Skip to content

Backup in cPanel

cPanel allows you to create and download backups of your hosting account yourself.

You can create:

  • a full backup of the entire account,
  • a backup of website files,
  • a backup of databases,
  • a backup of email forwarders,
  • a backup of email filters.

Cloud4You also performs automatic backups of hosting services.

Backups performed by Cloud4You

Cloud4You performs automatic backups for hosting services.

The following are available:

  • daily backups from the last 7 days,
  • monthly backups from the first day of each month,
  • monthly backups from the last 3 months are retained.

Example:

daily backup:
today
1 day ago
2 days ago
...
7 days ago

and:

monthly backup:
1 September
1 August
1 July

depending on the current date.

Automatic Cloud4You backups do not eliminate the need to make your own backup before major website changes.

Before, for example:

  • updating WordPress,
  • changing the PHP version,
  • installing a new plugin,
  • making a major website change,
  • migrating data,

it is worth creating an additional backup yourself.

1. Where to find backup options in cPanel

After logging in to cPanel, go to:

Files

Then select:

Backup

or:

Backup Wizard

For less advanced users, the simpler option is usually:

Backup Wizard

2. Full account backup

A full backup contains data from the entire hosting account.

It may include:

  • website files,
  • the home directory,
  • databases,
  • email configuration,
  • selected account settings.

To create a full backup:

  1. Go to:

Files → Backup Wizard

  1. Click:

Back Up

  1. Select:

Full Backup

  1. As the backup destination, select:

Home Directory

  1. If you want to receive a notification after the backup is complete, enter your email address.

  2. Click:

Generate Backup

cPanel will start creating the backup.

3. A backup may take several minutes to create

A full backup is not always created immediately.

The time depends on factors such as:

  • the number of files,
  • database size,
  • the number of mailboxes,
  • the total size of the account.

When complete, the backup will appear in the list of files available for download.

4. How to download a full backup

After the full backup has been created:

  1. return to:

Files → Backup Wizard → Back Up → Full Backup

  1. find the section containing completed backups,

  2. click the backup file name.

The file will be downloaded to your computer.

A full cPanel backup usually has the extension:

.tar.gz

Example:

backup-09-09-2026_username.tar.gz

5. Backup stored in the Home Directory

If you selected:

Home Directory

as the destination, the backup file will also be stored on your hosting account.

You can find it in:

Files → File Manager

in the account's main directory.

Such a backup uses storage space on the hosting account.

After downloading the backup to your computer, it is worth removing the unnecessary backup file from the hosting account, especially if it is large.

6. Website files only

If you do not need a backup of the entire account, you can download only the files.

Go to:

Files → Backup Wizard

then:

Back Up → Partial Backup → Home Directory

Click:

Home Directory

cPanel will prepare and download a backup of the home directory.

The Home Directory backup includes account files, including:

public_html

which contains website files.

7. Database backup

If you only want to download a database:

  1. Go to:

Files → Backup Wizard

  1. Click:

Back Up

  1. Select:

MySQL Databases

  1. Click the database name.

Example:

username_wordpress

The database file will be downloaded to your computer.

The backup is usually a:

.sql

file or a compressed file containing the database.

8. Backup of email forwarders

You can also download a backup of the email forwarding configuration.

In:

Backup Wizard → Back Up

select:

Email Forwarders & Filters

Then download the required configuration.

9. Backup using the regular Backup section

Instead of Backup Wizard, you can also go to:

Files → Backup

This section provides similar options, including:

  • Download a Full Account Backup,
  • Home Directory,
  • Databases,
  • Forwarders,
  • Filters.

For most users, Backup Wizard is usually easier to use.

10. Restoring a partial backup

Backup Wizard allows you to restore selected parts of the account.

Go to:

Files → Backup Wizard

then select:

Restore

You can restore, for example:

  • Home Directory,
  • a database,
  • email forwarders or filters.

Then:

  1. select the data type,
  2. click Choose File,
  3. select the backup from your computer,
  4. click Upload.

11. A full backup cannot be restored by a regular cPanel user

A:

Full Backup

is not intended to be automatically restored by a regular user from cPanel.

If you need to restore the entire account from a full backup, contact Cloud4You technical support.

12. Restoring only website files

If you need to recover only website files from your own backup:

  1. extract the backup on your computer,
  2. find:
public_html
  1. go to:

Files → File Manager

  1. open:
public_html
  1. upload the required files.

Before overwriting existing data, make sure you are restoring the correct version.

13. Restoring a Cloud4You backup

If you need data from an automatic backup created by Cloud4You, contact technical support.

Provide as much detail as possible:

  • the domain or hosting account,
  • the backup date,
  • what needs to be restored.

Example:

Domain: domena.pl
Backup: 7 September 2026
Restore: public_html directory

or:

Domain: domena.pl
Backup: 1 August 2026
Restore: database username_wordpress

The more precise the information, the easier it will be to identify the correct backup.

14. What backup to create before changing the website

If you are planning a small file change, a:

Home Directory

backup is often enough.

If you are changing an application that uses a database, such as WordPress, it is best to download:

Home Directory
+
MySQL Database

Before a major change, the safest option is to create:

Full Backup

15. Backup before updating WordPress

Before a major WordPress update, it is worth protecting at least:

public_html

and the database.

That means:

  1. download Home Directory,
  2. download the MySQL database used by WordPress,
  3. only then perform the update.

This gives you your own copy from before the change in case something goes wrong.

16. A backup should not be stored only on the same hosting account

If you create your own backup, it is best to also store it outside the server.

Example:

hosting
   ↓
backup
   ↓
computer / another secure location

If the backup exists only on the same hosting account, it uses the same storage and does not provide as much protection as an additional copy stored elsewhere.

17. Simplest procedure — full backup

To create a full backup:

  1. Log in to cPanel.
  2. Go to:

Files → Backup Wizard

  1. Click:

Back Up

  1. Click:

Full Backup

  1. Select:

Home Directory

  1. Click:

Generate Backup

  1. When complete, click the backup name.
  2. Download the file to your computer.
  3. After confirming that the download is complete, you can remove the copy left on the hosting account.

Done.

18. Simplest procedure — files and database only

If you want to protect the website before making changes:

  1. Go to:

Files → Backup Wizard → Back Up

  1. Download:

Home Directory

  1. Download:

MySQL Database

  1. Store both files in a secure location.

Done.

Important information about Cloud4You backups

Cloud4You automatically backs up hosting services.

By default, the following are available:

7 daily backups

covering the last 7 days,

and:

3 monthly backups

created on the first day of each month and retained for the last three months.

If you need data restored from one of these backups, contact Cloud4You technical support.