Don't Lose Your Content! Back Up·Restore·Posts | Blogger📓10

A hungry kitten wearing a red scarf stands disappointedly, holding an empty blue bowl❣

Today's Contents:

• What is Content Backup?

• What's Inside a Content Backup File? 

🚴I am running a Blog on Blogger with the Dynamic Views theme

Hello, Radiant Souls!✨

Today, let's talk about how to safely manage the posts you've worked so hard to create.

Last time we looked at how to back up a theme. By the way, the file you download by clicking the "Theme > Backup" button on Google Blogger only saves the "theme (design) itself" of your blog. To emphasize, it does not contain your posts, pages, and comments. This is important!

If you are planning to change your blog theme to another one for some reasons, you should separately back up your "content" as well as your "theme."

Today, we’ll look at what “Content Backup” really means, how to do it properly, how to recover it if needed, and some related FAQs. Let's dive in!

| What is Content Backup?

Content backup on Blogger means saving a copy of all your blog posts, pages, and comments—just in case something unexpected happens.

Think of it as your blog’s emergency parachute. Even if you ever accidentally delete something, or something breaks after a theme change, your content would be still safe where it is stored.

| What's Inside a "Content Backup" File?

When you use Blogger's "Back up content" feature, you're not just saving your blog —you're packing up all the important stuff that makes it yours. The backup file comes in .xmL format, and  here are what it holds inside:

· All of your blog posts - published and drafts alike including every headline, every paragraph,and every image reference. 

· All of your static pages - like your "About", "Contact", or any custom pages you've created. 

· All comments - yours and your readers' alike. Even nested replies are saved. 

🎯 TIP

"Nested replies" refer to a structure in which replies are organized in a step-like (indented) manner within comments.

Basically, this file is like a snapshot of your blog's history—your stories (posts), your layout of thoughts (pages), and your conversations with your audience (comments). 

It doesn't include the visual design (that's in your theme backup); it protects what really matters—your content. So think of it as your blog's memory stick—small file, huge relief if anything goes wrong. 

| How to Back Up Your Blog Content (Posts, Pages & Comments)?

Here's a simple step-by-step guide to help you back up your blog content. 

1. Go to your Blogger Dashboard

 https://www.blogger.com/about/ , click "Log in" and select your blog with your Google account.

2. Click on "Settings" in the left-hand menu

 Scroll down to find the settings section. 

3. Scroll to the "Manage Blog" section

 You'll see an option called "Back up content"—that's the one!

4. Click "Back up content"

 Then a small pop-up window will appear.

Image1. The "Back up content" tab in the dashboard

5. Click the "Download" button

 Blogger will create a .xml file that includes all your posts, pages, and comments. 

6. Save the file somewhere safe on your computer or cloud.

Image3. The confirmation window appeared

No stress, just a few clicks! Your content is backed up. You can even upload it to Google Driver or an external USB for extra security. 

· All blog posts (published + drafts)

· All static pages (like "About" or "Contact", etc.)

· All comments (but not your blog's visual design—that's done separately via the "Theme Backup")

| Recommended Blogger Backup File Name Format

A clear and consistent file name will make it easier for you to organize your backups and know exactly what's inside at a glance. Here is an example:

blogname-content-backup-YYYY-MM-DD.xml

If your blog is called "bloggerx110" and it's May 1, 2030 today, your backup file name could be:

bloggerx110-content-backup-2030-05-01.xml

In the file name above, your blog name would be useful if you manage more than one, the content-backup would clearly shows this is for posts/pages/comments, not just theme, and the date of the backup would help track versions over time.  

If you do regular backups, keep them organized like this:

· bloggerx110-content-backup-2030-05-01.xml

· bloggerx110-content-backup-2030-05-07.xml

That way, your blog is safe and your backups are easy to manage. 

| How to Restore Posts and Pages on Blogger (Even with a New Theme)

If you switched to a shiny new theme—great! Now you're ready to bring back all your previous posts and pages from your backup .xml file. Here's how to do it smoothly:

1. Open your Blogger Dasboard

Log in at https://www.blogger.com/about/ and choose the blog you want to restore content to.

2. Go to "Settings" in the left-hand menu

3. Scroll down to the "Manage blog" section

You will see an option called "Import content."

4. Click "Import content"

A small window will pop up asking you to choose a file. 

5. Click "Import from computer or where the file is" and select your .xml backup file

Find the backup file you saved (e.g., bloggerx110-content-backup-2030-05-01.xml) and upload it. 

6. Choose whether or not to publish imported posts

You can import posts as drafts (highly recommended) or publish them automatically—your choice!

