# Backing Up Data

To perform backup of Plesk hosting data, you need to execute the `pleskbackup.exe` utility command composed so that it does the following:

1. Defines the data that need to be backed up.

2. Defines the way of how the backup process will be performed.

3. Defines properties of the files that will be contained in backup.

4. Defines options for exporting backup as a single file.

   Note

   Only the first component is obligatory, others are optional.

The following sections explain each component meaning and implementation in detail.

The `pleskbackup` utility is located in `%plesk_dir%bin\` where `%plesk_dir%` is an environment variable for Plesk installation directory. By default, it is `C:\Program Files (x86)\Plesk\`

To see a complete list of the `pleskbackup` commands and options, refer to the Reference for Command-Line Utilities, Plesk for Microsoft Windows guide.

If the command execution succeeds, backup is created in the default server backups location or exported to a file in case exporting options were specified. For details on exporting options, refer to the section Exporting Backup Files. If the command execution fails, backup is not created.

You can perform advanced configuration of the backup operation through the file `%plesk_dir%admin\share\pmmcli\pmmcli-rc`. For more details, refer to the section Defining How the Backup Process Is Performed.

If a backup process fails, you can use its logs for troubleshooting. Each backup process’s logs are stored in `%plesk_dir%PMM\logs\backup-YYYY-MM-DD-hh-mm-nnn\`, where `YYYY-MM-DD-hh-mm` is the date and time when the backup was performed and `nnn` is a randomly generated number.