How do I make a backup in cPanel?

Updated by Adelina Wong

There are two ways to make a backup in cPanel: manually or by using the Backup Wizard.

How to use the Backup Wizard to backup cPanel

You can create a full backup or a partial backup using the Backup Wizard. Go to cPanel > Home > Files > Backup Wizard.

Create a full backup

To create a full backup file, perform the following steps:

  1. From the main Backup Wizard interface, click Back Up. The Full or Partial Backup section of the interface will appear.
  2. Click Full Backup. The Download section of the interface will appear.
  3. Select one of the following destinations from the Backup Destination menu:
  • Home Directory — Select this option to save the backup file on the server.
  • Remote FTP Server — Select this option to use FTP to store the backup file on a remote server.
  • Remote FTP Server (passive mode transfer) — Select this option to use passive FTP to store the backup file on a remote server.
  • Secure Copy (SCP) — Select this option to use SCP to store the backup file on a remote server.
  1. Perform one of the following actions to configure notifications for this backup file:
  • To receive a notification when the backup process finishes, enter your email address in the Email Address text box.
  • To disable notifications, select the Do not send email notification of backup completion. checkbox.
  1. If you selected the Remote FTP Server, Remote FTP Server (passive mode tansfer), or Secure Copy (SCP) destinations, enter the remote destination's information in the available text boxes.
  2. Click Generate Backup. A confirmation message will appear. Click Go Back to return to the Download section of the interface.
Create a partial backup

To back up a portion of your site, perform the following steps:

  1. From the main Backup Wizard interface, click Back Up. The Full or Partial Backup section of the interface will appear.
  2. Click the portion of your site that you wish to back up:
  • Home Directory — Back up the /home directory.
  • MySQL Databases — Back up your databases.
  • Email Forwarders & Filters — Back up your email forwarders or filters.

The Download section of the interface will appear.

  1. Click the desired backup file to download it.

How to manually backup cPanel

Go to cPanel -> Home -> Files -> Backup.

Click Download a Full Web Site Backup to create, download, or store a full backup file. A full backup file includes your /home directory, databases, email forwarders, and filters.

Generate a Full Backup

To create a new full backup, follow these steps:

  1. Select a storage option from the Backup Destination menu:
  • Home Directory — Select this option to save the backup file on the server.
  • Remote FTP Server — Select this option to use FTP to store the backup file on a remote server.
  • Remote FTP Server (Passive Mode Transfer) — Select this option to use passive FTP to store the backup file on a remote server.
  • SCP — Select this option to use secure copy protocol (SCP) to store the backup file on a remote server.
  1. Select a notification option:
  • To receive a notification when the backup finishes, enter your email address in the available text box.
  • If you do not wish to receive a notification, select Do not send email notification of backup completion.
  1. If you selected Remote FTP Server, Remote FTP Server (Passive Mode Transfer), or SCP from the Backup Destination menu, enter the remote destination's information in the available text boxes.
  2. Click Generate Backup.

To download an existing full backup file to your computer, select the desired backup file's filename from the Account Backups menu.

Partial Backups

Partial backup files store individual sections of your account. To download your entire /home directory, your SQL databases, or your email forwarders and filters, click the desired items. 

Having trouble? Contact us and our team will be happy to help.

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