7. Click "Import" and wait a few moments

Once done, your posts and pages will reappear in your dashboard.

| Common Mistakes to Avoid on Backups and Restoration

| Mistake 1:  Importing the wrong backup file 

Always double-check the file name and date—especially if you have several backups!

| Mistake 2:  Accidentally publishing everything at once

If you have dozens of posts, it’s safer to import them as drafts first. That way, you can review and clean things up before making them live. 

If you leave the "Automatically publish all imported posts and pages" option enabled, all content imported from the backup file will be published immediately. So To Keep Control, it’s better to disable that option and import them as drafts.

Image4. Click "IMPORT"in the Import content window

Clean Up After Import!

· Check your Labels and Pages tab

· Delete duplicate drafts (if any)

· Recheck internal links or formatting—especially if you switched to a new theme layout.

| 5 FAQs

The good news is, No, you won't lose anything!

Blogger separately store your content (like posts and comments) from your theme (the design and layout). Here's what that means:

Existing posts, drafts, pages, and comments remain intact on Blogger. But some specific themes (e.g., VTrick) may have a default setting on the home screen to "show only recent posts" or "show only posts with a specific label."

If your posts seem to vanish after applying a new theme, it comes usually just from a display setting you can tweak—not actual content loss.

So rest easy! Your content isn’t going anywhere just because your blog got a makeover. Switching themes on Blogger affects only the appearance, not the substance. 

Q3:  What to do If your posts "aren't" showing?

It's more advantageous to restore existing posts.

When you are bringing back content from a backup, you have two options. 'restore the old post' or 'publish it as a brand-new one.' 

Here's what to consider:

If the original post still exists on your dashboard (even as draft), update it directly instead of importing a new version. 

This is what happens when you delete the old post in place and publish a fresh one from your backup.

Risk to consider:

· Creates a new permalink

· Breaks any links pointing to the original post

· SEO value of the old post could be vanished

When you "republish" posts or pages from a backup, Blogger a.l.w.a.y.s. creates a “New Permalink.”  That' s Never good for SEO. 

If you want to preserve your SEO and existing traffic, always try to restore or update the original post rather than publish a duplicate. 

Only go with the "new post" route if the original version is completely gone—and if so, consider setting up "redirects" (if you use a custom domain) or notifying readers about the update. 

No way!  Google Blogger automatically creates a permalink when a post is first “published.” And this permalink acts as a unique ID for the post.

If you delete an existing post, reimport it from a backup file, and republish it,  Blogger will definitely recognize this post as a “brand-new post,” even if the content of the post is exactly the same as the original. But Blogger does't recognize. 

So a new permalink will be created that is completely different from the original permalink. The post is given a new ID number. 

1. 🔗URL (permalink) 

 The republished post may get a new URL, which breaks old links and shared content. 

2. 📉SEO Impact

 Search engines may treat the republished post as a new post, causing a loss of previous rankings or traffic. It will also be different from the address already indexed by search engines, which can lead to SEO loss.

3.😭 Lost Social Shares and Comments

 If the URL changed, any social media shares, likes, or embedded comments tied to the original URL will be gone. 

4. 📆Post Date Reset

 The publish date might reset, which can affect the order in your blog feed or archive.

5. 🔎Duplicate Content Risk

  If both the old and new post exist temporarily, it may be seen as duplicate content by search engines. 

6. 💥Internal Links May Breaks

  Links in other posts pointing to the original post may no longer work if the URL changed. 

💊How to fix?

You can set a custom permalink before republishing the post in Blogger to make it look very similar to (but not the same exactly) the original permalink!  

However, unfortunately, you can not create a permalink that is 100% identical to the original permalink. For example:

· Republished post permalink after import

 → https://myblog.blogspot.com/2025/05/blogging-tips.html

The publication date is automatically entered by Google Blogger; cannot be manipulated by users.

Want to protect your permalinks?  Simple!  

Permalinks don’t like change—so NEVER delete your posts on Blogger if possible. Leave them be in place, and your URLs will thank you. 

Congratulations🎕

Congrats, Radiant Bloggers!🎉

You've just completed the final lesson of the "Getting Started" chapter—and that's truly something to be proud of.  

As you continue blogging, there may be times when you need to change your blog theme (template) or move existing posts or pages—for example, due to blog reorganization, SEO needs, custom domain changes, or even server policies.

In those moments, knowing how to back up and restore content makes all the difference. Once you know the steps, it's simple—and even if you switch to a new theme, your posts and layout can stay safe and sound.  

Starting a blog—especially when you are not so young anymore like me, takes courage, curiosity, and heart. Blogging brings joy, but like anything meaningful, it also asks for a little persistence.   

To all bloggers out there! I wish you joy. Keep learning, keep creating, and keep shining!✨