How to Back Up Your Website in cPanel

Estimated reading: 3 minutes

Keeping regular backups of your website is critical. cPanel offers a built-in backup tool that lets you download a full copy of your hosting account — including files, emails, and databases — in just a few clicks. This guide covers both full account backups and partial backups for files and databases separately.

Option A: Full Account Backup (Recommended)

A full backup includes everything: your website files, all MySQL databases, email accounts, email forwarders, DNS zone files, and cPanel settings. It’s the safest choice for a complete restore.

  • Log in to your cPanel (your VeerHost login URL is usually yourdomain.com:2083 or via your client area)
  • In the Files section, click Backup or Backup Wizard
  • Under Full Backup, click Download a Full Website Backup
  • For Backup Destination, select Home Directory
  • Enter your email address to be notified when the backup is ready
  • Click Generate Backup

Once the backup is generated, go back to the Backup page and you’ll see the backup file listed under Backups Available for Download. Click it to download it to your computer. The file will be named something like backup-3.31.2026_12-00-00_yourdomain.tar.gz.

Important: A full backup can only be used to restore via cPanel’s restore tool — it cannot be used to restore individual files directly. Always download the backup to your computer; a backup stored only on your server is not a real backup.

Option B: Partial Backup — Files Only

If you only need to back up your website files (not databases or email):

  • In cPanel, go to Files > Backup
  • Under Partial Backups, click Home Directory
  • The homedir.tar.gz file will download immediately to your computer

Option C: Partial Backup — MySQL Database Only

Backing up just a database is fast and essential before any WordPress plugin updates or site edits:

  • In cPanel, go to Files > Backup
  • Under Partial Backups > MySQL Databases, click the database name you want to back up
  • The .sql.gz file downloads immediately

Option D: Export a Database via phpMyAdmin

For more control over the export format:

  • In cPanel, go to Databases > phpMyAdmin
  • Select your database from the left panel
  • Click the Export tab at the top
  • Leave format as SQL and method as Quick
  • Click Export — the .sql file downloads immediately

How to Restore a Backup in cPanel

To restore a previously downloaded backup:

  • Go to Files > Backup Wizard
  • Click Restore
  • Choose the type: Home Directory, MySQL Database, or Email Forwarder/Filter
  • Upload the backup file and click Restore

How to Automate Backups with JetBackup (If Available)

If your VeerHost hosting plan includes JetBackup, you’ll see it in cPanel. JetBackup creates automatic daily snapshots of your account that you can restore with a single click — no manual downloads needed. Check your cPanel for the JetBackup icon under the Files section.

Backup Best Practices

  • Back up before any major change — plugin updates, theme edits, migrations
  • Store backups in at least two places — your computer + cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox)
  • Test your backups periodically by actually restoring one on a staging site
  • Database backups should be done separately from file backups
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