Restoring a backup

A restore overwrites the current state — it is the only truly irreversible operation in the plugin. That is why the path leads through a guided process that first checks the backup, shows you what you lose, and creates a way back before anything is written.

What the check report compares

• File in the backup directory — present or missing
• SHA-256 checksum — if it differs, the restore is blocked
• manifest.json — if it is missing, the archive does not come from this plugin
• Database name in the archive — compared with the running installation
• Table prefix
• End of the dump and end marker
• Free space in the backup directory

Restoring step by step

1. Open “Kakapo Backup” and click on “Restore” on the left under “Action” (in German: „Aktion“).
2. On the “1 · Choose backup” card, select the state you want.
3. Read the check report on card 2; red findings for the file, the checksum or manifest.json block the run.
4. Take a look at “3 · Data loss preview” — what is counted is everything created since the time of this backup.
5. Open “4 · File preview against the live state”; it compares every file entry in the archive with the file at the target location, without writing anything.
6. Under “5 · Scope of this run”, tick “Restore database” and “Restore files” and, if needed, select individual entries via “Load tables” or “Load file list”.
7. Click on “Start restore” and confirm the prompt.

Smaller interventions instead of a full run

Not every case needs the whole process. In the list in the “Restore” (in German: „Wiederherstellen“) area, “Restore” (in German: „Wiederherstellen“) restores the database row by row, the file browser restores a single file via “Restore”, and under “Choose backup for table restore” the “Roll back” button restores exactly one table. wp-config.php is never overwritten during the guided run.