An offsite WordPress backup should leave you with a recovery copy you can retrieve when the website or hosting account is unavailable. Saving another ZIP inside the same hosting account does not achieve that. Start by checking the actual destination and account ownership, then download and test a complete set.
Choosing a host with less manual backup work? Compare hosting with daily backups and check export access as well as the schedule. Hostinger and IONOS currently lead this listing. Built-in backups are useful; keep a separate copy you can reach without the hosting account.
Independent storage complements the WordPress backup strategy; it does not replace a sensible schedule, sufficient history or a restore rehearsal. “Stored elsewhere” and “usable for recovery” are separate checks.
Decide which failure the second copy must survive
A copy on another server can reduce dependence on one machine. If it still requires the same suspended hosting login, it may not solve an account-access problem. Conversely, a cloud-drive account with separate access helps retrieve files but does not automatically protect them from deletion through a connected backup application.
Write the intended protection down: server failure, loss of the hosting account, an accidental overwrite, or compromise of a particular login. Check storage permissions and version-retention features against that requirement. Do not describe ordinary remote storage as immutable or ransomware-proof without confirming those controls.
A useful host feature: a downloadable copy
Hostinger documents downloading website files and the database from its Backups area, including a complete WordPress download option. After downloading, keep the recovery set in private storage outside the hosting account. This helps with independent access, but the archive still needs a restore test.
Example setup: UpdraftPlus with Google Drive
This procedure follows current TeamUpdraft documentation checked October 28, 2026. Google Drive is available as a remote destination in the free plugin, but storage capacity and the business’s Google account arrangements remain separate considerations.
- In WordPress, open Settings → UpdraftPlus Backups → Settings. Review existing backup arrangements first so you do not accidentally replace a working destination.
- Select Google Drive as the remote destination and save. Follow the authorization link, choose the intended business-controlled Google account, review the permissions and complete setup.
- Choose the file and database schedules and retained-copy counts. Save the settings. Enable reporting so a failed job has an owner who will see it.
- Open Backup / Restore and start Backup Now. Include the required files and database and select sending the backup to remote storage.
- Wait for completion and review warnings. Then sign into the destination separately and verify the new set is present.
Use a storage account the business can recover, rather than a contractor’s personal account with no handover plan. Keep recovery information somewhere accessible without WordPress. Never paste passwords, recovery codes or private download links into a public maintenance document.
The independent-access drill
Illustrative scenario: the backup screen lists a completed set, but the hosting account becomes inaccessible. The owner needs to prove that the remote route still works without clicking anything inside the website.
- Use a separate browser session to sign directly into the storage account. This is an access test; do not deliberately disable production or delete the hosting account.
- Find the set by site identifier and timestamp. Download every component needed for that set, including any split archives and the database. Keep the original naming expected by the restore tool.
- Record whether access worked and whether the files downloaded. Keep sensitive archives in private storage, not a public web folder or publicly shared drive link.
- Restore the downloaded set into an isolated environment using the backup tool’s supported recovery procedure. Test content, uploads and the main business workflow.
A successful download proves access, not recovery. If the files download but the restore fails, the overall drill has failed. If the backup plugin lists a set but the destination has no matching files, investigate the upload before counting that job as your offsite protection.
Save the pieces that an export leaves out
A portable WordPress archive may contain less than a host’s internal snapshot. For example, Kinsta documents that its downloadable ZIP includes WordPress files and the database but excludes MyKinsta settings and custom server-side configuration. Keep a separate, secure inventory of redirects, DNS, required software settings and external services where applicable.
UpdraftPlus also documents that its default storage is on the hosting server. Installing a plugin is therefore not evidence that the files have left the host. Check the chosen remote destination and a completed upload.
If authorization or uploading fails
Read the job’s error rather than repeatedly starting full backups. Check the selected account, remaining destination capacity, authorization status and whether all archive components were transferred. Reauthorize through the plugin’s documented process if permission was revoked; do not loosen sharing permissions to make a private backup publicly downloadable.
Keep the last verified complete set while fixing the issue. Afterward, run a new job, retrieve the new set independently and repeat the restore test. Delete redundant files only after you understand the retention policy and have a verified replacement.
Before canceling the old host
Complete the independent-access drill and save the required configuration before cancellation. A file location you can reach today may become inaccessible after the account closes. Use our website and email migration checklist for the wider move, including services that a WordPress backup does not transfer.
Make independent access part of the buying decision, alongside everyday backups. Compare hosting with daily backups and verify the missing detail with the provider before buying.
Cover illustration: Jakub Zerdzicki / Pexels.
Sources
Documentation checked October 28, 2026. Product scope and interfaces can change; use the instructions for your current account.