---
title: Download a full backup of your account
description: Step-by-step instructions for generating a full cPanel backup, downloading it, and why you should keep a copy somewhere off the server.
date: 2026-05-19
updated: 2026-05-19
tags: [backups, cpanel]
url: "https://drivenhost.com/kb/kb-download-full-backup"
author: DrivenHost
---

This guide shows you how to generate a complete backup of your hosting account and download it to your own computer. You will need your cPanel login. The whole process takes a few minutes plus however long the download takes, which depends on how much data you have.

## What a full backup contains

A full cPanel backup is a single compressed archive of everything in your account: your home directory (all website files, including public_html), every MySQL database, your email accounts and their stored mail, forwarders, filters, and your DNS zone records. It is the one file you would want if the account ever had to be rebuilt from scratch.

One thing it is not: a full backup cannot be restored through cPanel by you. Restoring one is done server-side, so if you ever need that, contact us. For restoring individual files or a single database yourself, partial backups (also available in the same screens) are the right tool.

## Generate the backup

1. Log in to cPanel and open Backup, under the Files section. If you prefer a guided version, Backup Wizard in the same section does the same job with an extra confirmation step.
2. Under Full Backup, click Download a Full Account Backup.
3. Leave the backup destination set to Home Directory.
4. Enter your email address if you want a notification when the backup finishes. On a large account this is worth doing, since generation can take a while.
5. Click Generate Backup.

cPanel now builds the archive in the background. You can close the tab; the job keeps running.

## Download it and keep it off the server

1. Return to the Backup screen. Under Backups Available for Download you will see a file named something like backup-date_username.tar.gz. If it is not there yet, wait a few minutes and refresh.
2. Click the filename to download it to your computer.
3. Once the download completes, copy the file somewhere that is not this server: an external drive, your own cloud storage, anywhere separate.
4. Go back to File Manager or the Backup screen and delete the backup archive from your home directory. It counts against your disk quota, and a backup that lives on the same server it protects is not really a backup.

Do this on a schedule that matches how often your site changes. Monthly is a sensible floor for a mostly static site; back up before and after any big change.

## If it didn't work

- The backup never appears in the list. It is probably still generating. Large accounts take time, so wait for the email notification before assuming it failed.
- The download stops partway. Try again with a wired connection or a download manager, and compare the downloaded file size against the size shown in cPanel before trusting it.
- Generation fails outright. Accounts very close to their disk quota may not have room to build the archive. Free up some space (old logs, that previous backup you left behind) and try again.

If none of that helps, reach out at /support and we can generate a backup for you from our side.