Restoring a backup: what to know beforehand

A backup is only worth anything at the moment you restore it. That is exactly when the surprises appear.

Files and database together

Restoring only the files alongside a recent database gives you a broken site. They belong together and must come from the same moment.

Back up before you restore

Make a copy of the current situation before you overwrite anything. Otherwise a failed restore leaves you with no way back.

Look at the date

The most recent backup is not always the right one. If a problem has existed for three days, yesterday's backup contains the problem.

After restoring

Check forms, logins and payments, not just the home page. Those depend on settings that are sometimes not restored.

Test it once

A backup you have never restored is an assumption. Do the exercise once on a test environment, before you need it.