What would you do if your blog was lost? If all the posts and photos just disappeared? Would you cry? I probably would. Then I'd probably kick walls and scream and yell! 
But, if you back-up your blog regularly, there's no need to do the kicking and screaming and yelling thing - at least not for losing your blog anyway! Backing up your blog is really easy. Let me take you through how to do it.
Note - you need to be logged into your blog to do any of this stuff. When you're logged in, "design" is at the top right of your blog's navigation bar - beside your e-mail address, "new post" and "sign out".
Back up your template.
Click on "design".
Choose "theme".
Choose the arrow on the right of "customise".
Click on "backup".
A .xml file is downloaded to your computer. Save it. I keep mine in a folder called "blog back-ups" with the date I last did the back-up.
If you're going to try and change your template, please save a copy of it to your computer *before* you start messing with it. That way, if you do something wrong or you just change your mind and want it back the way it was, all you need to do is re-load it back in.
To do that, do the same as above and after you've done the "back-up/restore" bit, choose "browse". Find the .xml file you downloaded, click on it and upload it. Done!
Back up your posts and comments.
Click on "design".
Choose "settings".
Scroll down to "Manage Blog".
Choose "Back up content".
Click on "download".
Again, a .xml file is downloaded to your computer. Save it in the same place that you saved your template.
To re-load them back in, do the same as above but choose the "import blog" option.
I hope that helps! :o)
This will be a lifesaver to me and many others I am sure. Thank you SOOOO much for this Anne!! You are a lifesaver and star!! I will be in touch about the other thing - still working on the other issues right now!
ReplyDeleteYou are wonderful Anne! xx
You're very welcome, Amy. I have another post planned on how to add a button. Hopefully I'll get that up soon. :o)
DeleteI never realised you could do this, thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome. :o)
DeleteThis is great info.
ReplyDeleteHow did you learn to do this? I am always amazed at how people find these things out!
I remember reading someone's blog a long, long time ago about how she couldn't get into her blog and, when she did, it was empty. I can't remember now who that was but I do remember her telling us at that time how to back-up our blogs. I wrote it down and have learnt other bits from other blogs over time.
DeleteSo many of us put so much into our blogs, it would be a shame to lose them. :o)
Brilliant, thank you! Going to do this today - thanks for sharing your know-how. 😘 xx
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome, GIlly. Glad I could help. :o)
DeleteCrikey Anne - I've done it! Thank you! Jane x
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome, Jane. :o)
DeleteHugely helpful, Anne, thank you for putting this up. Popped over from Amy's blog. CT x
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome, CT. I'm glad I could help. :o)
DeleteI shall definitely do this. Does that mean that if my blog disappeared, because I haven't already saved copies of my posts, I wouldn't be able to get all the old posts back, only the ones from when I start saving them? Sorry if I sound thick, I'm technically challenged.
ReplyDeleteYou don't sound thick at all, Jo. I'm a great believer in asking questions - if you don't ask, you won't know the answer!
DeleteIf you back-up your posts and comments now, it will save *everything* that you've done so far. Hope that helps. :o)
Yes, it does. Thank you.
DeleteNo problem, Jo. :o)
DeleteWow. Good information. I would be very sad if it were all lost, but had no idea how to back up my blog. I'm here via Amy. Thank you so much. blessings ~ tanna
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome, Tanna. I'm happy to help. :o)
DeleteBrilliant tutorial; it was very clear. I have been a bad girl and not backed up my blog for a while *blush*.
ReplyDeleteI think Amy's problem earlier this week has been a reminder to a lot of people! Thanks for helping x
You're right, Jem. When I was reading Amy's post, I realised I hadn't backed mine up since October last year! Ooops!
DeleteI've found you via Amy - thank you so much for this brilliant tutorial. I've now used your instructions and backed up my blogs:)
ReplyDeleteYou're most welcome, Rosie. I'm glad I could help. :o)
DeleteOh you are clever. I have often wondered about how to do this but never got any further than wondering.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great tutorial.
Ali xx
You're very welcome, Ali. :o)
DeleteI think I did this last week but it seems to save the blog in HTML How dies that help a helpless tech naive person such as I? Us there a way to save it as is do you know?
ReplyDeleteYou're right. The files are incomprehensible to us but, if you need to use them, Blogger can read them. It's a bit like a computer, we don't need to know how it works to be able to make it work. Does that make sense?
DeleteAs for saving things as they are - I suspect you'll need to go through everything and save the posts one by one. Eeeeek!!
Amy has sent me! Your post is excellent, so very helpful, I shall go and back up immediately. Many thanks for sharing this really useful information. CJ xx
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome, CJ. I'm glad I could help. :o)
DeleteI need to back up my blog? Who knew?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip - I'll be backing it up on the morrow!
Yeah - wouldn't want to lose all our words of wisdom ... or whatever they are! :oD
DeleteThanks - invaluable advice. When I backup my posts is that everything from the start to the most recent one posted?
ReplyDeleteYes, that's correct, Gillian. It backs up everything you've posted. :o)
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