Knowledgebase

This article was created by WestHost to show you how to create a backup and download it to your local machine. Backups can be kept for security, peace of mind or to move your website to another server.

Step 1: Create A Backup Of Your Website

You can easily create a backup using the Backup Wizard tool in your cPanel account. Once you have created your backup, you will need to download the zipped file to your local machine. Be sure that you save it somewhere you will remember it and include a date in the title of the document. WestHost will delete all backups stored on our servers within 24-48 hours after their creation, so you must download this file and store it on your computer.

1. Click on “Backup Wizard” in cPanel.

   

2.  

   Click on the “Backup” button.

    

   

   
   

3. Select the “Full Backup” option.

4. Set the destination to “Home Directory” and enter your email address.

5. Click “Generate Backup”.

   

   Allow time for the backup to be created - please note that this may take a few minutes. cPanel will send an email to the address you entered to alert you that the process is complete.

Step 2: Download Your Backup To Your Computer

WestHost keeps backups of your files if your website needs to be restored, but we recommend that you keep your copies as well. To save space, any backups created by WestHost will be deleted from the server after a 24-48 hour period. If you want a copy of your website, you must save it to your local machine after creating it.

1. Click the “Backup” button in cPanel.
   

   

   
   

2.  Click the “Download a Full Website Backup” button.

   

3.  

   Select your recently created backup. This will appear under “Backups Available for Download”.

    

   

    

    

   The backup file will most likely be saved to your Downloads folder. You will need to move it to another permanent location that you can easily access. Make sure that you remember where you saved it because you will need to know its location for later use.

   If you need further help to restore your website or access our backups, please contact WestHost technical support staff by opening a chat or creating a ticket within your CHI dashboard.