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How to back up and restore a website in cPanel

Reading time
5 min
Last updated
24 Sep 2026

Two kinds of backup matter: the ones your host takes every day, which you can restore yourself, and one copy you keep somewhere else. cPanel handles both. Most restores are a single file or a single database rather than the whole account, so start with the smallest restore that fixes the problem.

  1. 01

    Open JetBackup

    In cPanel, open JetBackup 5 from the Files section (older servers show it as JetBackup). Restore points are grouped by type: full account, files, databases, email, DNS zones and cron jobs. These are the off-site backups taken for you.

  2. 02

    Restore a single file or folder

    Choose the files backups, pick the date from before the problem, browse to the file or folder, select it and click Restore. The restored copy replaces the current one. To keep both, choose Download instead and compare them first.

  3. 03

    Restore a database

    Choose the databases backups, pick a date, select the database and restore it. This replaces the whole database. If today's version holds anything you need, such as new orders, export it from phpMyAdmin → Export before you restore.

  4. 04

    Download a full backup to keep elsewhere

    For a copy off the server, open the full account backups in JetBackup, pick a date and queue a download. You can also use Files → Backup → Download a Full Account Backup; cPanel builds the archive and emails you when it is ready.

    Save it to your own computer or cloud storage. Any cPanel host can restore this file, so it also works as a migration package.

  5. 05

    Check the restore worked

    Open the site in a private browser window. On WordPress, purge the cache afterwards (LiteSpeed Cache → Purge All), because a cached page can hide the restored content and make it look as if nothing changed.

Which backup to restore

  • Site broke after a plugin or theme update: files and the database from the day before.
  • Deleted an email or a mailbox: the email backups.
  • Lost a DNS record: the DNS zone backup.
  • Site hacked: the full account from before the compromise. Then change every password, cPanel, FTP, database and admin, because the attacker may still have them.

How often backups run and how long they are kept

How often backups run depends on the plan; each plan lists it on the pricing page. Restore points are kept for 30 days and stored off the server, so a failed disk does not take the backups with it. Restoring them yourself is free.

Still keep your own copy. A monthly full-account download kept on your computer protects you against the one risk a host's backups cannot: losing access to the account itself.

Common questions

Yes. Off-site backups and self-service restores through JetBackup are included on every plan, with no restore fee.
Yes. Restore the site files and its database from the same date. Restoring only one of the two can leave WordPress referring to content or settings that do not match.
Restoring a single file or folder only replaces what you select. A full-account restore returns the account to that date, so download anything newer first.
Yes. A full cPanel backup restores on any cPanel host. If you are moving to FasterHost, send it to support and we restore it for you free.

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