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Back Up and Restore Your OpenCart Files

This guide shows how to save a safe copy of your OpenCart files, and how to put them back if something goes wrong.

Online Stores2 min read17 steps

Why back up?

A backup is a spare copy of your store. If an update breaks the site, or a file is deleted by mistake, you can bring the old copy back. Think of it as a photo of your shop shelves before you rearrange them.

OpenCart has two parts. The files are the program, the theme and your pictures. The database holds products, customers and orders. This guide covers the files. Back up the database as well for a full copy.

Back up the files

  1. Log in to the client area and open your hosting control panel.
  2. Open File Manager.
  3. Go to the folder where OpenCart lives. This is often public_html.
  4. Select all the files and folders. Use the Select All button.
  5. Click Compress. Choose Zip Archive.
  6. Name the file with today's date, such as opencart-files-2026-10-08.zip.
  7. Click Compress File(s).
  8. Right-click the new ZIP file and choose Download. Save it on your computer.
Tip: Keep at least one copy off the server. If the server has a problem, your backup is still safe.

Back up the database

  1. In the control panel, open phpMyAdmin.
  2. Click your OpenCart database.
  3. Click Export, then Go. A .sql file downloads.

Restore the files

Warning: Restoring will replace your current files with the old ones. Any change made since the backup will be lost. Save a fresh backup first if the site still works.
  1. Open File Manager and go to your OpenCart folder.
  2. Click Upload and upload your backup ZIP file.
  3. Right-click the ZIP file and choose Extract.
  4. Choose the same folder and confirm. Existing files with the same names are replaced.
  5. Delete the ZIP file when it is done.
  6. Open your store and check that it loads.

If the database was also changed, restore the .sql file with Import in phpMyAdmin.

Your Hostvento plan may also include automatic backups. Ask Hostvento support if that is part of your plan.

Quick recap

  • Files and database are two separate parts. Back up both.
  • Use Compress in File Manager, then download the ZIP.
  • To restore, upload the ZIP and Extract it.
  • Restoring overwrites newer files, so be careful.