--- title: Restoring A Site From a .wpress Backup File url: "https://pressable.com/knowledgebase/restoring-a-site-from-a-wpress-backup-file/" published: 2025-10-17 modified: 2025-10-22 author: Nox Dineen-Porter --- A `.wpress` file is a proprietary backup format created by the [All-In-One WP Migration](https://wordpress.org/plugins/all-in-one-wp-migration/) plugin. These files contain your full WordPress site, including the database, themes, plugins, and uploads. At Pressable, the easiest way to restore a site from a `.wpress` backup is by using the same plugin that created it (recommended if possible). While you can also extract and convert the `.wpress` file for manual migration, this process is more complex and partially outside the [scope of Pressable support](https://pressable.com/legal/support-policy/). **Before you begin:** - The free version of [All-In-One WP Migration](https://wordpress.org/plugins/all-in-one-wp-migration/) supports importing backups up to 512 MB in size. This size limit refers to the backup file itself, not server memory. Pressable provides 512 MB of memory per PHP worker, so the plugin can typically handle imports successfully if your backup file is under the 512 MB upload limit. - Larger backups require the paid [Unlimited Extension](https://servmask.com/products/unlimited-extension) from the plugin developer. ### Option 1: Restore Using The All-In-One WP Migration Plugin (Recommended If Possible) 1. **Install the plugin:** Log in to your WordPress dashboard and go to **Plugins → Add New**. Search for “All-In-One WP Migration” and click **Install Now**, then **Activate**. 2. **Import your backup:** In the WordPress dashboard, go to **All-In-One WP Migration → Import**. 3. **Upload the `.wpress` file:** Click **Import From → File** and select your `.wpress` backup. The plugin will begin the restore process. 4. **Complete the import:** Follow the on-screen prompts to finalize the restore. When the import is done, click **Proceed** to overwrite the existing site content. 5. **Re-save permalinks:** Go to **Settings → Permalinks** and click **Save Changes** to ensure URLs function correctly. 6. **Verify your site:** Check your pages, media, and functionality to confirm the restore was successful. ![](https://i0.wp.com/pressable.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/upload-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C461&ssl=1)![](https://i0.wp.com/pressable.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/import-2.jpg?resize=1024%2C521&ssl=1)![](https://i0.wp.com/pressable.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/import-3.jpg?resize=1024%2C502&ssl=1)![](https://i0.wp.com/pressable.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/import-4.jpg?resize=1024%2C536&ssl=1)![](https://i0.wp.com/pressable.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/import-5.jpg?resize=1024%2C567&ssl=1)**Notes:** - Archive size does not equal required PHP memory. Imports are chunked and streamed, so many small to medium sites restore successfully with the free plugin. - For large backups or slow imports, the [Unlimited Extension](https://servmask.com/products/unlimited-extension) removes host upload caps and bypasses PHP time and memory limits, which reduces the risk of partial imports or stalls. **Option 2 below provides a free alternative for importing larger backups** and should be reviewed before making any purchases. - Avoid closing the tab until the upload finishes and the import process begins. ### Option 2: Extracting a `.wpress` File For Manual Migration If your `.wpress` file is too large to import with the free plugin version, or if you prefer to migrate manually: 1. Download the `.wpress` file to your local computer. 2. Extract it using [Traktor](https://traktor.wp-migration.com/): This tool extracts the proprietary `.wpress` archive on your local computer. 3. Prepare your files: Once extracted, compress the files into a regular `.zip` archive for manual upload. 