Type: How-to
Category: Umbraco Cloud > Backups & Disaster Recovery
Tags: disaster recovery, backup, restore, database restore, Point-in-Time Restore, media backup, Azure Blob Storage, Azure Storage Explorer, Umbraco Forms uploads, data retention, site down, git revert
Product: Umbraco Cloud
Version: All versions
Let’s Get You Back Online!
Whether a deployment went sideways, content was accidentally deleted, or things just stopped working, the most important thing to know is: You have options, and we are here to help.
At Umbraco, we prioritize your peace of mind. While our team is always ready to step in for complex recoveries, Umbraco Cloud provides you with the tools to perform "point-in-time" restores yourself to get back up and running fast.
Your Recovery Toolbox
Depending on what happened, there are three main ways to bring your project back to life:
1. Database Restore (Self-Service)
If your data or content has been corrupted or deleted, you can use the Point-in-Time Restore feature.
Window: You can restore your database to any specific moment within the last 30 days.
How-to: You can trigger this directly from your Umbraco Cloud portal. It’s like a time machine for your content!
2. Reverting Code Changes (Git)
If the site went down immediately after a code deployment, the issue is likely in the files rather than the database. Since Umbraco Cloud uses Git for version control, you can simply git revert the latest commit and push the working version back to your Live environment.
3. Full Project Recovery (With our Help)
In the event of a major disaster, our team can retrieve backups for you, including:
The Database (up to 30 days).
File system files and Media items from Azure Blob Storage (up to 35 days).
What Your Backups Don't Include
Before you rely on a backup, it's worth knowing what it does and doesn't contain. Media files are not stored in your database or in your Git repository — they live in Azure Blob Storage. This means:
A database backup or Point-in-Time Restore brings back the references to your media, but not the files themselves.
A local Git clone contains your code and schema, but no media files.
An export from the backoffice contains structure and references, not the media files. If your media "backup" is only a few KB, it does not contain your images.
Files uploaded through an Umbraco Forms upload field are stored the same way as media library items, so they need the same separate backup.
Media has to be backed up separately, via Azure Storage Explorer. See the Pro-Active Checklist below.
Deleting or recreating an environment? Back up that environment's blob storage first, and open the backup to confirm the files are actually in it. Once an environment is deleted, recovering its media is not self-service — you'll need to contact support, and it may not always be possible.
The "Pro-Active" Checklist
While we keep backups of your project, the fastest way to recover is to have your own copies ready. We recommend a "Triple-Lock" approach:
Keep a Local Clone: Always have a local version of your project on your machine.
Regular DB Backups: Export your database occasionally for your own archives.
Media Backups: Use the Azure Storage Explorer to download and back up your media folder from Azure Blob Storage. Each environment has its own blob storage container, so back up each environment you care about. This also covers files submitted through Umbraco Forms upload fields, which are stored alongside your media.
Friendly Reminder: If a disaster strikes and you aren't sure which path to take, reach out to our support team. We'll help you figure out if you need a simple database roll-back or a full-scale file restoration.
If you still need a walk through the specific steps for a Point-in-Time database restore, just type "talk to human"
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Last updated on July 28, 2026