How to restore HubSpot CMS: Pages, modules, themes and files

Restoring the HubSpot CMS requires more than recovering individual pages; it demands the simultaneous restoration of interconnected dependencies. A page cannot function without its underlying theme, custom modules and referenced files. To recover a broken site successfully, you must use a solution that maps these relationships and performs a unified point-in-time restore of the entire ecosystem.

Key Takeaways

• The CMS is a system: Pages, themes and files are interdependent, not isolated.
• Dependencies define success: Restoring a page without its theme or modules results in a broken layout.
• Manual exports fail: Standard file exports do not capture the links between assets or HubDB tables.
• Point-in-time is critical: You must roll back the entire system to a specific timestamp to ensure consistency.

Why HubSpot CMS restoration is complex

Your HubSpot website is a dynamic system, not a simple collection of static files. In Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO) terms, it is a graph of dependencies. To restore it correctly, you must account for five interdependent components:

1. Pages: The live URLs containing your content.
2. Modules: Reusable functional blocks, such as forms or galleries, shared across multiple pages.
3. Themes: The master framework of CSS, JavaScript and templates controlling design.
4. Files: Assets in the File Manager, including images, PDFs and videos.
5. Data: HubDB tables and global settings that drive dynamic content.

If you change or delete one component without accounting for the others, the system fails.

The dependency chain: Why partial restores fail

Attempting to restore a single asset often triggers a cascade of errors. This is because HubSpot CMS objects rely on specific versions of other objects to render correctly.

Consider these common dependency failures:

• Theme mismatch: A restored page will appear broken if the theme version it relies on is missing or updated incompatibly.
• Empty modules: A page will display blank sections if the custom modules it references have been deleted or modified.
• Broken media: Images and download links will fail if the underlying assets in the File Manager were not restored alongside the page.

Unless you roll back the entire ecosystem to a single, unified point in time, you are not performing a restoration; you are creating a new set of problems.

Common causes of CMS data loss

Website issues rarely stem from catastrophic server failure. They typically result from routine operations:

• Human error: Accidental deletion of a shared module or asset folder.
• Faulty updates: A theme update that introduces a site-wide layout bug.
• Integration conflicts: Third-party apps overwriting global scripts.
• Malicious action: Intentional corruption of web assets.

The gap in standard backup methods

Many teams rely on manual exports or basic backup tools, but these methods leave critical gaps.

Manual exports are incomplete
Downloading theme files saves the code, but it does not save the pages, the HubDB tables or the critical relationships between them. You cannot rebuild a site from a theme export alone.

Basic tools miss dependencies
Some tools back up assets in isolation. They might save a page, but they fail to map which module version that page requires. This makes a one-click rollback impossible.

How backHUB delivers point-in-time recovery

To guarantee business continuity, you need a dependency-aware solution. backHUB is designed to capture the entire HubSpot CMS ecosystem.

It performs comprehensive snapshots that include pages, themes, modules, files and HubDB tables. Crucially, it maps the dependencies between these items.

When you initiate a restore with backHUB, the system rolls back the entire website to a precise previous state. It restores the page, ensures the correct theme version is active, and verifies that all referenced files are present.

To ensure stability, Struto provides a stabilisation period following any major recovery. We work with you to verify that every component is functioning correctly, ensuring your digital shopfront is secure.

People also ask

Does HubSpot have a recycle bin for website pages?
Yes. HubSpot maintains a recycle bin for website and landing pages for 90 days. However, restoring a page from the recycle bin does not automatically restore the associated theme, modules or files if they were also deleted or modified.

Can I roll back a HubSpot theme to a previous version?
HubSpot provides version history for individual coded files within the Design Tools. However, there is no native "undo" button to roll back an entire theme folder and all its dependent assets to a previous state simultaneously.

What happens if I delete a file from the HubSpot File Manager?
If a file is hard-deleted from the File Manager, it will immediately break on every page, email and module that references it. HubSpot does not offer a native recycle bin for the File Manager, making backup solutions essential.

See how backHUB protects your CMS