4. Upload to Pressable: [Connect to your site via SFTP](https://pressable.com/knowledgebase/setup-and-use-sftp-to-connect-to-your-wordpress-site/) and upload the zip file. 5. Request assistance to complete migration: [Contact our Customer Success team](https://pressable.com/knowledgebase/how-to-get-support-with-pressable/) to help complete the manual restoration. If you encounter issues with Traktor, an alternative extractor can be downloaded from GitHub here: https://github.com/fifthsegment/Wpress-Extractor Info:Converting or extracting `.wpress` files is outside Pressable’s scope of support. We cannot troubleshoot issues with third-party tools. This method is slightly more technical and time-consuming than using the plugin’s paid upgrade. ### Option 3: Manual Migration Using WP CLI (Advanced) If you’ve already extracted your `.wpress` file into a standard ZIP archive (see Option 2), you can complete the migration using WP CLI. This method is recommended for advanced users comfortable with command-line tools. **Prerequisites:** - Your `.wpress` file must be extracted and re-compressed as a standard ZIP archive. - You need [SFTP access](https://pressable.com/knowledgebase/sftp-access-to-your-site/) and [SSH access](https://pressable.com/knowledgebase/connect-to-ssh-on-pressable/) to your Pressable site (if you have one, you will have both). - Basic familiarity with command-line tools is required. **Steps:** 1. **Upload the ZIP file:** [Using SFTP](https://pressable.com/knowledgebase/setup-and-use-sftp-to-connect-to-your-wordpress-site/), upload your ZIP archive to the `/tmp` directory (this is parallel to `/htdocs`, your site root). 2. **[Connect via SSH](https://pressable.com/knowledgebase/connect-to-ssh-on-pressable/):** Use SSH to connect to your Pressable site. 3. **Unzip the archive:** `unzip /tmp/your-backup-file.zip` 4. **Copy site files to the correct location:** `rsync -zavh /tmp/path/to/wp-content/ /htdocs/wp-content/` Replace `/tmp/path/to/wp-content/` with the actual path to your extracted `wp-content` folder. 5. **Import the database:** `wp db import /tmp/path/to/database.sql` Replace `/tmp/path/to/database.sql` with the actual path to your SQL file. 6. **Test and verify:** Check your site to ensure pages, media, and functionality work as expected. 7. **Clean up migration files:** `rm -r /tmp/your-backup-file.zip /tmp/unzipped/backup/` Adjust paths as needed to remove all temporary migration files. ### Troubleshooting If you encounter issues during the import process, consult these resources from the plugin developer: - **[All-In-One WP Migration Troubleshooting Guide](https://help.servmask.com/knowledgebase/troubleshooting/)**: Covers common import/export issues, server requirements, and error log locations. - **[Website Broken After Import](https://help.servmask.com/knowledgebase/website-broken-after-import/)**: Solutions for sites that don’t work properly after restoration. - **[All-In-One WP Migration User Guide](https://help.servmask.com/knowledgebase/all-in-one-wp-migration-user-guide/)**: Complete documentation on using the plugin. For issues specific to Pressable’s hosting environment (not related to the plugin itself), [contact our Customer Success team](https://pressable.com/knowledgebase/how-to-get-support-with-pressable/). ### Additional Tips - After importing, update your site URL in the database using [Search and Replace](https://pressable.com/knowledgebase/using-search-replace-on-your-pressable-site/), and refresh any cached static assets in your page builder if needed using the steps in [How to Flush the Cache in Popular WordPress Page Builders](https://pressable.com/knowledgebase/how-to-flush-the-cache-in-popular-wordpress-page-builders/). - After restoring, verify that your menus, widgets, and plugins appear as expected. - If you use optimization plugins, re-enable them only after confirming site stability. - For easier future migrations, consider using [Pressable’s automated migration plugin](https://pressable.com/knowledgebase/using-the-pressable-automated-migration-plugin/). **Related Articles:** - [Setup and Use SFTP to Connect to Your WordPress Site](https://pressable.com/knowledgebase/setup-and-use-sftp-to-connect-to-your-wordpress-site/) - [Connect to SSH on Pressable](https://pressable.com/knowledgebase/how-to-get-support-with-pressable/) - [How to use WP-CLI](https://pressable.com/knowledgebase/how-to-use-wp-cli/) - [Accessing Pressable Backups](https://pressable.com/knowledgebase/accessing-backups/) - [Using the Pressable Automated Migration Plugin](https://pressable.com/knowledgebase/using-the-pressable-automated-migration-plugin/) - [Service and Platform Considerations](https://pressable.com/knowledgebase/service-platform-considerations/)