Duplicator For WordPress - Quick Start

The following describes how to back up to Dropbox. The procedures for S3, Google Drive, and OneDrive are very similiar.

1. Link Dropbox to Duplicator Pro

1. Click "Duplicator Pro" ❯ "Storage" ❯ "Add New"
2. Enter storage name ❯ select "Dropbox" type
3. Click "Connect to Dropbox" ❯ click "Authorize Dropbox"
4. Click "Allow" & close authorization tab
5. Click "Finalize Setup" on the storage screen

2. Create Instant Package

1. Create Template

A template is a reusable package configuration that can be used in instant or scheduled package creation

1. Click "Duplicator Pro" ❯ Tools ❯ "Templates" ❯ "Add New"
2. Enter a template name & specifications ❯ click "Save"

2. Create Schedule

A schedule generates a package at a given frequency for easy automation

1. Click "Duplicator Pro" ❯ "Schedules" ❯ "Add New"
2. Enter schedule name, template, storage location(s) and frequency ❯ click "Save"

3. Test Schedule

To verify proper schedule operation

1. Click "Duplicator Pro" ❯ "Schedules" ❯ "Run Now" on the desired schedule
2. Click "Duplicator Pro" ❯ "Packages" ❯ menu to view running package build
3. Wait for the package to complete building

4. Database Only (Optional)

Schedule a backup of only the Database

1. Click "Duplicator Pro" ❯ Tools ❯ "Templates" ❯ edit template assigned to schedule
2. Open "Archive Section" ❯ check the 'Enable File Filter' checkbox
3. On the right side look for a link that says "[root path]" and click it
4. This will be the root path of your site excluding all files
5. Click "Save Template" and follow Step 3 above to validate.

The following describes how to restore a site in the same or new location using a Duplicator package (installer/archive). It's assumed you've created a package as described in the "Back up Site" section above and plan to install all files and the database contained in the package. * Items in green apply only to Duplicator Pro users.

1. Download package files to local computer

After creating a package download the installer and archive files from any one of the locations below to your local computer:

• Default: Click on the "Installer" and "Archive" buttons from the main packages screen to download.
• Dropbox*: Go to dropbox.com or use Dropbox client on your PC/MAC.
• Google Drive*: Go to drive.google.com or use Google client on your PC/MAC.
• Amazon S3*: Go to your Amazon AWS account
• FTP: This option is the least common and should only be used if your having issues with the "Default" option.
  FTP ❯ website root directory ❯ open "wp-snapshots" folder ❯ find matching [hash-code]_installer.php with [hash-code]_archive.zip and download.
  Note: With the FTP option you will need to rename the installer file from [hash-code]_installer.php to just "installer.php". The hash-code is simply a random series of number and letters to provide security on the file so it can't be downloaded by a random user.

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2. Upload package files to target location

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3. Browse to installer.php and install

In addition to the "Classic" site installs, Duplicator Pro includes Drag and Drop site overwrite installs. This is a handy feature for those who want to overwrite an existing WordPress site without the need for FTP or manual database creation. Simply "Drag" an archive from your PC desktop to the destination site's WordPress admin to overwrite the site.

See Drag and Drop Installs with Duplicator Pro for step-by-step instructions.

The following details how to back up only the database from "Site A" and deploy it to "Site B". Please note these steps will only move the database, so if your files are not in sync with the Database you will have issues. Please use the approach with caution and be sure that your files are not out of sync with the database.

1. Create New DB Only Package

1. Goto Duplicator ❯ Packages ❯ click "Create New" button
2. On Step 1 Setup ❯ Archive ❯ check "Archive Only the Database"
3. Build package then download installer and archive files

2. Transfer installer and archive to target location

1. Login to target location via FTP, cPanel or your host's control panel tools
2. Transfer installer and archive to target location
3. Open web browser and browse to http://yoursite.com/installer.php

3. Run Installer

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Database & File Synchronization:
How do I know if my files and database are in sync? There is no real clear answer to this question however there are some general rules you can consider. Typically the file system is only updated when you do the following actions:

• Add a new image/video/file to a page/post or media content
• Install a new plugin or theme
• Update a plugin setting that writes to files like the .htaccess file (i.e. security plugins)

So if any of these actions have been performed then its likely that WordPress wrote to both your file-system and database. For example say you both have "Site A" and "Site B" where "Site B" is a mirror copy of "Site A". You then install a new plugin on "Site A" and create a Database only archive and try to move it over to "Site B" using the "Database Only Install" option.

In this scenario the files on "Site B" are not in sync with the database created on "Site A", because "Site B" does not have the plugin files. So if you try to install the "Site A" database onto "Site B" you may run into issues because "Site B" did not get the plugin files that "Site A" just installed. In many cases you can simply install the plugin on "Site B" and things will be in working order. However if you do allot of changes on "Site A" then it is recommend to go ahead and also update those files onto "Site B".

The following procedure was developed for use tightly restricted hosts that prevent a zip archive from getting created. Note that this operation is valid for both Duplicator and Duplicator Pro but is usually not needed in Pro due to its support of the "DupArchive" format. DupArchive was specifically designed to get around limitations imposed by hosts related to zip.

PART 1: Manually copy WordPress files

These steps show how to manually copy from source site to destination.

*Website directories will likely be public_html, or public_html/sitename. If unsure about where site files are located talk to your host support.

PART 2: Copy the database with Duplicator

After you have all the files uploaded correctly to your new location you will then run all these steps to copy over the database. After all steps are complete your site should be fully migrated. These two parts together allow you to move your WordPress site in a two stage process.

Also see:
Recommended hosting providers for Duplicator?