to save it to your device.

How to Download Database Backups

1. Click Access Backups under the Database Backups section.

   
    

2. Select a date and database from the dropdown.

   
    

   • You can choose to select one or more databases at the same time. We also have a 'Select all' option to download the database all at once.
   • In the case of multiple databases, we will create a single download link that combines the individual databases into a single zip file.
3. Click Download, then Continue.
   • If you attempt to download a backup created before your website was set up, an error message will show that the download cannot proceed. This is because no valid site data exists for that backup point.

     
      

   • If you attempt to download a file while one is already available, a pop-up will prompt you to confirm whether you want to replace the existing download link.

     
      

4. Wait for the download to complete (this may take some time).

   
    

   • If the download is completed successfully, you will see a Completed status and a download link generated, along with the expiry date of the link.

     
      

   • If the download fails, you will see an error message in the Manage Backups section indicating the failure.

     
      

5. Click Download Database Backup to save it to your device.

Summary

Bluehost's Basic Backup (Weekly) offers a hassle-free way to protect your website and database. With automated weekly backups and easy download options, you can confidently manage your site's data and recover from unexpected issues. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned webmaster, this feature ensures your website stays safe and secure.