Accounts owned by root
The Reseller Privileges box is unticked by default in the Transfer Tool, so ownership does not survive the copy. Tick it under What to Transfer, or repair afterwards in Resellers → Reseller Center → Change Ownership.
Blog · WebJi® India
Migrate Reseller Accounts in WHM
Quick answer
A reseller migration in WHM moves the reseller account plus every cPanel account it owns: recreate packages and the reseller on the destination first, then copy accounts with the Transfer Tool as root, ticking Reseller Privileges so ownership survives. Without root, restore per-account full backups. Done when List Accounts shows the reseller as owner.
For resellers and agencies moving client accounts between WHM servers without losing quotas or ownership.
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GuideWebJi®
knowledge
knowledge
- Read time
- 5 min
- Sections
- 9
- Updated
- 14 Nov 2026
- Written by
- WebJi® team
Last editorial update: 15 November 2026.
What actually moves in a WHM reseller migration?
A reseller migration moves the reseller login, every cPanel account it owns, the packages those accounts were sold, and each domain's DNS zone, mail and SSL certificate. The ownership link between reseller and account lives in the panel database, not in the website files, which is why a file copy alone never completes one. Whether you can use the WHM Transfer Tool or must fall back to per-account backups depends on a single fact: root access on the destination server.
- Accounts: the reseller login plus every cPanel account it owns, with home directories and databases.
- Packages and feature lists: the disk, bandwidth and addon-domain quotas clients paid for.
- Ownership: the reseller-to-account link that makes accounts visible in the reseller's WHM.
- DNS, mail and SSL: zones, mailboxes and certificates, which move as part of each account, not with the files.
What should you inventory on the source WHM first?
Record the account list, packages, reseller ACL, dedicated IPs and DNS TTL before the first transfer, because the destination must be built to match the source. Ten minutes of inventory here prevents the two classic post-migration tickets: lost quota limits and invisible accounts.
| Item | Where in WHM | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Account list | Account Information → List Accounts | Exact usernames and domains to move |
| Packages | Packages → Edit a Package | Same names must exist on the destination |
| Reseller ACL | Resellers → Reseller Center | What the reseller may do after the move |
| Dedicated IPs | IP Functions → Show IP Address Usage | Dedicated-IP accounts need an IP or a new certificate |
| DNS TTL | DNS Functions → Edit Zone Templates | Lower to 300 seconds a day before cutover |
Why create packages and the reseller account before any transfer?
Accounts restored without a matching package name land on the server default, silently stripping clients of the disk, bandwidth and addon-domain limits they were sold. Build the destination first and the mapping stays exact.
- In the destination WHM, open Packages → Add a Package and recreate every package with the same name and limits.
- Create the reseller account under Resellers → Reseller Center, using the same username where the server allows it.
- Set the reseller's ACL list to match the source, since backup restores do not carry it.
How do you run the WHM Transfer Tool with root access?
Log in to the destination WHM as root and copy the reseller plus its owned accounts in one Transfer Tool session, ticking Reseller Privileges on the reseller row. That checkbox is off by default, and leaving it off is the number-one cause of migrated accounts owned by root.
- Open Transfers → Transfer Tool at
https://SERVER-IP:2087as root. - Enter the source server IP and SSH port (usually 22); authenticate with the root password, an SSH key or an API token.
- In Security, untick Restricted Restore if the source is trusted, since restricted mode blocks overwriting settings.
- Click Scan Remote Server and accept the Live Transfer notice.
- On the Packages tab, select every package prefixed with the reseller's username so limits map across.
- On the Accounts tab, sort by the Reseller column and tick the reseller account and every account it owns.
- Expand the arrow beside the reseller's domain, tick Reseller Privileges under What to Transfer, and click Apply.
- Click Copy and watch the queue until every account reports complete.
The transfer is finished when List Accounts shows each account with the reseller as owner, and the reseller can log in to WHM and see exactly its own clients.
How do you migrate reseller accounts without root access?
Without root there is no Transfers menu — the Transfer Tool is a root-only feature — so accounts move one at a time as full backups. The archives carry databases, mail and DNS zones; what they never carry is the reseller ACL, so set permissions by hand afterwards.
