Back up your UniFi setup before something breaks

What you need

• Admin access to your UniFi console (locally, or through unifi.ui.com).
• The owner account for the console. Cloud backups are saved to the owner’s Ubiquiti (UI) account, and only the owner can manage them. If you do not know who the owner is, finding out is step 1.
• A safe place off the console to keep a copy, such as a shared company folder with limited access.
• Optional: a spare phone or laptop to confirm WiFi still works after a restore.

Steps

1. Find out who the owner is

1. Sign in to your console and open Settings → Admins & Users (the name can vary slightly by version).
2. Look for the account marked Owner. Write down whose email it is.
3. Check that this email belongs to your business (a role address or a person who still works there), not a former installer’s personal account. If the owner is someone you cannot reach, fix that before anything else. Ubiquiti’s cloud backups live in that person’s account, so they decide who can restore.

2. Turn on automatic cloud backups

1. Go to Settings → Control Plane → Backups (Backups and Migration in UniFi).
2. Check System Backups.

Once it is on, the console makes a cloud backup each week and before each major update. These backups include the console’s operating system settings, the UniFi Network settings, and device configurations.

Only the console owner can manage these. To see every cloud backup tied to the owner’s account, sign in at account.ui.com/backups.

On older Network versions the page was under Settings → System → Backups. Newer versions moved it to Control Plane → Backups. If you cannot find it, search Settings for “Backups”.

3. Download an offline copy and store it off the console

A backup stored only on the thing that failed is not much help. Cloud backups cover you if the console dies, but a file you hold covers you if an account is locked or someone leaves the company.

1. On the same Backups page, download a backup file.
2. Rename it so it explains itself, for example unifi-backup-main-office-2026-11-03. Keep the original file extension that UniFi gave it.
3. Save it somewhere off the console, in a folder with restricted access.
4. Write down the console model, UniFi OS and Network versions, and the date next to the file, in a short note in the same folder.

Treat the file as sensitive. It contains your network configuration, including WiFi settings, and should not be emailed around or left on a shared desktop.

4. Set a reminder to refresh the offline copy

Cloud backups refresh themselves. Your downloaded file does not. Put a recurring calendar reminder on the first of the month, or before any change you are nervous about, such as a new VLAN or firewall rule, to download a fresh one. Keep the last three or so and delete older ones.

5. Know how a restore works (and read it before you need it)

You do not have to do this today, but read it once now so it is not new during an outage.

1. Go to Settings → Control Plane → Backups and select Restore.
2. Choose your most recent cloud backup, or upload the file you saved.
3. Restore All Applications and Settings is on by default. Leave it on for a full restore. Turn it off only if you want to bring back specific apps, settings, or admin accounts.
4. Confirm, then wait for the console to finish. Devices may drop for a few minutes while it comes back.

A restore replaces what is on the console now, so download a fresh backup of the current state first if the console still works. That way you can undo the restore if it is not what you wanted.

If you are moving to a new console (say, a replacement gateway), the new one can restore from a backup when setup asks for one. Ubiquiti notes that moving between different console models needs UniFi OS 3.1 or newer on the new device, and that UniFi Protect video recordings do not move with a backup; they stay on the original drive.

6. Test it without risking the live network

You do not need to restore on your real network to know a backup is real. Do the lighter checks:

• On the Backups page, confirm a recent backup is listed and System Backups is checked.
• At account.ui.com/backups, confirm your console shows at least one cloud backup with a recent date.
• Confirm the file you downloaded opens as a file of reasonable size, is named the way you meant, and sits in the storage folder.
• If you have a spare or retired UniFi console, restoring onto it is a safe full test. Do not attach it to your live network at the same time.

7. After any restore, check every device

1. Open UniFi Network → Devices and confirm every switch and access point shows Online. Give them a few minutes.
2. If a device stays offline or shows it is managed by another console, Ubiquiti’s advice is to factory reset it and adopt it again.
3. Test staff WiFi, guest WiFi, and any wired device that matters (register, printer, camera recorder).
4. If you restored onto a replacement console, remove (forget) the moved devices from the old one so they do not try to reconnect to it.

Cautions

• Do not assume “the cloud has it” if you do not know whose account holds it. Check the owner first.
• A backup contains configuration, not the staff’s data. It will not bring back documents on a file share or video from a recorder.
• Never restore a backup in the middle of the business day unless the network is already down. Devices drop while it runs.
• A restore overwrites current settings. Download a fresh backup first if the console still works.
• Keep the offline file out of email threads and shared desktops. It describes your network.
• If you rely on a self-hosted UniFi Network server instead of a console, Ubiquiti calls those Network-only backups. They also live on the Backups page, but the move-to-a-new-host steps differ. If that is your setup, treat it as a separate job before you touch anything.
• Menu names move between UniFi versions. If a label is missing, search Settings for “Backups” or “Control Plane” instead of following an old screenshot.