Knowledgebase
Backup for cPanel Print this Article
Overview
The Backup interface allows you to download and store your site in a backup file. This interface also allows you to restore your website from a backup file.
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Newer users may prefer to use the Backup Wizard interface (cPanel >> Home >> Files >> Backup Wizard).
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The system stores backup files as tarballs that use the
.tar.gzfile extension. -
Some settings only appear if your hosting provider’s server profile enables them.
Full Backup
In this section, click Download a Full Web Site Backup to create, download, or store a full backup file. The Generate a Full Backup interface will appear.
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You cannot use a full backup file to restore your website through the cPanel interface. Contact your hosting provider for assistance.
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You must decompress the backup file before you attempt to restore it.
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After you decompress the backup file, you can upload and restore individual portions of your website that the full backup file contains.
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The backup process for an account near or over its quota may fail because the system cannot write necessary files, such as a database lock file.
Generate a Full Backup
To create a new full backup, perform the following steps:
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Select a storage setting from the Backup Destination menu:
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Home Directory — Select this setting to save the backup file on the server.
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Remote FTP Server — Select this setting to use FTP to store the backup file on a remote server.
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Remote FTP Server (passive mode transfer) — Select this setting to use passive FTP to store the backup file on a remote server.
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Secure Copy (SCP) — Select this setting to use secure copy protocol (SCP) to store the backup file on a remote server.
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Select a notification setting:
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To receive a notification when the backup finishes, enter your email address in the available text box.
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If you do not wish to receive a notification, select Do not send email notification of backup completion.
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If you selected Remote FTP Server, Remote FTP Server (passive mode transfer), or Secure Copy (SCP) from the Backup Destination menu, enter the remote destination’s information in the available text boxes.
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Click Generate Backup.
Account Backups
To download an existing full backup file to your computer, select the desired backup file’s filename from the Account Backups menu.
The backup file uses the backup-MM-DD-YYYY format, where MM is the month, DD is the day, and YYYY is the four-digit year.
Partial Backups
Partial backup files store individual sections of your account.
Download a partial backup
To download a specific item, click the desired items. This method downloads the backup file as a .gz file to your computer.
The Email Filters backup files only store the domain account-level email filters from the /etc/vfilters/$domain file. The backup file does not store user account-level email filters.
Restore a partial backup
To use a partial backup to restore a portion of your website, perform the following steps:
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Click Choose File under the appropriate heading. For example, to restore a MySQL® database, click Choose File under the Restore a MySQL Database heading.
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Select the backup file from your computer.
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Click Upload to restore that portion of your website.
Home Directory backup file contents
When you back up your /home directory, the backup file includes the following files:
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All of the files that you own.
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Files that you do not own, but can access.
Backup files do not include files from your /home directory that you do not own and cannot access.
To exclude certain files and directories from a backup file, place a configuration file in your /home directory. For more information, read our How to Exclude Files From Backups documentation.
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