How to Back Up and Restore a Website in cPanel, Step by Step

Knowing backups matter is one thing; being able to take one and restore it in minutes when needed is another. This guide walks through the steps inside cPanel, the control panel used on the shared, WordPress and reseller plans, and explains what you can restore yourself and what needs technical support.

Before you start: do you already have automatic backups?

According to the plan pages, shared hosting and WordPress plans include a free daily backup from the Economy plan upwards, and the reseller plans include daily backups. These are useful, but the acceptable use policy also makes customers responsible for taking regular backups of their own data, so it is wise to keep a copy you download yourself, off the server.

Step 1: take a full account backup

• Log in to cPanel and, under Files, open Backup or Backup Wizard.
• Choose to generate a full account backup and select where to save it; the home directory is the simplest option.
• Enter your email address to be notified when the backup finishes, as large accounts can take a while.
• When it is done, download the archive to your computer or external storage, then delete it from the account so it does not use up space.

A full backup contains files, databases, email and settings, which makes it ideal for archiving and moving a site. However, a full backup cannot be restored from the user's cPanel interface; technical support restores it from the server side.

Step 2: take quick partial backups

The same tool lets you download separate parts, which are the fastest to restore:

• Home directory backup: all the account's files, including the website files.
• MySQL database backup: one file per database; download the important ones before any major update.
• Email forwarders and filters: small files that save you from configuring them again by hand.

Step 3: restoring

If JetBackup is enabled on the server, it appears in cPanel and lets you pick a backup from a specific date and restore files, a database or email from it directly. Availability depends on the server and plan, and it is also offered as a licence in the extra services for server owners.

Step 4: test the backup before you need it

A backup that has never been restored may be incomplete or corrupted without you knowing. Every so often, restore the database and files to a test subdomain or a separate environment, and check that the site works and the latest content is there. Write down the steps you followed; that is what you will need under pressure.

If you have a VPS or dedicated server

A VPS does not necessarily come with cPanel, and under the acceptable use policy it is the customer's responsibility to manage after delivery. Plan backups from day one: use the backup feature of the control panel you install, or a licensed backup tool, and keep the copies on storage separate from the server. The extra services page lists backup tool licences and backup storage plans.

Common mistakes

• Leaving full backup archives inside the account until the disk fills up.
• Relying on a single old backup without knowing its date.
• Copying the files but forgetting the database on WordPress sites and stores.
• Never testing a restore.

To understand backup types and where to keep them, see backup types and the 3-2-1 rule; to set a schedule and retention period, see our automatic backup guide.