If you’re using Blogger as your blogging platform, you might not realize that all your content technically belongs to Google. That’s the trade-off for using a free platform. While Blogger is a reliable service, there have been instances where blogs have disappeared overnight completely wiped out with no warning. A well-known case is that of Melaine from My Sweet Savannah, whose entire blog vanished, forcing her to start over with a brand-new blog URL. Interestingly, after some time, her original blog was restored, but by then, the damage had already been done. Imagine the frustration of losing years’ worth of posts, photos, and comments all your hard work only for it to reappear unpredictably.
Although Google sometimes manages to retrieve lost content, there are cases where it vanishes permanently into the digital abyss, never to be recovered. As a Blogger user, you have no direct recourse with Google to restore your lost content, which makes it crucial to take matters into your own hands.
Why You Should Back Up Your Blog
Losing your blog due to an unexpected glitch, hacking attempt, or accidental deletion is a nightmare no blogger wants to experience. Thankfully, backing up your blog is simple and takes just a few minutes. By making regular backups, you can safeguard your content and avoid the stress of starting from scratch.
If you’ve never backed up your blog before, don’t worry—this guide will walk you through the process, ensuring that your blog remains safe and secure no matter what happens.
Step 1: Back Up Your Blog Content (Posts, Photos, and Comments)
Backing up your blog content ensures that all your posts, images, and comments are safe. Ideally, you should do this once a week, overwriting the previous backup each time. This way, in the worst-case scenario, you will only lose a few recent posts rather than years of work.
How to Back Up Your Blog Content
- Go to your Blogger dashboard.
- Select “Settings” from the dropdown menu.
- In the “Settings” menu, choose “Other.”
- Find the “Blog Tools” section at the top of the page and click “Export blog.”
- A window will pop up—click “Download Blog.”
- Once downloaded, the file (.xml) will appear in your computer’s downloads folder or at the bottom of your browser screen.
And that’s it! You have successfully backed up your blog and prevented the risk of losing your precious content.
Important Notes:
- The .xml file contains all your blog content in HTML format, which means that even if you lose access to Blogger, you can still retrieve your posts.
- If you use Safari, you may encounter issues saving the file. Instead of a download, your RSS feed may pop up, displaying all posts and comments as text. This happens due to a browser glitch.
Solution for Safari Users:
If you face this issue, switch to a different browser like Google Chrome or Firefox, then repeat the backup process. This workaround has been proven effective and ensures that the backup file is saved correctly.
I personally use Google Chrome for this process and make it a habit to save a fresh copy of my blog every week, deleting the old version.
Step 2: Back Up Your Blog Template
Your blog template is the framework that determines your site’s appearance, layout, and design. If you ever decide to tweak your HTML, CSS, or layout, it’s highly recommended to save a copy of your template beforehand.
Why? Because a single error in your HTML code can break your blog’s design, and without a backup, you may struggle to restore it to its original look.
How to Back Up Your Blogger Template
- Go to the Blogger dashboard.
- Select “Theme” (formerly called “Template”) from the dropdown menu.
- In the upper right-hand corner, click on “Backup/Restore.”
- Select “Download full template.”
- The file will save automatically to your computer.
Extra Safety Tip:
Once you have backed up both your content and template, store the files in a cloud storage service like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive for added protection. Additionally, keeping a copy on a USB thumb drive or external hard drive is a good idea in case your computer crashes.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know how to back up your Blogger blog, make it a habit to do so at least once a week. This small step will provide peace of mind and ensure that all your hard work remains safe, no matter what happens.
By following these simple steps, you can prevent potential heartbreak and frustration caused by losing your content due to unexpected technical failures.
Don’t take any chances start backing up your blog today!
