Akeeba Backup Professional is the for-a-fee edition of Akeeba Backup with additional features. Downloading it, either for installation from scratch or as an update to an already installed but older version on your site, requires confirming that you have an active subscription which gives you access to Akeeba Backup Professional downloads. When you download the installation ZIP file from our site this means that you need to log in to our site first. However, when downloading updates through Joomla you really don't want to and usually cannot be asked to log in to our site. The Download ID is used in this case to identify you to our download servers. Furthermore, a Download ID linked with an active subscription is also required to use some remote file storage services such as Dropbox and OneDrive (specifically: any remote storage service which uses OAuth2 or a variation thereof, therefore requiring a special “mediator” script which runs on our servers).

Using your Download IDs on your clients' sites

Our software license allows you to use your Download IDs on the sites of your clients. However, you must tell your clients that:

If you are no longer administering a site where you have entered a Download ID you must revoke or regenerate that Download ID. You need to do the same if you believe that your Download ID is being used by third parties in an unauthorized manner. Please note that unauthorized use of Download IDs could have consequences with regards to your subscription with us.

Finding your Download ID

Download IDs come in two flavors, your main Download ID and Add-on Download IDs.

You can find your main Download ID in the My Subscriptions page of our site. We recommend using this Download ID only on your own site(s). This Download ID cannot be revoked, it can only be regenerated. If it's regenerated you will need to enter the new Download ID on all of your sites which can be a significant hassle.

You can generate an unlimited number of Add-on Download IDs without additional charge in the Add-on Download IDs page. Unlike the main Download ID you can revoke (disable) any Add-on Download ID at any time. As long as you only use one Add-on Download ID per site revoking or regenerating it will not affect the other sites' ability to download and install updates.

Enter or view your Download ID

From the main administrator page of your site click on System on the sidebar.

Click on the Update Sites link towards the bottom of the middle column on the System page.

Find the Akeeba Backup for Joomla! package entry on the list and click on it to open the edit page.

Enter your main or Add-on Download ID in the Download Key area. Click on the Save & Close button on the toolbar to apply the Download ID.

If Akeeba Backup or Joomla! was already showing you that an update for Akeeba Backup is available you will need to install the update manually.

Troubleshooting updates to the Professional release

If you still cannot install our software please check that the Download ID is entered correctly. If it's not entered correctly enter the correct Download ID and follow all of these instructions again.

If the Download ID is entered correctly but it's not active in the Add-on Download IDs page you will need to enable it. After enabling it you will be able to download and install the update without having to follow these instructions again.

If the Download ID is correct please make sure that you have an active qualifying subscription on our site. If your subscription has expired you need to purchase a renewal on our site. Once the renewal is active you will be able to download and install the update without having to follow these instructions again, as long as you have not changed your Download ID.

If you still cannot download updates despite having the correct Download ID and an active subscription try waiting for 24 to 48 hours. In very rare cases Joomla's update cache gets stuck despite following the instructions above and you just need to wait until Joomla decides it has to reload it.

If the updates are still not downloading please make sure that you are using a version of Joomla and PHP that is supported by the new version of our software. If you are not sure please consult our Compatibility page.

If you've followed all these troubleshooting steps and the update is not downloading at all you need to contact your host and ask them to allow traffic to www.akeeba.com and cdn.akeeba.com over port TCP 443 (HTTPS), make sure that the PHP cURL module is installed and activated on the version of PHP your site is using and that finally the libcurl and libssl system libraries the cURL module is compiled against are up-to-date versions. If your host cannot help you with any of these requests (despite this being literally what you are paying them to do) you can install updates manually. Kindly note that Akeeba Ltd is not responsible for your hosting environment and that the requirements for downloading updates from our site are met by server software released roughly 5 years ago. If your host cannot provide 5 year old software and open ports in their firewall you should probably be migrating your site to a more up-to-date, competent host.