Creating regular backups is essential for protecting your website, email, and data against accidental loss, hacking, or server failure. Plesk makes it easy to create backups manually or on a schedule. This guide covers both methods.

### Creating a Manual Backup

1. Log in to **Plesk**.
2. Go to **Websites & Domains**.
3. Click **Backup Manager**.
4. Click **Back Up**.
5. Configure the backup settings:
   - **Backup type:** **Full** (complete copy) or **Incremental** (only changed data since last backup — faster and uses less space).
   - **Storage location:** Choose the default server storage or a configured remote storage (FTP/SFTP).
   - **Backup scope:** Choose whether to back up the **configuration only** (settings and metadata) or **configuration and content** (includes website files, emails, databases).
   - **Exclude specific files:** Optionally exclude log files, statistics, or mail from the backup.
   - **Send notification email:** Enter your email to receive a notification when the backup is complete.
   - **Password protection:** Optionally set a password to encrypt the backup contents.
6. Click **OK** to start the backup.
7. A confirmation message will appear when the backup is complete.

### Scheduling Automatic Backups

1. Go to **Websites & Domains** → **Backup Manager**.
2. Click **Scheduled Backup Settings**.
3. Configure the schedule:
   - **Active:** Select **Switch on scheduled backups**.
   - **Run at:** Set the day and time (e.g., "Daily at 02:00").
   - **Backup type:** Full or Incremental.
   - **Keep backup files for:** Set how many days of backups to keep.
   - **Storage:** Choose server storage or remote FTP storage.
4. Click **OK**.

### Downloading a Backup

1. Go to **Websites & Domains** → **Backup Manager**.
2. Find the backup you want to download.
3. Click the **Download** icon (green arrow).
4. If the backup is not password-protected, Plesk will ask if you want to protect it. Optionally enter a password.
5. The backup file will be downloaded to your computer.

### Important Notes

- Full backups include everything: website files, databases, email, and configuration. Incremental backups only include changes since the last full backup.
- Backups count towards your subscription disk space. Remove old backups to free up space.
- Always store a copy of your backup **off-server** (your computer or cloud storage).

### Troubleshooting

**Backup fails with an error:**

- Ensure you have sufficient disk space.
- Contact your hosting provider if the issue persists.

**"Scheduled Backup Settings" option is not visible:**

- Your hosting provider may not have enabled scheduled backups for your plan. Contact support.