Download a full cPanel account backup from JetBackup 5

To save a complete copy of your hosting account on your own computer, open JetBackup 5 in cPanel, go to Full Backups, select a date and click Download. JetBackup first prepares the archive in the background; once the job is done, you fetch the file from View Downloads. The whole process is described below.

When a downloaded copy helps

• The automatic backups on our servers cover the last 30 days. A copy on your computer or in your own cloud storage stays with you for as long as you need it.
• Before a big change: a redesign, a CMS upgrade, moving to a new theme or shop platform.
• When you want an archive of the site at a given moment, for example at the end of a project or before closing the service.

How to download it

1. Log in to cPanel and click JetBackup 5 in the Files section.
2. On the JetBackup 5 dashboard, under Restore & Download, click Full Backups. The page that opens has the Full Account tab active.
3. Click the row with the date you want (the Created column), then click Download under the list. Until a row is selected, the button cannot be used.
   
4. A summary window shows what the archive will contain. Leave every item selected so the copy is complete, and confirm with Download Selected Items.
5. The job goes into the Queue. Preparing a large account can take a while; you can leave the page and come back later.
6. When the job shows Completed, go back to the dashboard and open View Downloads (the cloud icon on the left). Click Download next to the archive and save it on your computer.
   

What is in the archive

A full backup holds the entire account as it was on the chosen date: the files of all sites, the databases and their users, the mailboxes with their messages, DNS zones, SSL certificates, cron jobs and the cPanel settings. Because of that it can be large, so start the download over a stable connection.

The archive is meant to be kept, not opened every day. If you ever need to put it back on a TopHost server, open a ticket and our team will tell you how to send it. To roll the account back to a date that is still in the automatic backups, you do not need the file at all: follow restoring a full cPanel account.

Do you need only part of the account?

The same Download button exists in the other JetBackup sections. In Home Directory you can pick only the folder of one site, in Databases a single database, in Email Accounts one mailbox. The archive is smaller and ready sooner. For other ways to make your own copies, including scheduled ones, see backups in cPanel and how to keep your own copy.

Tips for keeping the copy safe

• Keep it in at least two places, for example on your computer and on an external drive or a cloud storage service.
• Check the size of the saved file. A file of a few kilobytes means the download was interrupted; start it again.
• The archive contains passwords and personal data: configuration files of the sites, database contents, e-mail. Do not share it and store it in a protected location.
• A prepared archive does not stay in View Downloads forever. Save it as soon as it is ready.

If something does not work

• The Download button is grey: click a backup row first.
• The job shows Failed: try a backup from another date. If it fails again, open a ticket and tell us the date you chose.
• The archive is not in View Downloads: check the Queue; the job may still be running.

Related articles

• Restore a whole cPanel account from a JetBackup 5 backup
• Restore website files from a backup with JetBackup 5
• Backups in cPanel: what runs automatically and how to keep your own copy