I restored a backup and lost recent work: what can still be recovered

Restoring an old copy puts the site back as it was on that day: whatever was written afterwards (orders, articles, comments, sign-ups) is no longer live. But it rarely vanishes altogether. There is almost always a more recent copy, from before the restore, that holds what is missing. What matters is to act quickly and not restore again on top.

What happened, in two lines

A restore replaces the area you chose (the files, or the database) with what the copy had. The daily copies that exist between the date you picked and the moment you restored are still there, for as long as they stay inside the window of kept copies (see how long we keep backups). That is where the work you think you lost is.

Step by step

1 Stop. Do not restore anything else to “fix” it. Every restore replaces again, and may throw away the only copy where the work still exists.
2 Write down the two dates: the date of the copy you used and the approximate day and time of the restore. The lost work sits between the two.
3 Look at the list in JetBackup. Find the most recent copy from before the restore. That one has your work.
4 Download it, do not restore it. Use Download and open the copy on your computer, as in how to restore your data with JetBackup.
5 Bring back only what is missing. For files, copy the missing folders or files. For the database, import the .sql into a new database with another name, and from there export only the tables or rows that are missing into the site’s database. See exporting a database with phpMyAdmin and importing a database with phpMyAdmin, and the size limit that stops you.
6 Look for other traces. New-order e-mails, payment notifications, form messages and payment statements hold what the database no longer has. If it is only a few entries, you can enter them again by hand.
What you lost Where it may still be
Articles, pages, comments In the copy from before the restore (database). In the editor’s drafts, if there are any.
Orders and customers In the earlier copy; in the order notification e-mails; in the payment provider’s records.
Images uploaded between the two dates In the files of the earlier copy (the uploads folder).
E-mail See restoring a single e-mail account or folder.
The clock is running. Old copies leave the window as new ones come in. If you wait too long, the copy where the work still existed may already be gone. On a shop, do not put it off: every day of orders left unrecovered adds up.
Next time, download the current state before you restore. Five minutes exporting the database and compressing the folder give you a way back. And restore only the piece you need: how to restore only the database from a backup. For the before and after of an update, see what to back up before you update.

Lost orders or posts and not sure where to start? Tell us the two dates and what is missing, and we will see which copies exist.

Open a support ticket

SEE ALSO

How to restore your data with JetBackup

Restoring a backup yourself, without opening a ticket

How to restore only the database from a backup

How long we keep backups, and how to restore one

RECOMMENDED PRODUCT

Web hosting with cPanel

Domain and SSL included, daily backups and the panel you already know. from $6.59/mo (3-year plan, with coupon)

See plans
  • 0 Users Found This Useful
Was this answer helpful?

Related Articles

How to migrate a site without downtime Changing hosting provider does not have to take your site offline. The trick is simple: set everything up here before po...
Internal migration: moving sites between plans Changing plan inside Interweb - from Hospedagem Pro to Plus, say - is far simpler than migrating from another provider....
How to generate zip and sql files to migrate a WordPress site A WordPress site is always two halves: the files (theme, plugins, images) and the database (posts, pages, settings). To...
How to restore your data with JetBackup Every account here is backed up automatically, once a day, in the early hours of the morning - the last 30 daily backups...
Making and keeping your own backup, and testing that it works Restoring a copy of ours is covered in how to restore your data with JetBackup. This article is about the other half, an...
After moving a site: the checklist for the first day The site opens and looks the same: that does not yet mean everything is right. The failures of a move turn up in places...