How to Download a Full cPanel Account Backup

Before performing a major site update, switching themes, or migrating to a new host, it is always good practice to download a complete backup of your entire cPanel account — including all website files, databases, emails, and configurations — to your local computer. Here is how to do it on Hostinap Shared and Business Hosting.

Method 1: Download via the cPanel Backup Tool

1. Log in to cPanel (yourdomain.com/cpanel).
2. Scroll to the Files section and click Backup (or Backup Wizard if you prefer a guided interface).
3. Under Full Backup, click Download a Full Account Backup.
4. For Backup Destination, select Home Directory — this saves the backup file directly into your hosting account's home directory.
5. Enter your email address in the Email Address field. cPanel will email you when the backup is ready.
6. Click Generate Backup.

Once the backup is generated (usually within a few minutes for small accounts, longer for large ones), you will receive an email notification. Then:

1. Go back to cPanel > File Manager.
2. Your backup file will be in the home directory (one level above public_html) as a .tar.gz file, e.g. backup-8.22.2026_04-00-02_yourusername.tar.gz.
3. Right-click the file and select Download.

Method 2: Download via JetBackup 5 (Faster)

JetBackup 5 is our built-in backup solution and provides much faster access to recent backup snapshots without needing to generate a new backup file:

1. In cPanel, scroll to Files and click JetBackup 5.
2. Click Home Directory on the dashboard.
3. Select the backup date you want (e.g. yesterday's snapshot).
4. Click Download (not Restore). JetBackup will prepare a compressed archive.
5. Go to the Downloads section in JetBackup's left menu to retrieve the file once it is ready.

Which Method Should You Use?

• Use the cPanel Backup tool if you want a single archive of your current live state right now.
• Use JetBackup if you want a backup from a specific past date (e.g. 3 days ago, before an update broke something).

How to Download Just a Database or Just Email

In cPanel Backup Wizard, instead of choosing "Full Backup," choose Partial Backup. This lets you download only your MySQL databases, email forwarders, or email filters individually as smaller files.