Jetpack VaultPress Backup: How to Check, Restore and Download Backups

This article is a localized edition of the Japanese original. Read the Japanese original

Jetpack VaultPress Backup is a cloud backup service for WordPress from Automattic. Backups are stored on Automattic's servers, and you can restore or download them from the WordPress admin or from Jetpack Cloud (cloud.jetpack.com).

It used to be a separate plugin and service called "VaultPress," but it is now offered as a Jetpack feature or as the standalone plugin "Jetpack VaultPress Backup." The old VaultPress plugin is still on WordPress.org, but its page states that it is no longer actively supported for new customers. If you are starting now, choose Jetpack VaultPress Backup.

This article is based on the WordPress.org plugin page and Jetpack's official support pages as of November 2026. Screen names are given as they appear in the official English documentation.

What to check before you start

• A paid plan is required. Buy a Jetpack plan that includes backups (VaultPress Backup on its own, or Security, Complete and so on) at jetpack.com. It cannot be used for free.
• The site must be connected to Jetpack (with a WordPress.com account).
• Multisite is not supported. Setups where the Site Address and WordPress Address URLs differ are not supported either.
• As of November 2026, the standalone plugin requires WordPress 7.0 or later and PHP 7.4 or later.

Getting set up

1. In the admin, go to "Plugins" (プラグイン in the Japanese UI), open Add New Plugin, search for "Jetpack VaultPress Backup," install it and activate it. If you already use the full Jetpack plugin, Jetpack alone is enough.
2. Follow the on-screen prompts to connect the site with your WordPress.com account.
3. Purchase a plan that includes backups.
4. Once the purchase and connection are complete, the first backup starts automatically.

How backups work

Even on a daily plan, you can take a manual backup with "Back up now." Taking one before updating plugins or changing themes gives you a clear point to go back to if something breaks.

What is not backed up

According to the official documentation, the following are excluded.

• WordPress core files
• Files outside the directories that are backed up
• Tables that do not start with the WordPress table prefix, and tables without a primary or unique key
• Cache, logs, other backup directories and empty directories
• Additional WordPress installs in subdirectories

To exclude a directory from backups, place an empty file named .donotbackup in it.

# Example: exclude a large working directory inside wp-content
touch wp-content/uploads/tmp-export/.donotbackup

Checking your backups

• In the admin: open "Jetpack → Backup," and recent backups are listed under "Latest backups." Select one to see what it contains and browse its files. Only administrators can open this page.
• In Jetpack Cloud: go to cloud.jetpack.com/backup and select your site. The "Activity Log" shows events such as plugin updates and post changes, along with completed backups, in chronological order.

Restoring

From the admin

1. Open "Jetpack → Backup"
2. Under "Latest backups," select the backup you want to go back to
3. Click "Restore to this point"
4. Under "Choose the items you wish to restore," uncheck the items you do not want to restore (all are checked at first)
5. Click "Confirm restore"

From Jetpack Cloud

1. Select your site at cloud.jetpack.com
2. In the "Activity Log," filter by date or event type, then choose "Actions" → "Restore to this point" for the point you want
3. Uncheck the items you do not want restored and click "Restore now"

Items you can choose

Before you restore

• Restoring "Site database" replaces the entire database with its contents at that point. Posts, comments, orders and anything else added after the restore point are lost. Export anything you want to keep first.
• Files with the same name are overwritten. Files whose names are not in the backup are not deleted.
• A restore cannot be stopped once it has started. A restore done from "Jetpack → Backup" cannot be undone.
• On WooCommerce sites, restoring tables starting with wp_wc_ can lose later orders and product changes.
• Restoring a single file or specific tables is done from Jetpack Cloud via "Actions" → "View files." It cannot be done from the admin.

Restores normally run over the Jetpack connection. If a restore fails because of connection problems, add your server credentials (SSH, SFTP or FTP) under "Settings" in Jetpack Cloud. The official documentation recommends SSH or SFTP, which encrypt the transfer.

If the site no longer loads

1. Reinstall WordPress fresh (using your hosting control panel's tools, for example)
2. Install Jetpack and connect it with the same WordPress.com account
3. Restore using the steps above

If the restore still fails, download the backup and restore it manually. The steps are in Jetpack's official documentation, "Manually Restore a Backup."

Downloading a backup

If you want an extra copy on your computer or elsewhere, download the backup.

• In the admin: select a backup in "Jetpack → Backup," click "Download backup," uncheck items you do not need, click "Generate download," then "Download file" when it is ready
• In Jetpack Cloud: create a downloadable file from the backup's "Actions" menu

The download is a .tar.gz file containing the items you selected. There is no feature to save directly to Google Drive or Dropbox.

Retention

Retention and storage depend on the plan. As of November 2026, the official documentation lists, for example, 30 days for daily plans and one year for real-time plans. On plans with a storage cap, the oldest backups are deleted when you exceed it. On plans that let you choose the retention period, you can change it under "Settings" in Jetpack Cloud, but shortening it immediately removes access to backups older than the new period.

Plans can change, so check Jetpack's official page "Jetpack VaultPress Backup: Storage and Retention" before you subscribe.

About WP-CLI

The official documentation has no WP-CLI commands for starting, listing or restoring Jetpack VaultPress Backup backups. Use the admin, Jetpack Cloud or the Jetpack mobile app instead.

Related articles

• Comparing WordPress backup plugins
• Setting up backups with UpdraftPlus
• The 3-2-1 rule for WordPress backups

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