How to Generate and Download a Full cPanel .tar.gz Account Backup
A cPanel full backup is one .tar.gz of the whole account: home files, databases and email. In cPanel open Files, then Backup, click Download a Full Account Backup, choose Home Directory or a remote FTP or SCP server, and click Generate Backup. cPanel cannot restore that archive itself; the host restores it in WHM.
For cPanel account owners making a complete copy before a move, a big change or a host switch.
knowledge
- Read time
- 4 min
- Sections
- 5
- Updated
- 14 Nov 2026
- Written by
- WebJi® team
Last editorial update: 14 November 2026.
What a cPanel full backup file contains
A cPanel full backup is one .tar.gz archive of the whole account: home directory, databases, mailboxes and account settings. It holds the home directory, including public_html, the databases, the mailboxes for domains on the account, and the account settings. It does not include files you neither own nor can open.
- Home directory files you own, including public_html
- MySQL databases on the account
- Mailboxes for the domains on the account
- Files you cannot access, which the archive leaves out
Every full archive starts with backup- followed by the date; automatic Account Backups use the backup-MM-DD-YYYY pattern cPanel documents, and a manually generated file usually adds the time and username. That file is the full account, not a single folder you picked in File Manager.
How a full cPanel backup differs from a partial backup
Use a full backup when you need the whole account in one file, and a partial backup when you need one part you can restore yourself. Use a partial backup when you need only the home directory, one database, email forwarders, or the global email filters. Partial files can be uploaded back from the Backup screen. The full archive cannot.
| Choice | Full account backup | Partial backup |
|---|---|---|
| What you get | The whole account in one .tar.gz | Home directory, one database, forwarders, or filters |
| Where you start | Files, Backup, Download a Full Account Backup | Files, Backup, the matching download button |
| Restore in cPanel | No. The host restores it in WHM | Yes. Restore, choose the type, upload |
| Typical file | backup-MM-DD-YYYY.tar.gz in the home directory | .tar.gz for files, .sql.gz for a database |
Backup Wizard runs the same split. Click Back Up, then Full Backup, or pick one partial type. The Backup icon shows every choice on one page.
Either screen writes a .tar.gz for the home directory. A database partial is a .sql.gz file. A partial email download is forwarders and filters, not the mailboxes, and the filters file stores only Global Email Filters, not each user's own filters. Mailboxes are inside the full archive.
How to generate a cPanel full backup
Open Files, then Backup, click Download a Full Account Backup, choose a destination and click Generate Backup. The job runs in the background. Larger accounts take longer than a small site. You are done when the file is listed and the downloaded size matches the copy on the server.
- Log in to cPanel and open Files, then Backup. Backup Wizard, then Back Up, then Full Backup, is the same job one screen at a time.
- Click Download a Full Account Backup. From Backup Destination choose Home Directory, Remote FTP Server, Remote FTP Server (passive mode), or Secure Copy (SCP).
- Type an email address if you want a note when it finishes, or select the option that skips the note. Leave Include integration links unticked unless you need them, because cPanel warns they may include external account credentials. For FTP or SCP, enter the remote host, username, password, and directory.
- Click Generate Backup. It worked when the file shows under Backups Available for Download, or in the home directory in File Manager. Download it and compare the size with the server copy before you delete that copy.
Where a cPanel full backup is stored
Home Directory saves the archive in the account's home folder, above public_html; the FTP and SCP options send it to another server. It is not inside the website. Open File Manager, go up from public_html, and download the file whose name starts with backup-. Leaving it there uses the same disk quota as the live site.
Remote FTP, passive FTP, and SCP send the file to another server. Those three are the offsite choices on this screen. Google Drive is not a destination. If you want Drive, download the .tar.gz and upload it yourself.
If the account is at or near its disk quota, or inodes are full, Generate Backup can fail; cPanel notes it may not be able to write files such as a database lock file. To keep large folders such as caches out of every archive, list them in a cpbackup-exclude.conf file in the home directory, as cPanel's exclusion guide describes. Free space, or reduce inode usage in cPanel, then run it again.
You can still put website files back yourself: uncompress the archive and upload the contents of homedir/public_html through File Manager, which is the manual route cPanel documents. Databases and mailboxes from that same file are a host job, or a separate partial file. The click path for each file is the cPanel backup restore guide.
On WebJi®, free migration of an existing account is subject to terms and approval. Send the archive before the old host deletes it.
Manual full backups vs your host's scheduled backups
Download a Full Account Backup is a one-off copy; it does not turn on any schedule. You click it when you want a copy, such as before a move or a large change. The host's nightly job is separate.
Scheduled copies are the host's job and appear in cPanel's Account Backups menu only when the host has enabled automatic backups. Ask your host which tool keeps them and how long they are retained. On WebJi®'s ControlPanel.Systems shared plans, the panel offers self-service restores of files and MySQL databases from the last 30 days, according to WebJi®'s knowledge base.
When the .tar.gz must leave this machine, use server backup solutions for the offsite copy. That work is quoted by email before you pay. Seeing the Backup icon does not mean the offsite copy is already included.
Frequently asked questions
How do I take a full backup in cPanel?
Open Files, then Backup, then Download a Full Account Backup. Choose Home Directory or a remote FTP or SCP server and click Generate Backup. It worked when backup-MM-DD-YYYY.tar.gz is listed for download.
What is the difference between a full and a partial cPanel backup?
A full backup is the whole account in one .tar.gz, and the host restores it. A partial backup is the home directory, one database, forwarders, or global filters, and you upload that file under Restore.
Where is a cPanel full backup stored?
Home Directory puts it in the account home, above public_html. FTP, passive FTP, and SCP put it on the server you named. Download it from Backups Available for Download or File Manager.
Can I restore a full cPanel backup from cPanel?
No. The Backup screen does not restore a full account archive. Ask the host to restore it in WHM; at WebJi®, email support@webji.services with the file name. Partial files are restored from the Backup screen's Restore section.
Does a cPanel full backup include email?
Yes. Mailboxes for domains on the account are inside the full .tar.gz. A partial email download is only forwarders and filters, not the mailbox store.
Can cPanel send a full backup to Google Drive?
Not from Backup Destination. The menu is Home Directory, FTP, passive FTP, or SCP. Download the .tar.gz and upload it to Drive yourself if you want that copy.
Last editorial update: 14 November 2026.
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