Movable Type backup and restore functions allow you to save all of the entries, pages, assets, comments, templates and settings in your blog for archiving. Your blog can be backed up as one or more files, and those files can be restored to the system where they were created or to any other Movable Type install for data recovery purposes.

Note: Movable Type's backup and restore function use a different format than the import/export format in the system. If you are trying to create an export file for use with older versions of Movable Type or with other software, you should consult the documentation for Importing and Exporting Content.

A backup will contain all the data from a blog at the time the backup is created. Changes made after the backup is created will not be in the backup.

Backing up content from your blog

To back up the contents of your blog, switch to the System Overview area of Movable Type by choosing "System Overview" from the main blog selection menu. Then choose Tools > Backup from the main menu. This will display the backup screen.

To back up blogs:

• What to backup: Select a blog to back up by clicking on the "Choose blogs..." link. This will bring up the Select Blog dialog where you can choose your desired blog.

• Archive Format: Choose "zip" as your archive format if you would like the system to compress your backup file. (This is the most common option.) If you know that the system where you will be restoring your data does not support zip compression, choose "Don't compress", which will yield a slightly a larger backup file.

• Target File Size: Movable Type will break your backup file into a number of segments, if you choose. Using the Target File Size control, you can select a file size ranging from 300kb to 2mb in size. If you want a single file to contain all of your backup data, simply use the default option, "Don't divide".

When you have finished making your selections, click the "Make Backup" button.