Gratis Backup

Overview

Gratis Backup creates stream-first backups of your WordPress database and files. It writes backups in chunks and never loads a whole archive into memory, so it works on modest hosting. You can schedule recurring backups, run one on demand, keep a configurable number of recent copies, and download a backup’s database export with one click. It also takes an automatic snapshot before plugin and theme updates.

Opening the settings screen

1. In the WordPress admin sidebar, open Tools.
2. Click Gratis Backup (URL: /wp-admin/tools.php?page=gratis-backup).
3. Adjust the schedule below, then click Save Changes.

Schedule settings

• Schedule — how often automatic backups run: Hourly, Twice daily, Daily (the default), or Weekly. The screen shows the next scheduled run time, and changing the frequency reschedules the job immediately.
• What to back up — the scope of each backup: Database only (the default), Uploads only, or Database + uploads for a full content backup.
• Retention (backups to keep) — how many recent backups to retain; older ones are pruned automatically. Accepts 1 to 365, defaulting to 7.

Running a backup now

The Back up now button runs an immediate backup using the currently selected What to back up scope, independent of the schedule. A success or failure notice is shown when it finishes. If the backup directory cannot be written, the run fails and a warning explains why (see below).

Existing backups and downloads

The Existing backups table lists each saved backup with its ID, source, file count, size, and creation time. For database backups a Download SQL button streams the database.sql export straight to your browser. Backups are stored under wp-content/gratis-backups/, and the download is path-checked so only files inside that folder can be served.

Requirements and automatic snapshots

The backup directory (wp-content/gratis-backups) must be writable; if it is not, the screen shows a warning and backups will not run until permissions are fixed. Separately, Gratis Backup captures a pre-update snapshot before WordPress applies plugin or theme updates, giving you a recovery point if an update goes wrong.

Recommended starting point

• Confirm there is no “not writable” warning before relying on backups.
• Leave Schedule at Daily and choose Database + uploads if you have room to store files.
• Set Retention to a number you can afford to keep (for example 7–14).
• Click Run backup now once, then use Download SQL to verify you can retrieve a copy.