Restore a whole cPanel account from a JetBackup 5 backup
PrintIn short: a full restore puts the entire hosting account back the way it was on a chosen date: all site files, databases, mailboxes, DNS zones and cPanel settings. You start it yourself from JetBackup 5, under Full Backups. Use it when the damage is spread across the account; if only one site, one database or one mailbox is affected, a partial restore is safer.
Full restore or partial restore?
Everything that changed after the backup date is overwritten, including e-mails received since then, new orders and new comments. So choose the smallest restore that solves the problem:
| What happened | What to restore |
|---|---|
| Files of one site deleted or damaged | Only its folder: restoring files with JetBackup 5 |
| Content of a site lost or broken, files intact | Only the database: restoring a MySQL database |
| Messages or a mailbox deleted | Only that mailbox: restoring e-mail accounts |
| Several sites, the mail and the settings affected at once | The full account, as described below |
Before you start
- Choose the date carefully. Backups are made every 24 to 48 hours and kept for 30 days; take the last one from before the problem appeared.
- Think about what has changed since then. If the shop has taken orders or the mailboxes have received important messages, consider keeping them out of the restore (see step 5) or save them first.
- Tell the people who work on the site or read the company mail, so that nobody changes anything while the restore runs.
Steps
- Log in to cPanel and open JetBackup 5 from the Files section.
- Under Restore & Download, click Full Backups. The Full Account tab opens with the list of full backups.
- Click the row with the date you chose (the Created column) and then the Restore button under the list.
- The Restore Summary window opens. Under Items To Restore each part of the account is shown as a separate block: Panel Config (cPanel settings), Home Dir Files (files), Databases, Database Users, Email Accounts, Cron Jobs, Domains and SSL Certificates.
- To leave a part out, click Remove items in its block. For example, remove Email Accounts if you want to keep the messages received since the backup date.
- Look at Merge backup data with live account data under Restore Options. Unticked, the account returns to the state of the backup; ticked, the backup is combined with what is on the server now. For a clean rollback, for example after a hack, leave it unticked.
- Click Restore Selected Items. If Go to Queue after I click Restore is ticked, you are taken straight to the queue.
While it runs and afterwards
A full restore takes longer than a partial one; the time depends on the size of the account. In Queue the job shows Pending while it waits, then runs until it reaches Completed. Do not edit files, databases or mailboxes in the meantime.
When it is done, check:
- that each site opens and its admin panel accepts your login;
- that you can send and receive mail;
- which passwords are now valid: e-mail and FTP passwords changed after the backup date may be back to their earlier values.
If the job ends with Failed, try another date. If it fails again, open a ticket with the date and the time you started the restore.
Frequently asked questions
Will a full restore remove a virus?
It brings back the files as they were on the backup date, but it does not close the security hole the attacker used. After the restore, update the CMS, plugins and themes and change all passwords. The full procedure is in what to do when a website has been hacked.
My account was suspended or deleted. Can I restore it myself?
No: while the account is suspended or after it has been removed, JetBackup is not available in cPanel. As a rule, we keep the backups of such an account for as long as 90 days after it was suspended or removed. Pay any outstanding invoice and open a ticket, and we will check what can be recovered.
Can I restore a backup older than 30 days?
The automatic backups rotate every 30 days. For anything older you need your own copy, for example a full backup downloaded from JetBackup.
