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Why Your Backuply Restore Gets Stuck and How to Fix It

40 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Backuply – backup, restore, migrate and clone

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One of the most common issues users report with the Backuply plugin is a restore process that gets stuck at a certain percentage, such as 3%, 10%, 61%, or 65%. This can be a stressful experience, especially when you're trying to recover your website. Based on community reports and common solutions, this guide will walk you through the likely causes and the steps you can take to resolve a stalled restore.

Why Does a Restore Get Stuck?

A restore operation can hang for several reasons. The most frequent culprits are server resource limitations, firewall or security restrictions, and issues with the backup file itself. Unlike a backup, a restore is a more intensive process that involves downloading, extracting, and writing a large amount of data to your server, which can trigger these bottlenecks.

Common Solutions to Try

1. Check Your Server's Resource Limits

This is the most common fix. If your PHP configuration limits are too low, the restore process will fail when it hits them.

  • Increase PHP Memory Limit: Try setting your memory_limit to at least 512M or 1024M.
  • Increase Maximum Execution Time: Set max_execution_time to a high value (e.g., 6000) or to 0, which allows for unlimited execution time (if your host permits it).
  • Increase Upload Limits: Ensure post_max_size and upload_max_filesize are larger than the backup file you are trying to restore.

You can often adjust these settings in your hosting control panel (like cPanel) by modifying the php.ini file or through a "PHP Options" menu. If you are unsure how to do this, contact your hosting provider for assistance.

2. Verify There is Enough Disk Space

A restore requires free space for both the downloaded backup file and the extracted contents. The process will silently fail if it runs out of storage. A user reported their restore stuck because their 160 GB server had 80 GB of data, leaving insufficient room for the operation. Always ensure you have free space significantly exceeding the size of your backup.

3. Investigate Firewall or Security Restrictions

Many users report a "Security Check Failed" error after the restore hangs for several minutes. This often indicates a server-level firewall, mod_security rule, or a security plugin like Sucuri is blocking the process.

  • Temporarily disable security plugins before attempting the restore.
  • Check if your backup file is being flagged as a false positive by your security software.
  • Contact your hosting provider and ask if any firewall rules (e.g., mod_security) are blocking the Backuply plugin's activity.

4. Check the Integrity of the Backup File

If a backup file is corrupt or incomplete, the restore will fail during the extraction phase with errors like "There was some error while unzipping the backup files."

  • Download the backup file to your local computer and try to open it using a program like 7-Zip or WinRAR. If it cannot be opened or throws errors, the file is likely corrupt and cannot be used for a restore.

5. Ensure WordPress Cron is Functioning

Backuply relies on WordPress's cron system to handle lengthy tasks. If the cron is disabled, processes can stall during the "Initializing... Creating job to start Backup/Restore" phase.

  • Open your site's wp-config.php file and ensure the following line is not present, or is set to false:
    define('DISABLE_WP_CRON', false);
  • You can check for cron-related issues in your WordPress admin under Tools > Site Health.

What to Do If Nothing Works

If you have tried all the steps above and your restore is still stuck, the issue may be more complex and require deeper server log investigation. In these cases, the official advice from the Backuply team is to check your server's error_log files for specific PHP errors or warnings that occurred at the time of the failed restore. This information is often the key to diagnosing obscure problems.

Remember, always test your backups by performing a restore on a staging site before you need to do it on your live website. This proactive step can save you from unexpected issues during a critical recovery.

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