cPanel Backup and File Restoration Guide

In short: a backup is what lets you undo a bad update, a deleted file, a broken plugin or a hacked site. Your hosting provider's automatic backups matter, but for anything important keep your own current copy too. This guide shows how to back up files and databases in cPanel, how to restore them and how to make sure the backup actually works.

Before you start

• Pick a quiet time; a backup taken during heavy traffic may be inconsistent.
• Check there is enough free disk space for the archive.
• Wait for WordPress updates or maintenance to finish.
• Put the site name and date in the file name, for example example-com-2026-10-29.zip.

Backing up files

Open cPanel's File Manager and select the folder that holds the site, which is public_html for the main domain. Choose Compress, pick ZIP or tar.gz, and download the archive to your computer. Delete the archive from the hosting account afterwards to free the space. For very large sites, Backup → Download a Home Directory Backup packs the whole account.

Backing up the database

Open phpMyAdmin, select the database (WordPress keeps its name in wp-config.php) and choose Export. The quick method is fine for small and medium databases. If a large export times out, use cPanel's Backup → Download a MySQL Database Backup, which is not limited by the browser, or ask support for a command-line dump.

Email and configuration

Site files and the database do not include mailboxes. If you are moving the whole account or planning for disaster recovery, check that email, DNS records and account settings are part of the backup; a full account backup from the Backup page covers them.

Restoring files

cPanel's File and Directory Restoration lists the automatic backups when the server provides them. Restoring overwrites the current file, so take a fresh backup of the current state first, then choose the right date and path. To restore from your own archive, upload it with File Manager and use Extract.

Restoring a database

In phpMyAdmin select the database, use Import and choose the SQL file. For a full replacement, drop the existing tables first so old and new rows do not mix.

Verify the backup

Open the downloaded archive and check that the main folders are there and that the SQL file is not empty. A backup that has never been tested may not work when you need it. Once a quarter, restore to a test subdomain to be sure.

The 3-2-1 rule

Keep three copies of the data, on two different kinds of storage, with one copy in a different location (your computer plus cloud storage, for example). Check the automatic backups regularly.

Fiberserver hosting plans use JetBackup, which takes daily backups you can restore yourself from cPanel, file by file or the whole account; your own copy is the extra safety net.