The cPanel backup interface allows you to generate and download a backup of your MySQL databases. Backing up your website’s database periodically is always recommended, as it can save you from a lot of pain in case anything happens with your data. It is often necessary to take a backup (or “dump”) of an entire database management system along with all databases and tables, including the system databases which hold the users, permissions, and passwords.

1) Log into cPanel.

2) Look for the “Files” section and click on the “Backup” icon.

3) In the “Partial Backup” section under “Download a MySQL Database Backup “ click on your database name you want to backup, in this case, it’s chemiclo_demo and the download will start automatically.

A copy of the database will now to saved on your PC, and you should now see the compressed .sql.gz file in the folder your web-browser downloaded it.

How to restore a MySQL Database Backup

If your database is corrupted or you have removed some useful data,  restoring the database from a previous working backup might be a great option to save the day. Luckily this can easily be done by following the next steps:

1) Log into cPanel.

2) Look for the “Files” section and click on the “Backup” icon.

3) In the “Partial Backup” section click the “Choose File” button located under “Restore a MySQL Database Backup “  and select the backup file you want to use from your PC and click “Open“.

4) Now the name of the backup file you selected should be displayed, please double check that this is the right backup and click “Upload“.

5) A new tab will open showing you information about the restore process.

The cPanel backup interface allows you to generate and download a backup of your Home directory, this will make a copy of all of your files located in your Home directory.

1) Log into cPanel.

2) Look for the “Files” section and click on the “Backup” icon.

3) In the “Partial Backup” section, click the “Home Directory” button to proceed and click “Save As” or select “Save File” in the pop-up that appears.

4) Select a destination where you would like to store your home directory backup locally and click “Save“. The backup file created will now be downloaded to the chosen destination in a .tar.gz file.

If you want to generate a full backup of your website, which includes all your website files, emails and databases just follow the instructions provided in this tutorial: Full Website Backup.

How to Restore a Home Directory Backup

A home directory backup can be restored within cPanel, following these steps you can learn how to restore a backup of your Home directory.

1) Log into cPanel.

2) Look for the “Files” section and click on the “Backup” icon.

3) In the “Partial Backup” section, click the “Choose File” button located under “Restore a Home Directory Backup” select the backup file you intend to use from your PC and click “Open”.

4) Now the name of the backup file you selected should be displayed, please double check that this is the right backup and click “Upload“.

5) A new tab will open showing all the files that are currently being replaced.

Mail Exchanger Options:

• Unless you have a particular setup that needs these explicitly stated, the recommended option is “Automatically Detect Configuration.”
• Local Mail Exchanger: Handle all mail sent from the server to this domain locally; i.e. – deliver it to the mailbox that is on the server rather than remote mail service.
• Backup Mail Exchanger: Handle all emails like a remote mail exchanger, unless the remote service is unreachable, in that case, handle it like a local mail exchanger. (For example, if you have Google as the mail service for the domain, then send the emails to Google’s servers like the remote mail exchanger. If for some reason Google’s servers are inaccessible, then deliver the mail locally, as in the local mail exchanger option.)

• Remote Mail Exchanger: Handle all mail sent to this domain remotely; i.e. – deliver it to the mail service determined by the domain’s MX record. (For example, if you have Google set up as your mail service, deliver the emails to the mailbox on Google’s servers rather than your local mailbox.)

That’s it! Now you know what is the difference between Local, Backup, and Remote Mail Exchanger in cPanel.

How to create a full cPanel Backup

1) Log into cPanel.

2) Look for the “Files” section and click on the “Backup Wizard” icon.

3) In the “Back UP” section, click the “Backup Up” button to proceed.

4) In the next step, you’ll see multiple options to create a Full Backup, an archive of all the files and configurations on your website, or a Partial Backup.

Backup destination:

• Home Directory — If this option is selected the backup will be saved in the /home directory of the server.
• Remote FTP Server — You can select this option if you want to use an FTP to store the backup file on a remote server.
• Remote FTP Server (Passive Mode Transfer) — You can select this option if you want to use passive FTP to store the backup file on a remote server.
• SCP — You can select this option if you want to use SCP to store the backup file on a remote server.

If you want to receive an email notification when the backup is finished just enter your email address. If that’s not the case you can check the box next to “Do not send email notification of backup completion”.

5) Click on the “Generate Backup” button to proceed and allow some time for the backup to finish. An email will be sent to your address if you entered one in the previous step.

How to download the Full Backup

1) This assumes that you are already logged into cPanel.

2) Select “Backups” under the “Files” tab

3) Next click on the “Download a Full Website Backup” button.

4) Under “Backups Available for Download”, click the link for the backup file you want to download.

5) Select the destination on your PC where you would like to save the backup.