Last night I wanted to retrieve an old theme and an old plugin from the backups of a live site. I recovered the Updraft backups, and then opened the archives up to use 7Zip to extract the relevant folders. There was then an ‘Oh crap’ moment…
“Wait a minute… why are there so many empty folders? Where did all my files go?”
Well, I didn’t panic – much – but decided to investigate further, because I knew that I had recently restored a backup from this very site, so I was pretty confident about Updraft. SO what was happening?
This is one of those backup quirks that can look alarming at first glance but is actually working exactly as intended. Just not necessarily as I expected it to.
Why Do the Backups Look Empty?
UpdraftPlus is one of the most trusted WordPress backup plugins out there, and it handles your site’s data with care. When it creates a backup, it often splits your site into multiple archive files — especially if you have a lot of media uploads, plugins, or large themes.
So, when you open one of these .zip files manually, you might see a normal folder structure but no files inside some folders. That’s because:
- UpdraftPlus spreads your site’s files across multiple archives to keep each file manageable in size.
- The ‘empty’ folders you’re seeing are just placeholders in that particular
.zip— the actual files live in the other backup parts. - When you restore through UpdraftPlus, the plugin automatically stitches everything back together, putting every file back where it belongs.
Should You Be Concerned?
In short: No.
If you found the files in other archives (as I did), you’re good to go. UpdraftPlus is designed to handle large sites in smaller, more reliable chunks — rather than risking one giant backup file that might get corrupted or be too big for your server to handle.
How to Check That Your Backup is Complete
Here’s a quick checklist to keep your mind at ease:
- Always make sure you have all parts of your backup. For example,
backup-plugins.zip,backup-themes.zip,backup-uploads1.zip,backup-uploads2.zip, and so on. - Double-check that your backup log shows no errors or warnings.
- If you ever need to restore, use the UpdraftPlus restore feature — don’t try to restore manually file-by-file.
- Periodically do a test restore on a staging site if you want to be extra safe. Don’t forget that a backup system without occasional test restores is simply a way of filling up disc space.
A Reminder: Don’t Skip Backups!
It might feel like a hassle, but backups are your safety net when things go wrong — whether it’s a hacked site, a bad plugin update, or accidental content deletion. So keep those backups running, and check that they’re happening on schedule.
Bottom Line
Seeing empty folders in a single UpdraftPlus backup .zip is totally normal. Your files are safe, just spread out. As long as you store all parts together and restore through the plugin, you’re covered.
So next time you open up a backup out of curiosity and see empty folders — smile. It means your plugin is doing its job properly behind the scenes.