How to activate BackupScope Pro

Three steps, about three minutes. Most activation trouble comes from one misunderstanding, so that comes first.

Pro is a separate plugin, not a key that unlocks the free one.

The free BackupScope plugin from WordPress.org has no licence field. Buying Pro gets you a second plugin, BackupScope Pro, to upload to your site. The licence field is inside that one.

1. Download the Pro plugin

After buying, you get two emails. The one from BackupScope has a personal download link for backupscope-pro.zip. The link works for 30 days and always gives you the latest version.

Lost the email, or the link has expired? Download it with your licence key on the download page. Do not unzip the file: WordPress wants the .zip.

2. Upload and activate it

In WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New Plugin → Upload Plugin.
Choose backupscope-pro.zip and click Install Now.
Click Activate.

If the free BackupScope plugin is active, Pro deactivates it for you and shows a notice saying so. Pro includes everything in the free plugin, so nothing is lost: your backups, history and settings stay as they are. You can delete the free plugin afterwards; while Pro is installed, that does not remove any backups.

3. Enter your licence key

Go to BackupScope → Settings → Licence, paste your key and click Activate licence. The screen then shows Active on this site, with your plan and the renewal date.

The key is in the separate email from Dodo Payments, who process the payment. If you cannot find it, search your inbox for Dodo Payments and check your spam folder.

After activation

Schedule backups under BackupScope → Schedule.
Add off-site storage (Amazon S3, Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, Wasabi or another S3-compatible service) under Settings → Off-site storage, so a copy survives if the server does not.
Turn on email notifications under Settings → Notifications.
Updates appear on your Plugins screen while the licence is active, like any other plugin.

If the key will not activate

Nearly every case is one of these:

Wrong plugin. The licence field is in BackupScope Pro only. If there is no Settings item under BackupScope, upload the Pro zip first.
Wrong value. Paste the licence key, not the order or invoice number, and make sure no space crept in at either end.
All sites in use. Each plan covers a set number of sites (Solo 2, Studio 5, Agency unlimited). Remove the licence from a site you no longer need first.
“Could not reach the licence server.” The site could not connect out to backupscope.pro. Try again in a minute; if it keeps happening, ask your host whether outgoing connections are blocked by a firewall.

Moving a licence between sites

On the old site, go to BackupScope → Settings → Licence and click Remove licence from this site. Then activate the key on the new site. There is no limit on how often you do this, so it is the right way to handle a domain change, a staging site or a site you have handed over to a client.

Common questions

I bought Pro. Where do I type my licence key?

At BackupScope → Settings → Licence, inside the Pro plugin. The free BackupScope plugin from WordPress.org has no licence field, because there is nothing in it for a key to unlock. If you have no Settings item under BackupScope, Pro is not installed yet.

Where is my licence key?

In a separate email from Dodo Payments, who process the payment. The email from BackupScope has the download link; the one from Dodo Payments has the key. Search your inbox for "Dodo Payments" and check your spam folder.

Do I need to remove the free plugin first?

No. Pro includes everything in the free plugin, so when Pro is activated it deactivates the free BackupScope plugin for you and shows a notice saying so. Your backups and settings are kept. You can then delete the free plugin; while Pro is installed, that does not remove any backups.

My download link from the email has expired.

The personal link works for 30 days. After that, download the current version with your licence key at backupscope.pro/download. Once Pro is installed and the licence is active, updates arrive on your Plugins screen like any other plugin.

How many sites can I use one licence on?

Solo covers 2 sites, Studio 5 sites and Agency unlimited sites. Each site where the licence is activated counts as one, until you remove it from that site.

Can I move the licence to another site?

Yes, as often as you need. On the old site go to BackupScope → Settings → Licence and click Remove licence from this site. That frees the activation, and you can activate the key on the new site straight away. Do the same for staging sites you no longer use.

What happens if my licence expires?

Your backups stay where they are, and you can still create manual backups and download them. Pro features such as scheduled backups, off-site copies, restore from the dashboard and email notifications pause until the licence is active again. Your settings are kept and start working as soon as it is renewed.

Still not active? Email support@backupscope.pro with the error message you see and the site address. Please do not include the full licence key; the first and last few characters are enough.