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How do I back up or restore my website?

Use cPanel → Backup Wizard → Back Up to download your own backup, or JetBackup 5 to view dated copies already held for the hosting account. In JetBackup, select the date and the files or data you need before choosing Restore. Read Restore Summary carefully: restoring older data can replace newer website content, orders or messages. Restore Selected Items starts the restore.

Download your own backup before a change

  • These steps are for cPanel hosting. For a VPS, contact us to confirm its backup setup; do not assume these tools cover the server.
  • Open your account, find the hosting service in Services and choose Log in to cPanel. Use Search Tools to find Backup Wizard.
  • Choose Back Up. For a website you need its files and its database, not just a page export.
  • Under Select Partial Backup, choose Home Directory, then Home Directory on the download page. This saves a copy to your device. Store backups securely because they can contain email and private website data.
  • Return with Go Back, choose Databases and download the database used by that website. If you do not know which database belongs to it, ask your developer or Tech/Server rather than guessing. Keep the file and database copies together, with the date.
  • Full Backup creates an account archive, but Backup Wizard cannot restore that full archive for you. Ask us to arrange a full-archive restore. This is different from restoring an existing dated copy through JetBackup 5.

Find an existing backup in JetBackup

  • From cPanel Tools, open JetBackup 5 under Files. On its dashboard, use Home Directory for files, Databases for website data, Email Accounts for mailboxes or Full Backups for the whole account.
  • If JetBackup 5 is missing from your cPanel, contact Tech/Server with the service name to confirm the backup tools for that hosting plan.
  • Read Created and select a backup from before the problem. Use the date and time shown in JetBackup. The copies listed for your account determine what you can recover; do not assume every date or an unlimited history is kept.
  • In Home Directory, selecting a backup starts with All Files/Directories Selected. Choose Change Files Selection, select only the required folders or files, then choose Select Files. Check the website folder in cPanel Domains → Document Root if you are unsure which folder it uses.
  • Choose Download to prepare a separate copy rather than changing the live account. Review the selection and choose Download Selected Items. Check Queue, then Downloads when preparation completes.

Restore only what you intend to replace

  • Keep a copy of the current data first. For shops, bookings and active mailboxes, agree how recent orders or messages will be preserved before returning to an earlier date.
  • Select the required dated items and choose Restore. In Restore Summary, review Items To Restore. Use Cancel to change the selection, or Remove items to remove a category from the summary.
  • For one deleted file, return to JetBackup's dashboard and choose Home Directory, select the backup date, then Change Files Selection. Tick only that file and choose Select Files before opening Restore → Restore Summary. Do not use Full Backups for this task: it can include other websites, databases, email, DNS and certificates on the account.
  • Review Restore Options. Merge backup data with live account data is not a guarantee that every recent change will be preserved or that an application will remain consistent. Ask us before using it for a shop or a database you do not understand.
  • When the date, contents and effect are correct, choose Restore Selected Items once. Watch Queue for completion. If it fails or the result is unclear, contact us with the job details before repeating it.

Check the result

  • Test the website, sign-in, images and forms. For WordPress, files and database data may need matching copies from the same point in time. Database restores can also require the associated Database Users and permissions; ask us if you are unsure which belong together.
  • Clear the relevant website cache after a confirmed restore, then check again. A successful backup job does not by itself prove that the restored website works.
  • If the needed date is missing, open Support → New Ticket, choose Tech/Server and give the domain, affected files or data, and the last time it worked. Do not upload a full private backup to a public chat.