Skip to main content

How to Download the Backup of Your Application

Learn how to download your application backups on Cloudways using SFTP or SSH. Follow simple, step-by-step instructions to safely download local backups to your computer.

Written by Usama Zafar
Updated over 3 months ago

This article will instruct you on how to download the backups (web files and database) of the application(s) from the local backups directory of the web application(s) to your local computer.

Local backups are also known as on-site backups.

Table of Contents:

How to Download the Backup of Your Application

Here are a few simple steps to download the backups to your local computer.

Step #1:

First, you need to enable the Local Backups functionality from the Cloudways Platform, so log in to your Cloudways Platform and click on the Servers tab from the top menu bar and select your target server.

Step #2

Click on the Backups option from the left menu bar first.

  1. Toggle on the Local Backups. Activating this option will create a local copy of an application backup (web files and database) in the local_backups directory of your target application deployed on the Cloudways server.

  2. Then, hit Save Changes.

  3. [Optional] Click on Take Backup Now if you want to have a local backup available immediately. Otherwise, local backups will be created at the same time and frequency as the standard automated backups.

Step #3

Now, you need to connect to your server via SFTP so that you can download the backup file from the server to the local computer.

Tip:

If you would like to know what is SFTP and why it is used, then Click Here to find out. In this example, we are using Master Credentials to access the server remotely.

You will see a screen like this after a successful connection with the server via SFTP.

Then, go to the following path and drag and drop your backup file from the server to your local computer.

/applications/<your_application_name>/local_backups

Tip:

Your application's name is available under the application settings.

Only the last backup will be available locally. For example, if you took a backup at 4:00 PM and then again at 4:35 PM, only the 4:35 PM backup will be available for download.

The off-site backup feature will continue to work as usual at the set frequency and instructions.

How to Remove the Local Backups

If you would like to remove local backups, then you can click on the trash, as shown below.

Important:

This is just the on-site backup stored on the server. Your automated off-site backups will remain unaffected, as well as the regularly scheduled backups you have configured.

How to Download the Backup of Your Application via SSH

In addition to SFTP, you can also download your application’s local backup using SSH (Secure Shell). This method is useful if you prefer working with command-line tools or want to download backups directly from the server terminal.

Before you begin, make sure Local Backups are already enabled for your server, as described earlier in this article. Local backups are stored inside the local_backups directory of your application

Step #1: Open PowerShell on Your Windows System

  1. On your Windows laptop, press Windows + R

  2. Type powershell

  3. Click OK

This opens the Windows PowerShell terminal, which supports SSH by default on modern Windows versions.

Step #2: Connect to Your Cloudways Server via SSH

  1. In PowerShell, enter the following command:

ssh master@your_server_ip

2. Replace:

  • master with your Master Username

  • your_server_ip with your Server Public IP

3. Press Enter

4. When prompted, enter your Master Password

5. Press Enter again
​

Once connected successfully, you will see the server terminal prompt.

Tip:

You can find your Master Credentials (username, password, and server IP) under Server Management → Master Credentials on the Cloudways Platform.

Step #3: Navigate to the Local Backups Directory

  1. Run the following command to move into your application directory:

cd applications

2. List all applications on the server:
​

ls

3. Identify your application name, then move into it:
​

cd your_application_name

4. Navigate to the local backups folder:
​

cd local_backups

5. List available backup files:
​

ls -lh

You will see the most recent backup file (web files and database).

Important:

Only the latest local backup is available at any given time. Older local backups are automatically replaced.

Step #4: Download the Backup File to Your Local Computer

From your local PowerShell window (not inside the SSH session), open a new PowerShell tab or window, then run:

scp master@your_server_ip:/applications/your_application_name/local_backups/backup_file_name /Users/YourUsername/Downloads

Replace:

  • backup_file_name with the actual backup file name

  • /Users/YourUsername/Downloads with your preferred local folder path

Press Enter, then enter your Master Password when prompted. The backup file will begin downloading to your local system.

Step #5: Verify the Download on Your Local System

  1. Open File Explorer

  2. Go to your Downloads (or chosen folder)

  3. Confirm that the backup file is available

You have successfully downloaded your application backup via SSH.

Helpful Notes

  • SSH downloads use secure encrypted connections

  • This method is ideal for users who prefer terminal access

  • Automated off-site backups remain unaffected

You can delete local backups from the Cloudways Platform without impacting off-site backups.

That’s it! We hope this article was useful.

Need Help?

If you need assistance, feel free to:

We're here 24/7 to help you!

Did this answer your question?