On shared and reseller hosting, you can generate your own backups from the client area (which opens cPanel’s backup tools) or from inside cPanel. Use this when you want a copy before a big site change, a migration, or simply for peace of mind.
Managed platform backups may also run on the account — treat a downloadable backup you create yourself as the copy you control.
From the client area (usual path)
- Log in at clients.cidhosting.net.
- Open Services → your active hosting product.
- Under quick shortcuts / product tools, open Backup (wording may say Backup Wizard).
- You are taken into cPanel’s backup interface.
Full backup
- In the backup interface, open Backup Wizard (or Backup) if you are not already there.
- Choose Back Up → Full Backup.
- Pick a destination:
- Home Directory — stores the archive on the account (download it afterward; it counts toward disk)
- Remote FTP / passive FTP / SCP — send the archive to another server you control
- Optionally enter an email address for a completion notice.
- Click Generate Backup and wait for the job to finish (large accounts take longer).
A full backup typically includes home files, databases, email and forwarders for that account. Keep a copy off the hosting account when you can — if the only copy sits in the home directory, it is not a separate safety net.
Partial backups
From the same tools you can often download separately:
- Home directory
- MySQL databases
- Email forwarders / filters
Database-only steps are also covered in How to Backup Database in cPanel (KB 9).
WordPress note
A full account backup includes your WordPress files and database. For day-to-day WP work, also see the WordPress backup article in this knowledgebase — plugin-level backups are useful, but they are not a substitute for an account-level copy before major changes.
Restores
Restoring a full backup can overwrite live files and databases. If you need a restore and are unsure which archive to use, open a ticket with the date of the backup and what you want restored (whole account, one site, one database). Avoid restoring over a healthy site “just to test.”
Good practice
- Take a backup before plugin/theme updates, redesigns or migrations.
- Download full backups to your computer or remote storage, then remove old archives from the home directory if disk is tight.
- Test that you can open or restore a sample backup occasionally — an unreadable archive helps no one.
Questions about a specific backup job? Ticket from the client area with the approximate time you started it — no need to attach the whole archive.
