Our web hosting and managed WordPress plans are backed up daily, but keep your own copy too. Download a full backup from cPanel (Files → Backup) or with WordPress Manager by Softaculous, and store it off the server, for example on Google Drive.
What we already back up
- Web hosting and managed WordPress: daily backups. To restore, see How do I restore my website from a backup?
- Managed cPanel VPS and dedicated servers: daily backups kept for seven days, stored away from the server.
- Unmanaged VPS: backups are your job. See How do I back up an unmanaged VPS?
Our Service Level Agreement still recommends keeping your own copy outside the hosting. Do it before every big change and on a regular schedule.
Take your own backup
With WordPress Manager (one site)
- In cPanel, open Software → WordPress Manager by Softaculous and find your site.
- Choose Backup, keep both the files and the database ticked, and start it.
- When it’s ready, download it from the Softaculous backups list, then delete the copy on the server.
With cPanel Backup (the whole account)
- In cPanel, open Files → Backup.
- Click Download a Full Account Backup, choose Home Directory and click Generate Backup. You get an email when it’s ready.
- Or, for just the site, download the home directory and the WordPress database separately under Partial Backups.
Automatically, with a plugin
A plugin such as UpdraftPlus can back up on a schedule to Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive, so a copy always exists away from the server without you remembering.
Tip: Backups stored in your hosting account count towards your disk space, and a copy on the same server doesn’t help if the account is lost. Download it and delete it from the server. Keep one copy in cloud storage, not just on an office laptop, where theft or a power surge when ZESA comes back can destroy it.
- How far back do your backups go?
- On managed cPanel VPS and dedicated servers, seven days. For web hosting, ask us and we’ll tell you what’s available for your account.
- Should I download backups over mobile data?
- Only if the site is small. A full backup can run to several gigabytes; download it on Wi-Fi, or send it straight to cloud storage with a plugin.
Need a backup restored? Open a support ticket with the domain and the date you need.
Updated 6 November 2026. Something here out of date? Tell us.