Bob Has Your Back.
And Your Docs.

From your WordPress admin, navigate to Plugins → Add New. Search for "Backup Bob" in the search box. Click Install Now next to Backup Bob, then click Activate.

Alternatively, download the .zip file from this page and upload it via Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin.

After activating the plugin, you'll see Backup Bob appear in your WordPress admin sidebar. Click it to open the dashboard.

On the dashboard, click the big blue Run Backup Now button. Bob will start backing up your files and database immediately. Depending on your site size, this may take a few minutes. When it's done, you'll see your backup listed under the Backups tab.

With a Pro license, go to Backup Bob → Settings → Schedule. Choose your backup frequency (daily, weekly, or monthly) and the time you want backups to run. Bob recommends daily backups at a low-traffic time like 3:00 AM.

Save your settings and Bob will handle everything from here.

Go to Backup Bob → Settings → Remote Storage. Choose your preferred storage provider (S3, Google Drive, or Dropbox) and follow the on-screen connection steps. Bob will guide you through each one.

Google Drive: Click Connect, sign in with your Google account, and authorize Backup Bob. Done.
Dropbox: Click Connect, sign in, authorize. Same deal.
Amazon S3: Enter your bucket name, region, and IAM access keys. Bob will verify the connection.

Go to Backup Bob → Restore. You'll see a list of all your saved backups. Click the one you want to restore from, then click Restore This Backup. Bob will ask you to confirm, then proceed.

The restoration process takes a few minutes. Your site will be briefly unavailable during restore. When complete, Bob will confirm success and you'll be back online on the restored version.

Does the free version really back up the entire site?

Yes. The free version backs up all files (including plugins, themes, and uploads) and the complete MySQL database. The only limitation is that it stores backups locally on your server — it doesn't send them to cloud storage, and it doesn't run automatically. But the backups themselves are 100% complete.

My site is completely down. Can I still restore?

If you can still access WordPress admin, use the Restore tab in Backup Bob. If your site is completely inaccessible, you'll need to restore manually: log into your cPanel or hosting control panel, upload the backup ZIP file via File Manager, extract it, then import the database SQL file via phpMyAdmin. A detailed manual restore guide is available by emailing support.

How much storage space do my backups use?

Backup size depends on your site. A typical WordPress site is 100–500 MB. Bob creates compressed ZIP archives to minimize storage usage. You can configure how many backups to retain (Bob's default is 5 recent backups) to manage your storage footprint.

Does Backup Bob slow down my site?

No. Bob runs backups in the background using WordPress cron jobs. He's careful not to hog server resources. We recommend scheduling backups during low-traffic hours (like 3 AM) as a best practice, but many users run daily backups without any noticeable impact on site performance.

I need help. How do I contact support?

Pro users get priority email support from Bob (well, the team behind Bob). Free users can use the WordPress.org support forums. Email us at support@backupwithbob.com — we respond to all Pro inquiries within 24 hours, usually much faster.

Is Backup Bob compatible with WooCommerce / Divi / other plugins?

Yes. Backup Bob works with any WordPress plugin, theme, or page builder. It backs up the entire database and file system regardless of what's installed. WooCommerce stores, Divi sites, Elementor builds — Bob backs them all up without any special configuration.