Plugin Support
Saransh
(@saranshwpm)
Hi @rebop,
Thank you for reaching out!
No, that does not sound expected. Once the backup has completed successfully, the temporary backup file should normally be cleaned up automatically.
Could you please confirm:
- Which BackWPup version are you using?
- Does this happen after every backup run?
- Is the backup stored locally only, or also sent to a remote destination?
- Does the backup log show any warning or error near the end of the job?
If possible, please share the related backup log after removing any sensitive information. That should help us understand why the temp file is not being removed properly.
Best regards,
Thread Starter
rebop
(@rebop)
Thanks for the reply!
Here are my steps:
Run backup.
Download file
View folders and temp remains – same size as backup!
5.7.4
Every time
Stored on server only until downloaded
[INFO] BackWPup 5.7.4; A project of WP Media
[INFO] WordPress 6.9.4 on https://www.in4m8n.com/WPress/
[INFO] Log Level: Normal
[INFO] BackWPup job: Backup Now
[INFO] Logfile is: backwpup_log_6c31f4_2026-07-06_16-29-23.html
[INFO] Backup file is located at: /xxxxxx/public_html/WPress/wp-content/uploads/.../2026-07-06_16-29-23_CNJEHYAF03_DBDUMP-FILE-WPPLUGIN.tar
[July 6, 2026 4:29 pm] 1. Try to backup database …
[July 6, 2026 4:29 pm] Connected to database xxxxx_wrd1 on localhost
[July 6, 2026 4:29 pm] Added database dump "xxxxx_wrd1.sql" with 6.22 MB to backup file list
[July 6, 2026 4:29 pm] Database backup done!
[July 6, 2026 4:29 pm] 1. Trying to make a list of folders to back up …
[July 6, 2026 4:29 pm] Added "wp-config.php" to backup file list
[July 6, 2026 4:29 pm] 6192 folders to backup.
[July 6, 2026 4:29 pm] 1. Trying to generate a file with installed plugin names …
[July 6, 2026 4:29 pm] Added plugin list file "xxxxx-xxxxx.com.pluginlist.2026-07-06.txt" with 3.48 KB to backup file list.
[July 6, 2026 4:29 pm] 1. Trying to generate a manifest file …
[July 6, 2026 4:29 pm] Added manifest.json file with 5.59 KB to backup file list.
[July 6, 2026 4:29 pm] 1. Trying to create backup archive …
[July 6, 2026 4:29 pm] Compressing files as Tar. Please be patient, this may take a moment.
[July 6, 2026 4:30 pm] After restart on folder: wp-content/plugins/gravityforms/includes/form-display/block-styles/
[July 6, 2026 4:30 pm] Backup archive created.
[July 6, 2026 4:30 pm] Archive size is 1.22 GB.
[July 6, 2026 4:30 pm] 36226 Files with 1.19 GB in Archive.
[July 6, 2026 4:30 pm] Job done in 57 seconds.
Now, after “touching” BackWPup, the temp from yesterday is now gone. But after backup yesterday I downloaded a Home Directory from CPanel and the TEMP file is clearly there.
I am going to run a new backup this moment and download the .tar to local computer….
Run. Nothing new in temp, just the expected.
Downloading….
Temp file remains after closing dashboard
ftp://xxxxx@xxxxxx.com/public_html/WPress/wp-content/uploads/backwpup/5243e0/temp/2026-07-07_02-44-39_WRJEHYG403_DBDUMP-FILE-WPPLUGIN.tar
I do not know how yesterdays was deleted unless simply by touching the plugin today. I will watch this file.
Thread Starter
rebop
(@rebop)
This might be helpful. From a new error log!
[06-Jul-2026 19:33:00 UTC] PHP Warning: Undefined array key “type” in /xxxxx/xxxxx/public_html/xxxxxx/wp-content/plugins/backwpup/components/job-item.php on line 37
Thread Starter
rebop
(@rebop)
OK, this IS odd. Just checked 8 hours later and the temp file is gone. I checked several times earlier and it was there, so cannot say specifically when it was removed.
I CAN say that since the last time I checked and it was there, I went into WP Admin to check settings on two OTHER plugins for a project I am doing. Did not touch BackWPup at all. Could simply going to WP Admin cause that file to clear?
And we know it can clear 🙂 Now how to make it clear immediately after downloading the backup to my local computer?
-
This reply was modified 1 day, 3 hours ago by
rebop.
Plugin Support
Saransh
(@saranshwpm)
Hi @rebop,
Thank you for checking and for the detailed update.
Yes, that helps clarify what’s happening.
The temporary backup file is intended to be cleaned up automatically. It may not always happen immediately after the backup finishes, but it should be removed during subsequent cleanup checks. That matches what you observed, where the file disappeared later without any manual action.
As long as the backup completes successfully and the temporary file is eventually removed, everything is working as expected.
Regarding the PHP warning (Undefined array key "type"), thank you for sharing that as well. It appears to be unrelated to the temporary file cleanup, but I’ll report it internally for the team to review.
Thanks again for taking the time to investigate and report your findings!
Best regards,
Thread Starter
rebop
(@rebop)
Thanks. Not removing the temp immediately is an issue for me and my workflow.
I backup, download the newest backup to my local machine. VERY often I then do a home directory download in CPanel and it is bloated by the leftover temp. That backup and time takes longer as CPanel downloads are slow.
If that cannot be made faster to delete for the temp, I have to consider other potential backup plugins. Only one other on my shortlist so shall see how that one fares. Do let me know if the time to retain that temp changes.
Thanks.
Plugin Support
Saransh
(@saranshwpm)
Hi @rebop,
Thank you for the additional details. I completely understand why this affects your workflow.
From what I can see, the temporary file is eventually being cleaned up, but it definitely shouldn’t take several hours. On my end, I’m not seeing the same behavior, so I’d like to gather a bit more information before reporting it internally.
Could you please enable the Debug log level, run another backup, and then share the backup log with any sensitive information removed?
You can find the steps to enable Debug logging here:
https://backwpup.com/docs/sending-in-log-files-for-the-support/
Once I have the debug log, I’ll take a closer look to understand why the temporary file cleanup is being delayed in your case.
Best regards,
Thread Starter
rebop
(@rebop)
I could be wrong, but I do not think that temp file is created UNTIL I download the backup. If that is the case, I doubt your debug after backup would show anything of interest.
