Clear Backup Files (tool_clearbackupfiles)

A Moodle admin tool that helps administrators remove old course backup files (.mbz) from the server and reclaim storage space.

Particularly useful for development, testing, and staging environments where backup files accumulate over time.

Features

• Manual cleanup — Remove backup files directly from the plugin interface.


• Cleanup by age — Delete only files older than a configured number of days.


• Scheduled cleanup (CRON) — Automate cleanup via Moodle scheduled tasks.


• Cleanup statistics — Reports total files deleted and disk space recovered.


• Event logging — Uses Moodle's standard event system to record all cleanup activity.

Compatibility

| Moodle Version | Supported |
|----------------|-----------|
| Moodle 4.5.x | Yes |
| Moodle 5.0.x | Yes |
| Moodle 5.2.x | Yes |

Installation

Via Moodle Plugin Installer

1. Download the plugin ZIP package.


2. Log in as a Moodle administrator.


3. Navigate to Site administration ' Plugins ' Install plugins.


4. Upload the ZIP file and follow the on-screen steps.


5. Complete the upgrade process and save settings.

Manual Installation

1. Download and extract the plugin source code.


2. Copy the folder into:
   

   /admin/tool/clearbackupfiles
   
   

   
   


3. Navigate to Site administration ' Notifications and complete the installation.

Configuration

After installation, navigate to:

Site administration ' Plugins ' Admin tools ' Clear backup files

| Setting | Description | Default |
|---------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------|---------|
| Days | Age threshold in days — files older than this value will be deleted. | 5 |
| Enable CRON | When enabled, Moodle scheduled tasks run cleanup automatically. | Off |

Usage

1. Go to Site administration ' Plugins ' Admin tools ' Clear backup files.


2. Set the number of days and optionally enable CRON.


3. Click Continue to clear backup.


4. Confirm the warning — this operation is irreversible.

After cleanup, the plugin displays:

• A list of all deleted backup files with their sizes.


• Total number of files deleted.


• Total disk space recovered.

Logs

Cleanup activity is recorded through Moodle's standard event system and can be reviewed at:

Site administration ' Reports ' Logs

Two events are logged:

| Event | Description |
|-------|-------------|
| coursebackup_removed | Fired for each individual backup file deleted. |
| clearbackup_completed | Fired once at the end of a cleanup run with totals. |

Use Cases

• Development servers refreshed from production dumps.


• Testing and staging environments with accumulated backups.


• Servers with limited storage that need routine maintenance.


• Automated scheduled maintenance via Moodle CRON.

License

GNU General Public License v3 or later — see LICENSE.

Copyright 2026 Shubhendra Doiphode (doiphode.sunny@gmail.com).

tool_clearbackupfiles

This admin tool clears all backup files from the server. It is useful for freeing up space from dev and test servers once they are refreshed from production.

It also gives a report of how many .mbz files were deleted and how much space was cleared.

Instructions

The backup files can be deleted from /admin/tool/clearbackupfiles/index.php and you can find logs at /report/log/index.php. The default Moodle events are used to create log entries.

tool_clearbackupfiles

This admin tool clears all backup files from the server. It is useful for freeing up space from dev and test servers once they are refreshed from production.

It also gives a report of how many .mbz files were deleted and how much space was cleared.

Instructions

The backup files can be deleted from /admin/tool/clearbackupfiles/index.php and you can find logs at /report/log/index.php. The default Moodle events are used to create log entries.

tool_clearbackupfiles

This admin tool clears all backup files from the server. It is useful for freeing up space from dev and test servers once they are refreshed from production.

It also gives a report og how many mbz files were deleting clearing how much space.

Instructions:
the backup files can be deleted from /admin/tool/clearbackupfiles/index.php and you can find logs at /report/log/index.php. The default moodle events is used to create log entry.

package: tool_clearbackupfiles

This admin tool clears all backup files from the server. It is useful for freeing up space from dev and test servers once they are refreshed from production.

It also gives a report og how many mbz files were deleting clearing how much space.

Instructions:
the backup files can be deleted from /admin/tool/clearbackupfiles/index.php and you can find logs at /report/log/index.php. The default moodle events is used to create log entry.

package: tool_clearbackupfiles

This admin tool clears all backup files from the server. It is useful for freeing up space from dev and test servers once they are refreshed from production.

It also gives a report og how many mbz files were deleting clearing how much space.

Instructions:
the backup files can be deleted from /admin/tool/clearbackupfiles/index.php and you can find logs at /report/log/index.php. The default moodle events is used to create log entry.

package: tool_clearbackupfiles

This admin tool clears all backup files from the server. It is useful for freeing up space from dev and test servers once they are refreshed from production.

It also gives a report og how many mbz files were deleting clearing how much space.

Instructions:
the backup files can be deleted from /admin/tool/clearbackupfiles/index.php and you can find logs at /report/log/index.php. The default moodle events is used to create log entry.

Release 4.4, release 1 notes

• remove only Backups ago xxx Days (specified on settings page)


• scheduled task

package: tool_clearbackupfiles

This admin tool clears all backup files from the server. It is useful for freeing up space from dev and test servers once they are refreshed from production.

It also gives a report og how many mbz files were deleting clearing how much space.

Instructions:
the backup files can be deleted from /admin/tool/clearbackupfiles/index.php and you can find logs at /report/log/index.php. The default moodle events is used to create log entry.