Backup size 10x increase

@harry
You can exclude files and folders on the files tab in the backup job settings. I too had an issue with 3.1.1 with huge backup sizes and no answer as of yet as to why. I uninstalled and put 3.0.13 back in essence of no time to troubleshoot over the holidays. However the temp and logs folders may not be excluded in your case and you can certainly do that. Also there is a section at the bottom to put any custom files and folders to exclude if you want.

I just experienced the same large backup size problem, but in my case, at least, there was a simple explanation and fix. By default, backwpup saves its backup files in a directory it creates within wp-content/uploads. You can identify this directory because it ends in “backups”.

This active backup directory doesn’t doesn’t get backed up for obvious reasons.

When I updated to version 3.1 (3.1.1), backwpup created a NEW backup directory, and began saving its backups there. As expected, it isn’t backing up that directory.

However, the OLD (pre-3.1) backup directory is still there as well, with all my old backups–and since it’s no longer the active backup directory, it IS getting backed up. I fixed this by going to the “File” tab for my backup job and checking “Exclude” for that backup directory. (It’s the only one ending in “backups” that appears there. The active backup directory doesn’t appear since it’s not getting backed up in the first place.)

I think there’s a good chance this is the cause of the problem with large backup sizes that others are reporting.

I was altered to the problem by a Dropbox message that my use was nearing the capacity limit. Same finding as fssbob. The update resulted in backups going to a new folder, and the old backup folder and its multiple files being included in all new backups. I followed his advice and have excluded the old folder from future backups.

Can you please test the Beta from here https://github.com/inpsyde/backwpup

Was the fix to keep BackWPup from creating and switching to a new backup folder, or was it to exclude old backup folders from backups?

I only had one site where a new backup folder had been created, and, unfortunately, I had already deleted the old folder. I tried to simulate the problem by duplicating the live backup folder “backwpup-fba25b-backups” as “backwpup-fba25c-backups”. I then went to the beta’s edit screen for the backup job. “backwpup-fba25c-backups” did not have a checkmark; i.e., it appeared BackWPup still intended to back it up.

Thanks, by the way, both for your amazing plugin and the incredible support you give it.

IF ther no checkmark than normely it is in no job configured. Can happends if a job deleted. Did you have tryed the Version from github ?

Did you have tryed the Version from github ?

Yes, and my previous Post explained what happened when I tried it. If the intent of your fix was to keep BackWPup from backing up an old BackWPup backup folder, it didn’t work.

Thanks.

All folders that will not displayed in the files tab Will not be backuped.
If you Copy a folder BackWPup knows nothing from him and it will be backuped. If backup Folder will be change in job settings, that th old folder is a unkown folder and you must exclude it manualy.

That makes sense. But you asked us to test the new beta. I’m not sure what the beta is supposed to be doing differently. I thought perhaps the change was to automatically exclude old backup folders.

Thanks.

Hello,

With the next bugfix release BackWPup will generate ‘.donotbackup’ files in the backups folder and with that file in the folder will excluded automaticly. I hope that will help in future. The second is other plugins can ganrate the same file to prevent folder from backup.

Ah, that’s brilliant! Fantastic idea!