diff --git a/system/admin/handlers.go b/system/admin/handlers.go
index 3933d3d4..aac9ec26 100644
--- a/system/admin/handlers.go
+++ b/system/admin/handlers.go
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/ponzu-cms/ponzu/system/api/analytics"
 	"github.com/ponzu-cms/ponzu/system/db"
 	"github.com/ponzu-cms/ponzu/system/item"
+	"github.com/ponzu-cms/ponzu/system/search"
 
 	"github.com/gorilla/schema"
 	emailer "github.com/nilslice/email"
@@ -224,6 +225,14 @@ func backupHandler(res http.ResponseWriter, req *http.Request) {
 			return
 		}
 
+	case "search":
+		err := search.Backup(ctx, res)
+		if err != nil {
+			log.Println("Failed to run backup on search:", err)
+			res.WriteHeader(http.StatusInternalServerError)
+			return
+		}
+
 	default:
 		res.WriteHeader(http.StatusBadRequest)
 	}
diff --git a/system/search/backup.go b/system/search/backup.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9223636f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/system/search/backup.go
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+package search
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/ponzu-cms/ponzu/system/backup"
+)
+
+// Backup creates an archive of a project's search index and writes it
+// to the response as a download
+func Backup(ctx context.Context, res http.ResponseWriter) error {
+	ts := time.Now().Unix()
+	filename := fmt.Sprintf("search-%d.bak.tar.gz", ts)
+	tmp := os.TempDir()
+	bk := filepath.Join(tmp, filename)
+
+	// create search-{stamp}.bak.tar.gz
+	f, err := os.Create(bk)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	backup.ArchiveFS(ctx, "search", f)
+
+	err = f.Close()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	// write data to response
+	data, err := os.Open(bk)
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	defer data.Close()
+	defer os.Remove(bk)
+
+	disposition := `attachment; filename=%s`
+	info, err := data.Stat()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	res.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/octet-stream")
+	res.Header().Set("Content-Disposition", fmt.Sprintf(disposition, ts))
+	res.Header().Set("Content-Length", fmt.Sprintf("%d", info.Size()))
+
+	_, err = io.Copy(res, data)
+
+	return err
+}