One-Click Database Backup and Import (PRO)

Q: What file formats can I import?

Import accepts a plain .sql file and a gzip-compressed .sql.gz file. Both are files that Backup & Import (or a compatible SQL export) produced. If your backup was created with Backup Compression enabled, it will be a .sql.gz file, and you can import it directly without decompressing it first.

Before you run a database-wide search and replace, you want a clean rollback point — and after a bad migration, you want to restore one fast. Update URLs PRO includes a one-click Backup & Import tool that exports your whole database to a SQL file and imports a SQL file back in, without leaving WordPress or touching the command line.

PRO feature

Backup & Import is available only in Update URLs PRO. In the free version, the tab shows an upgrade prompt instead of the backup and import controls.

This is a manual backup, not an automatic one

Backup & Import is a tool you run on demand. It is not an automatic snapshot taken before each replace. If you need to reverse a specific run, use the PRO Undo / history feature, which restores from a separate per-value journal. Take a manual backup here when you want a full-database restore point.

Where to find Backup & Import

Go to Update URLS → Tools, then open the Backup & Import tab (it is the default tab on the Tools page; the other tab is System Info).

Backup Database

How to back up your database

The backup exports every table to a .sql file. It is written in pages so large databases don't exhaust memory, and it can be gzip-compressed if you enable that in settings.

Go to Update URLS → Tools → Backup & Import.
Click Backup Database.
Wait for the export to finish — progress is shown as it runs.
The download starts automatically when the file is ready.

If you turn on Backup Compression in settings, the export is written as a compressed .sql.gz file, which is smaller to download and store. See PRO settings for that option.

Optional: chain a profile onto the backup

If you have saved search and replace profiles, you can select one under Run search/replace profile on backup (optional) so the backup is taken and the saved replacement is queued together — useful for a repeatable "snapshot, then migrate" routine.

How to import (restore) a database

Import reads a SQL file into temporary staging tables first, then swaps them into place. Supported files are .sql and gzip-compressed .sql.gz.

Go to Update URLS → Tools → Backup & Import.
Provide the file one of two ways:
- Upload it directly in the interface, or
- Place it on the server at the path shown on screen (via FTP/SFTP) when the file is too large to upload through the browser.
Click Import Database.
Wait until the import reaches 100%.
Confirm the success message.

Safety notes

Import overwrites your existing table content. The imported data replaces what is currently in those tables — treat import as a full restore, not a merge.
Confirm which environment you are in. Importing a production backup into staging (or the reverse) is a common and costly mistake. Check the site before you click Import Database.
Keep a backup you did not just overwrite. If a restore goes wrong, you want an earlier export to fall back to.

Conclusion

Backup & Import gives you a full-database export and restore from inside WordPress, so you can create a rollback point before a risky search and replace and recover quickly if a migration goes wrong. Pair it with the PRO dry run to preview changes before they are written, and with undo and history to reverse an individual run.

FAQs

Is a backup taken automatically before each search and replace?

No. Backup & Import is a manual tool you run yourself. Update URLs PRO does not take a full-database snapshot before every replace. What it does record for each run is a separate per-value undo journal, which powers the Undo feature. Take a manual backup here when you specifically want a full-database restore point before a large migration.

What file formats can I import?

Import accepts a plain .sql file and a gzip-compressed .sql.gz file. Both are files that Backup & Import (or a compatible SQL export) produced. If your backup was created with Backup Compression enabled, it will be a .sql.gz file, and you can import it directly without decompressing it first.

My database is too large to upload. What can I do?

Instead of uploading through the browser, place the SQL file directly on the server at the path shown on the Backup & Import screen using FTP or SFTP. The importer will pick up the file from that location. This avoids browser and PHP upload-size limits that block very large .sql files.

Is Backup & Import available in the free version?

No. Backup & Import is a PRO-only feature. In the free version, the Tools tab displays an upgrade prompt in place of the backup and import controls. The free version does not include a built-in database export or restore, so back up through your host or another tool before running an irreversible free search and replace.