How to Backup Your WordPress Website Manually via cPanel: A Complete Guide

Backup Your WordPress Website Manually via cPanel: When it comes to managing your WordPress website, one of the most crucial tasks is ensuring that you have a solid backup plan in place.

Whether it’s a small personal blog, a portfolio website or a large eCommerce store, having regular backups can save you from losing all your hard work due to unforeseen issues such as hacking, server failures or accidental data deletions.

Backup Your WordPress Website Manually via cPanel

While there are many ways to back up your WordPress website, performing a manual backup via cPanel is a straightforward and effective approach. cPanel is the control panel provided by most hosting services, offering you an intuitive interface to manage your webwebsite and server. By learning how to back up your website manually using cPanel, you can gain more control over your backups and ensure that everything is backed up the way you want it.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the process of manually backing up your WordPress website via cPanel. I’ll explain everything step-by-step, so whether you are a beginner or have some experience, you will find this process easy to follow. By the end of this article, you will know exactly how to protect your website from data loss, ensuring that you can restore it quickly in case of any issues.

Why Should You Backup Your WordPress Website?

Before diving into the technical aspects of how to back up your WordPress website manually, it’s important to understand why backups are so essential. Having a backup is like having an insurance policy for your webwebsite. Without regular backups, you risk losing your content, settings, plugins and other crucial elements of your website. Some of the common reasons for needing a backup include:

Hacking or Malware: WordPress websites are frequent targets for hackers. A backup ensures that if your website is compromised, you can restore it to a previous, clean version.
Server Issues: If your hosting provider experiences server failures or data loss, having a backup can help you recover quickly.
Accidental Deletions: Whether it’s a theme or plugin update gone wrong or human error, backups can prevent data loss when something goes wrong.
Webwebsite Migration: If you are moving your webwebsite to a new hosting provider, a backup makes the transition smoother.

Now that you know why backups are important, let’s explore how you can manually back up your WordPress website using cPanel.

How to Backup WordPress Website Manually via cPanel

Backing up your WordPress website manually via cPanel involves two main tasks: backing up your website’s files and exporting the database. Both elements are crucial, as your files contain your themes, plugins and media fileswhile your database holds all your posts, comments and other content.

Step 1: Access cPanel

The first step in backing up your WordPress website manually is to log into your cPanel account. Here’s how to do it:

Log into cPanel:
- Open your web browser and enter the URL for your cPanel login page. It’s usually something like yourdomain.com/cpanel or yourhostingprovider.com/cpanel.
- Enter your username and password. These credentials should have been provided to you by your hosting provider.
Find the File Manager and Database Sections:
- Once logged in, you will see a variety of options in your cPanel dashboard. To back up your files, go to the Files section and look for File Manager. To back up your database, head to the Databases section and select phpMyAdmin.

Now that you are in cPanel, let’s walk through backing up your files and database.

Step 2: Backup Your WordPress Files Using File Manager

Your WordPress files include everything that makes your website work such as themes, plugins and media files. Here’s how you can manually back up your files:

Open File Manager:
- In the Files section, click on File Manager. This will open a new window showing all the files and folders associated with your webwebsite.
Locate Your WordPress Root Directory:
- The root directory for your WordPress website is usually called public_html or something similar. This is where all the files for your website are stored.
- Look for the public_html folder in the left-hand panel and click on it to open it. Inside, you should see your WordPress files.
Select Your WordPress Files:
- Once you are in the right folder, select all the files and folders that make up your WordPress website. You can select everything by clicking the “Select All” button at the top.
- Ensure you select all your theme files, plugins and media content as well. If you want to be extra thorough, you can also select your .htaccess and wp-config.php files.
Compress Your Files:
- After selecting all the files, click on Compress at the top of the File Manager toolbar. This will create a compressed .zip file that contains all your selected files.
- Choose Zip Archive as the compression type and click Compress File(s).
Download the Compressed File:
- Once the compression is complete, you will see the .zip file in your File Manager. Right-click on the file and select Download to save it to your computer.
- Keep this file in a safe location, as it contains all the essential files for your WordPress website.

Step 3: Backup Your WordPress Database Using phpMyAdmin

Next, you need to back up your WordPress databasewhich contains all your posts, pages, comments and other content. Here’s how to back up the database:

Access phpMyAdmin:
- In your cPanel, go to the Databases section and click on phpMyAdmin. This will open the phpMyAdmin interface, where you can manage your WordPress database.
Select Your Database:
- In the left-hand column, you will see a list of all the databases associated with your hosting account. Find the database used by your WordPress website. If you are unsure which database is the right one, you can check the wp-config.php file in File Manager for the database name.
- Click on the database name to open it.
Export Your Database:
- Once the database is selected, click on the Export tab at the top of the page.
- You will be given the option to choose the export method. Select Quick for a simple export or Custom if you need more control over the export process. In most cases, the Quick method will be sufficient.
- Choose SQL as the file format and click Go.
Download the Database:
- After clicking Go, phpMyAdmin will generate a .sql file of your database. This file contains all the content of your WordPress website, including posts, pages and settings.
- Save this file to your computer in a secure location.

Step 4: Store Your Backups Safely

Now that you have both your WordPress files and database backed up, it’s time to store them in a secure location. Ideally, you should have multiple copies of your backups to ensure they are safe. Here are some storage options to consider:

External Hard Drive: You can store your backups on an external hard drive or USB drive for easy access.
Cloud Storage: Use cloud storage services like Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive to store your backups offwebsite. These services are generally secure and allow you to access your backups from anywhere.
Backup Storage Providers: Some hosting companies offer dedicated backup solutions, where you can store backups on their servers for added security.

Best Practices for Manual Backups

While manual backups give you complete control over the process, it’s essential to follow some best practices to ensure they are effective:

Backup Regularly: Schedule backups to run regularly, especially if you make frequent changes to your website. The more often you back up, the less data you will lose if something goes wrong.
Test Your Backups: Periodically restore your backups on a test website to make sure they work as expected.
Store Backups in Multiple Locations: Keep at least two copies of your backup, ideally in different physical locations (e.g., external drive and cloud storage).

Conclusion

Performing a manual backup of your WordPress website via cPanel is a powerful and reliable way to protect your website from data loss. By backing up both your files and database, you ensure that all aspects of your webwebsite are safe and can be restored if needed. While this method requires a bit more hands-on effort compared to automated solutions, it provides greater control over your backups, giving you peace of mind knowing that your website’s data is secure.

Remember, regular backups are essential for maintaining the integrity and security of your WordPress website. So, take a few minutes now to back up your website manually via cPanel and you will thank yourself later when disaster strikes.

You May Also Join Us On: