cPanel Backup Wizard: create and restore backups

cPanel's Backup Wizard guides you through creating your own backups and restoring partial backups. If you want to recover a backup that Hostsuar already keeps, use JetBackup.

Create a backup

1. Open cPanel and search for Backup Wizard.
2. Click Back Up.
3. Choose Full Backup for a complete backup, or the available component you need: home directory, a database, or forwarders and filters.
4. For a full backup, check the destination. Home Directory saves it inside your account so you can download it later. You can enter an email address to be notified when it finishes.
5. Request the backup and wait for it to finish before downloading the file.

Make sure there is enough space to generate the backup. Keeping it in the same account does not protect it if that hosting is lost: download a verified copy to a separate location. Do not choose unencrypted FTP to transfer private information.

What a partial backup contains

The home directory can include website and email files, but it is not the same as a full account backup or a MySQL dump. To recover an application with a database you need to keep files and a database that match each other.

An export of forwarders or filters saves configuration, not the messages in the mailbox. Also check for any exclusions before treating the backup as complete.

Restore a partial backup

1. Identify the component and keep a copy of its current state.
2. In the wizard, choose Restore.
3. Select the type of backup you are going to upload.
4. Choose the matching file and check that it belongs to the right account and resource.
5. Start the upload and check the result when it finishes.

The upload can overwrite current data. Do not treat the wizard as a test restore into a new folder or database: if you need to rehearse in another destination, prepare a separate recovery using the appropriate procedure.

If you have a full backup

The wizard does not automatically restore a full cPanel backup. Contact support so they can review the file and the scope of the recovery. Do not upload it through the partial backup form or put it in a folder that is accessible from the web.

After any recovery, check the affected files or data and the application features that depend on them. An "upload complete" message does not prove that the website is working again.