Title: Media Backups Author: WordPress VIP Documentation Published: June 24, 2022 Last modified: January 1, 2026 --- 1. [VIP File System](https://docs.wpvip.com/vip-file-system/) 2. Media Backups # Media Backups A backup copy of all media files that are associated with a WordPress environment can be downloaded from within [the application view of the VIP Dashboard](https://docs.wpvip.com/vip-dashboard/application-view/). Generated media file backups: * are stored in Amazon S3 and retained for 7 days. * are compressed into one or more ZIP files with the file extension `*.zip`. Each zip file can hold up to 3TB of data or 2.5M media files. If a backup exceeds these limits, it will be split into multiple files. * can be imported to [local development](https://docs.wpvip.com/local-development/) environments. The timestamps for individual files within a media backup represent either the date and time the file was imported or uploaded to the VIP File System, or a more recent date and time when [the file was overwritten via VIP-CLI or an operation run by application code](https://docs.wpvip.com/vip-file-system/versioning-files/). **Prerequisites** * **To view** the Media Backups panel, a user must have at minimum an [Org member role](https://docs.wpvip.com/manage-user-access/vip-dashboard/org-roles/) or an [App read role](https://docs.wpvip.com/manage-user-access/vip-dashboard/app-role/) for that application. * **To download** a Media Backups file, a user must have at minimum an Org member role or an App write role for that application. ## Limitations * Only one media backup can be prepared at a time. * Media backups for larger numbers of files will take a longer time to prepare. * Up to 3 previously requested and available media backups are listed under “Available Backups”. Each previously requested backup will expire after 7 days and be removed from the list. * Media backups are requested per [environment](https://docs.wpvip.com/vip-platform/environments/). Each backup will include only the media files that were [uploaded through WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/article/using-image-and-file-attachments/), or [imported via VIP-CLI](https://docs.wpvip.com/vip-file-system/import-media-files/) to that specific environment. * A production environment’s media files [are made available for reference](https://docs.wpvip.com/vip-file-system/shared-media-files/) to non-production environments after a data sync. A media backup of a non-production environment will not include the media that is referenced from production. * Media backups will not be available for a [WordPress multisite](https://docs.wpvip.com/wordpress-multisite/) environment if a site on the network is under [maintenance mode](https://docs.wpvip.com/access-and-routing/maintenance-mode/), has a [domain misconfiguration](https://docs.wpvip.com/launch-a-site/launch-troubleshooting/#h-site-not-found-error), or is inaccessible due to other configuration issues. * Media backups for an individual network site of a WordPress multisite environment will not be accessible in the Media Backups panel [if cron is not operational,](https://docs.wpvip.com/cron-control/) or if the network site is inaccessible due to other configuration issues. ## Download a media backup for WordPress single site 1. Navigate to the [VIP Dashboard](https://dashboard.wpvip.com/) for an application. 2. Select an environment from the environment dropdown located at the upper left of the VIP Dashboard. 3. Select “**Media**” from the sidebar navigation at the left of the screen. 4. Select **“Media Backups”** from the submenu. 5. Select the “**Generate Backup**” button to request a backup. A displayed progress bar and a numerical percentage indicator will track the status of completion for the creation of the backup file. 6. The message “Media backup generated” will display when the backup file is ready for download. The newly created media backup file will appear at the top of the list under “Available Backups”. 7. Select the “**Download**” button to download the file to the user’s local machine. The “**Download**” button will expire after 15 minutes. Downloads that are already in progress will continue after the button expires. ## Download a media backup for WordPress multisite 1. Navigate to the [VIP Dashboard](https://dashboard.wpvip.com/) for an application. 2. Select an environment from the environment dropdown located at the upper left of the VIP Dashboard. 3. Select “**Media**” from the sidebar navigation at the left of the screen. 4. Select **“Media Backups”** from the submenu. 5. Select the dropdown bar below “**Select a network site to back up**” to display the first ten network sites from the multisite. 6. Select a site from the dropdown list. 7. * A site can also be found by typing the site’s network site ID or `home_url` into the search field as a search term. * To request a backup for all sites on the network, select the “**All network sites (**[ ]**)**” option from the dropdown. 8. Select the “**Generate Backup**” button to request a backup. A displayed progress bar and a numerical percentage will indicate the status of completion for the creation of the backup file. 9. The message “Media backup generated” will display when the backup file is ready for download. The newly created media backup file will appear at the top of the list under “Available Backups”. 10. Select the “**Download**” button to download the file to the user’s local machine. The “**Download**” button will expire after 15 minutes. Downloads that are already in progress will continue after the button expires. ## Copy a link to a prepared media backup Media backups that are available for download are displayed in the lower area of the panel under the title “**Available Backup(s)**“. A shareable link to a prepared media backup can be copied by selecting the “**Copy Link**” button to the right of the listed file. **The link has a 15 minute expiration.** Last updated: January 01, 2026