For added resilience, you can store your Plesk backups on your own remote server instead of keeping them only on the hosting server. Plesk has built-in support for FTP and FTPS (FTP over TLS) connections, so setting up off-site backup storage does not require any extra extensions. This guide shows you how to configure FTP(S) storage for a subscription, send scheduled backups to it, and restore from it. "FTP(S)" simply means the same feature works with either a plain FTP server or an encrypted FTPS server.
Last reviewed: 27 July 2026, against Plesk Obsidian 18.0 (latest stable line). This guide is written for Noiz hosting and is kept current against Plesk. It complements, and does not replace, the official Plesk documentation linked below.
Official Documentation Reference
- Plesk Obsidian Customer Guide (open Website Management, then Backing Up and Restoring Websites, for the full remote-storage reference).
Prerequisites
- Access to your subscription in Plesk (the Websites & Domains area).
- Your own remote server running an FTP or FTPS service that is reachable from the internet.
- The remote server's hostname or IP address, an FTP username and password with write access, and the directory path where backups should be written.
- FTPS enabled on that remote server if you want encrypted transfers, which Noiz recommends over plain FTP.
If you only need backups kept on the hosting server itself, see How to configure local backups in Plesk for a subscription instead.
Accessing FTP(S) storage settings
- Log in to Plesk.
- Go to Websites & Domains and open Backup & Restore.
- In the Backup Manager, click Remote Storage Settings.
- Select Use FTP(S) storage.
Configuring FTP(S) storage
Complete the fields as follows:
- FTP server hostname or IP address (required): the address of your remote FTP server, for example
backup.yourdomain.comor203.0.113.10. - Directory for backup files storage: the path on the remote server where backups are written, for example
/backups/plesk/. The FTP account must have write permission to this directory. If you leave it blank, backups are placed in the FTP user's home directory. - FTP username (required): the login for the FTP account on your remote server.
- FTP password: the password for that FTP account.
- Use passive mode: enable this if the remote server or an intervening firewall requires passive FTP. Servers behind NAT usually do, so if the connection test times out, this is the first setting to try.
- Use FTPS: enable this to encrypt the connection with TLS. Plain FTP sends the username, password, and backup data in clear text, so use FTPS whenever the remote server supports it.
Fields marked as required cannot be left empty. After entering your details, click OK. Plesk tests the connection immediately and reports an error if the host is unreachable or the credentials are rejected, so you will know straight away whether the settings are correct.
Creating and scheduling backups to remote storage
- In the Backup Manager, click Back Up to run a backup now, or Schedule to set up recurring backups.
- In the Store in section, select FTP storage instead of server storage.
- Choose what to include (configuration and content, or configuration only). For scheduled backups, set the frequency, the time of day, and how many backups to keep before older ones are pruned.
- Click OK to run the backup or save the schedule.
Restoring from FTP(S) backups
- Open Backup Manager.
- Set the storage selector to FTP storage so that the remote backups are listed.
- Select the backup you want to restore and click Restore.
- Choose whether to restore everything or only specific objects, then confirm.
Plesk needs to reach the remote server during a restore, so the FTP(S) storage settings must still be valid and the server reachable at that moment.
Troubleshooting
- The connection test fails when you click OK: double-check the hostname or IP address, username, and password, confirm the remote FTP service is running and reachable, and enable Use passive mode.
- The backup runs but nothing appears on the remote server: the FTP account most likely lacks write permission to the target directory, or the directory path does not exist. Create the path first and confirm the account can write to it.
- FTPS fails but plain FTP works: the remote server may present a self-signed or mismatched TLS certificate, or may not support explicit FTPS. Confirm FTPS is enabled and correctly configured on the remote server.
- Backups are slow to complete: transferring full backups over FTP can be slow across long distances. Schedule them for off-peak hours and keep storage in check by lowering the number of backups to retain.
Noiz hosting plans include Plesk backup support. If you would like help configuring or verifying remote FTP(S) backups for your subscription, contact the Noiz support team and they will assist.
