Frequently Asked Questions

Below you’ll find answers to some of the most common questions regarding Wayback Restorer, our restoration services, and tips for hosting or converting your recovered website. If you don’t see your question, feel free to open a support ticket or contact us directly.


Quick Restoration Process Summary


  1. Enter Your Domain: Specify the domain (www or non-www) you wish to restore.
  2. Select Snapshots: Pick the best “From” and “To” dates from the Wayback Machine snapshots.
  3. Save and Start Restore Job: Wayback Restorer fetches files from the selected timeframe.
  4. (Optional) Perform Advanced Actions: Extract missing files, fix URLs, or insert ads for a more complete website.
  5. Download & Host: Once restoration completes, download the ZIP and upload it to your hosting provider.
  6. (Optional) Convert to WordPress: If you prefer a dynamic CMS, request a WordPress conversion through a support ticket.

Cleanup URL

Cleanup URL standardizes all domain references by removing unwanted Wayback prefixes and ensuring they match your chosen domain format.

  • Improves SEO by establishing a correct, uniform URL structure.
  • Fixes styling and link-loading issues.
  • Essential if pages appear broken or reference old Wayback subdomains.

Append Style

Append Style injects or re-links CSS/JS resources site-wide to fix layout and script errors.

  • Handles 99% of display anomalies caused by partial snapshots.
  • Offers universal patches for common JS libraries.
  • If issues remain, reach out to support or double-check your snapshot selection.

Extract External URLs

If your site depends on images, scripts, or media from external domains, this step identifies and copies them into your local restoration, allowing a fully self-contained site.

Force HTTPS (Optional)

Force HTTPS rewrites all internal links to https://. Recommended if you have an SSL certificate.

  • Eliminates mixed-content warnings.
  • Enhances security and SEO trust signals.

Find and Replace Text

After downloading your restored site, you can perform bulk text replacements to update brand names, disclaimers, or references.

  1. Extract (download) your website as a ZIP file.
  2. Use a bulk find/replace tool.
  3. Upload the modified files to your hosting provider.

Windows ZIP Extraction Issues

Some native Windows extractors may skip certain files (e.g., if filenames include “?”).

  • Upload the ZIP directly to your hosting for a server-side extraction.
  • Or use tools like 7-Zip or WinRAR locally.

Hosting with DreamHost

We recommend DreamHost for its easy file management and SSL setup, making it highly compatible with restored static sites.

Converting from Wayback Machine to WordPress

The Wayback Machine archives static HTML, so converting it into a dynamic WordPress site requires additional steps or custom services. Our team offers a WordPress Conversion Service, starting at $199, depending on the site size and complexity.

If you simply need a static version of the site, no conversion is required. Otherwise, open a support ticket to request a WordPress migration.


Service Agreement

By using Wayback Restorer, you agree to include a small backlink on the homepage of your restored website for 1 year, or optionally pay a fee of $1 per file for backlink removal. This helps cover ongoing development and hosting costs of our restoration tools.

Need More Help?

If you’re still unsure about any step, or need advanced customization, feel free to open a ticket via your My Jobs page. Our support team is here to assist with advanced restores, custom domain requests, or unique site configurations.