With SSH on both servers, package and restore each account directly:
# on the source server, as root
/usr/local/cpanel/scripts/pkgacct USERNAME /home
# fetch the cpmove archive, then on the destination
/usr/local/cpanel/scripts/restorepkg USERNAME- No source SSH: each client generates a full backup in cPanel under Files → Backup → Download a Full Account Backup.
- No destination root either: ask the destination provider to run
restorepkgor the Transfer Tool on your behalf. - After every restore, set the owner in Resellers → Reseller Center → Change Ownership, or the reseller cannot manage the account.
Agencies running dozens of accounts usually hand this to a provider — WebJi® runs both routes as part of its website migration service, free with hosting subject to terms and approval.
What do you verify before cancelling the old server?
Verify ownership, sites, mail and certificates on the new server while DNS still points at the old one, then switch each domain after it passes. Keep the source server and its zones alive for at least seven days as the rollback path.
- Confirm ownership from the shell:
whmapi1 listaccts searchtype=owner search=RESELLERUSERmust list every moved account. - Test each site against the new IP before any DNS change, with a hosts-file entry or
curl --resolve domain.in:443:NEWIP https://domain.in/. - Send and receive one message per domain and confirm the MX records still point where you expect.
- Check AutoSSL issued on the new server, and reinstall any paid certificate on dedicated-IP accounts.
- Lower each zone's TTL to 300 seconds, switch DNS per domain, and re-check cron jobs and the reseller's own WHM login.
Rollback stays available throughout: point DNS back at the old IP and restore the TTL you lowered. Mail is the exception — messages delivered to the new server after cutover do not exist on the old one, so before any revert, rsync the mail directories back or run the Transfer Tool's MailSync stage in the other direction.
Which two failures catch most resellers during migration?
Accounts arriving owned by root, and a missing Transfers menu, together account for most reseller migration tickets. Both have one-line explanations.
No Transfers menu visible
The Transfer Tool requires root, and a reseller-level WHM simply does not show it. That is by design, not a fault. Use the full-backup route, or ask the destination provider to run the transfer for you.
Clients on default quotas
A restore without a matching package name assigns the server default package. Recreate packages with identical names before the accounts arrive, and the limits map across unchanged.
Where can you host the migrated reseller accounts in India?
WebJi® reseller plans start at ₹4,000 a year before 18% GST for the LR-START tier, with LR-Pro at ₹7,000 and LR-Dev at ₹12,500 a year for larger portfolios, each including WHM and the cPanel accounts you resell. Migration with hosting is free subject to terms and approval: send the account list, package names and total disk usage to support@webji.services and the desk checks capacity before scheduling the move. Support answers in Hindi and English 24/7, average first reply under 60 minutes.
The plans sit on reseller hosting and cPanel reseller hosting. For the business context — margins and model — read what reseller hosting is alongside this guide.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Why do my transferred accounts belong to root instead of the reseller?
The Reseller Privileges option is deselected by default in the Transfer Tool, so ownership reverts to root during the copy. Expand the reseller account's row under What to Transfer and tick it before copying, or repair the move afterwards in Resellers → Reseller Center → Change Ownership.
Do packages and feature lists transfer with the accounts?
Packages map across only when a package with the same name exists on the destination or when you select the reseller-prefixed packages in the Transfer Tool's Packages tab. Feature lists attached to packages travel with them, but a reseller ACL must be compared and set by hand after the move.
Will client sites see downtime during a reseller migration?
Not if each site is tested against the new IP first and the zone TTL is dropped to 300 seconds before cutover — every domain then moves within minutes. Mail is the exception: messages sent during the switch can land on either server, so plan a post-cutover mail sync before the old server goes away.
How long should I keep the old reseller server after cutover?
At least seven days. DNS caches, late mail deliveries and overlooked subdomains all resolve back to the old server during that window, and rollback is only a DNS change while the source still runs. Export final backups of anything created after cutover before you cancel.
Can a reseller run the migration alone, or is root always needed?
A reseller can move its own accounts without root by generating full backups in each client's cPanel and having the destination provider restore them, then resetting ownership per account. Root is only required for the one-session Transfer Tool and for running restorepkg yourself; most providers run either on request.
Last editorial update: 15 November 2026. Prices follow the dated sources on this page; checkout confirms current charges.
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