Backing Up my wordpress, i have no idea

There are only two things you absolutely *must* have backed up, then a third that connects those two together to make your site work and then a fourth that can be optional:

1. Downloaded copy (SQL) of you database tables;
2. Downloaded copy of /wp-content/ folder and its contents;
3. Downloaded copy of wp-config.php file;
4. Downloaded copy of “root” .htaccess file.

Your database and /wp-content/ together contain all site content, your wp-config.php file connects those two together and your .htaccess file is what gets WordPress started whenever anyone goes to your domain URL. Then to fill out the entire picture, all other WordPress folders and files can easily be obtained at any time from a fresh download of WordPress.

Differentiating between simple and easy here: It can seem easiest to do backups with one or more plugins, but the simplest way to do backups and then make practical (selective) use of them later is by doing things manually…and sooner or later you will need the related experience necessary for that anyway.

Have you ever been to cPanel at your host’s server?

cPanel > phpMyAdmin for export of database tables;
cPanel > File Manager for copy of /wp-content/;
cPanel > File Manager for copy of wp-config.php;
cPanel > File Manager for copy of .htaccess.

Thanks so much thats brilliant

All done and backed up now

Im guessing now if something goes wrong, i could completely wipe my webspace & all databases, and then put a new WordPress install on and then overwrite with these saved files?

But wouldnt a new WordPress install require a totally different & new database?

Regards

Not really. You could use a different database if you wanted to, but if you’ve deleted everything including the database, you can just re-create a new blank database that uses the old name.

@loppy777 you can use backup plugins for purposes like this

Im guessing now if something goes wrong, i could completely wipe my webspace & all databases…

If you ever really *must do that, your host could reset or “nuke” your account to get it back to the very beginning…

…and then put a new WordPress install on and then overwrite with these saved files?

Yes, and part of that would include what catacaustic has mentioned along the line of cPanel > MySQL to make a database shell and SQL user with the names and password you already have in wp-config.php and then going to cPanel > phpMyAdmin to import the tables.