Table of Contents
A WordPress backup has two parts — your files and your database — and a proper backup needs both. cPanel makes it possible to grab either manually, though an automated plugin is worth setting up too.
1. Back up your files
In cPanel, open File Manager, navigate to your site's root folder, select everything, and compress it into a zip archive. Download that archive to your computer.
2. Back up your database
Open phpMyAdmin from cPanel, select your WordPress database from the left-hand list, click Export, and choose the Quick export method with SQL format.
3. Store backups somewhere safe
Keep a copy off your hosting account entirely — Google Drive, Dropbox, or a local external drive. A backup stored only on the same server offers no protection if that server has a problem.
4. Restoring your files
To restore, upload your zip archive back into File Manager and extract it, overwriting the existing files.
5. Restoring your database
In phpMyAdmin, select the database, click Import, choose your saved SQL file, and run the import. Your site should reflect the backed-up state once it completes.
6. Automate it going forward
Manual backups are easy to forget. Installing UpdraftPlus and scheduling weekly automatic backups to cloud storage removes the need to remember at all.
Key takeaway: A backup is only useful if it's stored somewhere separate from your hosting account — keep at least one copy off-server at all times.
7. How often should you back up?
A site that publishes new content weekly should be backed up at least weekly — daily if you run an online store or accept form submissions you can't afford to lose. A static brochure site updated twice a year needs backups far less often, but "never" is never the right answer.
8. Restoring to a different domain or host
If you're restoring onto a new domain rather than the same one, your database will still reference the old URL. Use a plugin like Better Search Replace, or run a manual find-and-replace in phpMyAdmin, to update every instance of the old domain in the wp_options, wp_posts and wp_postmeta tables before the site will display correctly.
Common backup mistakes to avoid
- Backing up files but not the database — your theme and plugins are worthless without the content that lives in MySQL.
- Storing the only copy on the same server — if the server fails, is hacked, or the account is suspended, that backup goes with it.
- Never testing a restore — a backup you've never tried to restore is a backup you can't be sure actually works.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a plugin to back up WordPress in cPanel?
No — File Manager and phpMyAdmin can create a full backup manually with no plugin at all. A plugin like UpdraftPlus just automates the process so you don't have to remember to do it yourself.
How long does a cPanel backup take?
For a typical small business site, compressing files and exporting the database usually takes a few minutes combined. Larger sites with thousands of images or a big media library can take considerably longer, especially on shared hosting.
Will restoring a backup overwrite my current site?
Yes. Restoring files in File Manager overwrites existing files at that location, and importing a database in phpMyAdmin replaces the tables it contains. Take a fresh backup of the current state first if there's any chance you'll want to go back.