How to Address Backup Issues in Magento 2

June 18, 2020 - E-Commerce, Magento 2

Magento 2 export CLI

If your Magento instance doesn’t create backups, welcome to this article. Below, we explain how to fix Magento 2 backups. The report provides possible solutions for the most common backup creation issues. More useful recommendations on how to address problems related to your e-commerce store are amassed here: Magento 2 Cookbook.

So, backups are no longer created. It happens in both Magento Open Source and Magento Commerce. However, different factors may stand at the onset of the problem. Below, we explore the four most common situations when backups are not generated in Magento 2.

Table of contents

1 Disabled Backups
2 Disk Space Issues
3 Troubles with OS
4 File System Permissions

Disabled Backups

One of the most common situations, when backups are not created, is caused by the disabled functionality. If the corresponding feature is not turned on or someone disabled it occasionally, you will see the following message:

Backup functionality is disabled.
Backup functionality is currently disabled. Please use other means for backups.

1 2	Backup functionality is disabled. Backup functionality is currently disabled. Please use other means for backups.

The solution is obvious: enable the function before backing up. You need to use the following CLI command:

bin/magento config:set system/backup/functionality_enabled 1

1	bin/magento config:set system/backup/functionality_enabled 1

Check this article if you need to configure the backup functionality of Magento 2: Back up and roll back the file system.

Disk Space Issues

Insufficient disk space is another common cause of failed backups. Its solution is even more evident than the one above: free up disk space. You need to move some files to another storage. That’s it.

Troubles with OS

If an operating system error prevents Magento 2 from creating backups, you need to contact your admin or look for help on public forums. Opening a GitHub issue may also be helpful. Due to the wide variety of factors that lead to the problem, we cannot be more specific here.

File System Permissions

Wrong file system permissions are another reason why the backup or all backup tests fail in Magento 2. If a Magento file system owner doesn’t have sufficient privileges and ownership, nothing happens. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to file system permissions and ownership of the <magento_root>/var directory and its subdirectories. We have a dedicated article in our blog: Magento 2 File/Folder Permissions.

For further information on backup issues and their resolutions in Magento 2, read this article: Magento 2 Backup Issues.