WordPress site recovery: restore your site and your access

When does a WordPress site need to be recovered or restored?

Recovery doesn't only apply to a site that's been completely deleted. It becomes necessary as soon as the current installation no longer lets you get back to a working state or access content normally.

• The domain resolves, but the site shows a blank page or a fresh WordPress installation.
• Admin access is lost and the usual reset no longer works.
• An update replaced or deleted important files or content.
• A migration to a new host left the site incomplete or inaccessible.
• The database was overwritten, imported incorrectly, or paired with the wrong files.
• Pages, WooCommerce orders, media or posts have disappeared.
• The hosting account was suspended and the data needs recovering before deletion.
• An older backup needs restoring without unnecessarily overwriting more recent data.

This page covers restoring and recovering data. If the site is broken by a technical error (blank page, critical error, maintenance screen, or failure after an update) without content loss, see instead bringing a broken WordPress site back online. For an issue mainly related to a compromise, see the process for a hacked WordPress site or our WordPress malware cleanup service.

Possible sources for restoring the site

Before making any changes, the available copies need to be inventoried. Restoring the first backup found immediately can lose content, orders, or more recent changes.

A backup provided by the host

Many hosts keep several versions of the files and database. Their date, scope and state need to be checked before starting the restore. An old copy can bring the site back online while wiping out data added since it was created.

A backup made by WordPress

A backup plugin may have saved a copy on the server, a remote location, or a storage service. The presence of an archive isn't enough on its own — it needs to contain the necessary files and a database compatible with the period you're looking for.

Data still present on the server

Even when the site no longer works, the media folder, certain files, and the database may still be intact. It's sometimes possible to rebuild a clean installation around these elements rather than restoring a copy that's too old.

How WPASSIST recovers a WordPress site

The method varies depending on the type of loss and the access available. The intervention nonetheless follows a progression designed to preserve existing data before any restoration attempt.

• Inventory of the available access: host, files, database, domain and admin area.
• Preservation of a copy of the current state when the data is still accessible.
• Search for existing backups and verification of their dates.
• Comparison between the files, the database and the version to be restored.
• Restoration of the usable copy, or reconstruction from the available elements.
• Correction of the WordPress configuration, the URLs, and the database connection details.
• Recovery or creation of a legitimate admin access where possible.
• Check of the main pages, media, forms and essential functions.

For a WooCommerce store, particular attention needs to be paid to orders, customer accounts and stock. Restoring a database that's too old can remove operations recorded after the backup date.

Recovering WordPress admin access

Losing access to wp-admin doesn't necessarily mean the site is lost. When the hosting account or the database remain accessible, it's often possible to check the existing accounts, reset a password, or create a new authorised administrator.

It's also important to understand why the access was lost: outdated email address, deleted user, replaced database, incorrect table prefix, a faulty login plugin, or an incomplete migration. Resetting the password alone isn't enough when WordPress is loading the wrong database.

Restoring a site after a failed migration

A migration can fail even though the data was correctly transferred. Common causes are a database that wasn't imported, URLs still linked to the old domain, an incorrect configuration file, insufficient permissions, or an incomplete file transfer.

Recovery then consists of identifying the best available source, bringing the files and the database back into alignment, correcting URLs where necessary, and checking that the new server is using the right PHP version and settings.

When the old hosting account is still active, it should not be cancelled before the new installation has been checked. It may be the only recent copy of the site.

What to avoid before a recovery

• Reinstalling WordPress in the same folder without copying the existing data.
• Importing several backups one after another without keeping the previous state.
• Overwriting the current database before checking its date and content.
• Cancelling the old hosting account before the recovery is complete.
• Deleting archives whose date or content haven't been checked.
• Changing DNS at random while a copy of the site remains accessible elsewhere.

These actions can turn a recoverable outage into permanent data loss.

After restoration: preparing better for the next incident

A recovery brings the site back to a working state from the data available. It doesn't replace regular maintenance, and on its own it doesn't prevent further data loss.

After the site is back online, it's recommended to:

• set up automatic backups of the files and the database;
• keep at least one copy outside the main hosting account;
• periodically check that a backup can actually be restored;
• keep WordPress, the theme and the plugins up to date;
• keep technical access stored somewhere reliable and controlled;
• document the hosting, the domain and the services tied to the site.

The WPASSIST Care plans cover backups, updates and monitoring, reducing the risk of loss and simplifying any future restoration.

FAQ on WordPress site recovery

Can a WordPress site be recovered without admin access?

Yes, depending on the access still available. A recovery can be carried out from the hosting account, the files, the database, or an existing backup, even when access to wp-admin is lost.

Can a WordPress site be restored without a backup?

It depends on what data is still present at the host, in the files, in the database, or in an older installation. Without a backup or a usable copy, some content may be impossible to recover.

What does the WordPress recovery intervention at €119 include?

The intervention covers reviewing the available elements, restoring from a usable copy, recovering access where possible, bringing the files and database back into consistency, and then checking the site's essential functionality.

Can a failed WordPress migration be resumed?

Yes, if the source installation, a backup, or the transferred data are still available. The files, database, URLs and configuration then need to be brought back into consistency.