How to Create and Restore Website Backups in StackCP

StackCP actually gives you two distinct ways to back up and restore your website, and it's worth understanding the difference before you rely on either one. This guide covers both: the free, manual Backup/Restore tool available to everyone, and Timeline Backups, an optional paid add-on that runs automatic daily snapshots.

The Two Backup Systems in StackCP

Backup/Restore (free, manual) — found under Web Files in your hosting package. You choose when to run it, and it packages your selected files and/or databases into a downloadable ZIP file. Nothing happens automatically; you're in control of when a backup is taken.

Timeline Backups (paid add-on) — runs automatic daily snapshots of your website and database, with 30 days of retention. The higher Timeline Backups Pro tier extends this further and also covers mailbox snapshots. This is the better option if you want backups happening in the background without needing to remember to run them yourself.

Many site owners use both: Timeline Backups for automatic, ongoing protection, and the manual Backup/Restore tool for a specific one-off snapshot before a risky change (like a major plugin update or a theme change).

Part 1: Using the Manual Backup/Restore Tool

Step 1: Create a Backup

1. Log in to StackCP.
2. Go to Manage Hosting, then Options > Manage on your package.
3. Select Backup/Restore under Web Files.
4. Choose what to include — Files, Databases, or both.
5. Start the backup. StackCP packages your selection into a ZIP file you can download once it's ready.

Step 2: Download and Store Your Backup Safely

Once generated, download the ZIP file and store it somewhere other than your hosting account itself — your own computer, a cloud storage service, or an external drive. A backup that only exists on the same server as your live site doesn't protect you if that server has a serious problem.

Step 3: Restoring From a Manual Backup

1. Return to the Backup/Restore section.
2. Choose the restore option, and select your restore type:
   • Replace existing files — overwrites current files with the backup's contents.
   • Add missing files only — adds anything from the backup that isn't currently present, without overwriting existing files.
   • Restore to a temporary directory — extracts the backup into a separate folder rather than your live site, letting you review its contents first before deciding what to do with them.
3. If your backup included a database, check the box to restore databases as part of the process.
4. Confirm and run the restore.

Important: only ZIP files generated by this specific tool can be restored through it — a manually created ZIP, or an export from a different hosting provider or tool, isn't compatible with the restore function directly.

A Useful Extra Use: Cloning a Website

Because the Backup/Restore tool produces a portable ZIP of your files and database, you can use it to clone a site from one hosting package to another: run a backup on the source package, download it, then go to the destination package's Backup/Restore section and restore it there using "replace existing files." This is a straightforward way to set up a staging copy or move a site between packages without needing FTP.

Part 2: Using Timeline Backups (If You Have the Add-on)

Step 1: Find Your Automatic Snapshots

1. Go to the Timeline Backups section in StackCP.
2. Select Manage Snapshots next to the relevant hosting package.

Step 2: Restore a Snapshot

1. Next to the website or database you want to restore, select Restore Snapshot.
2. Choose the Snapshot Time — the specific point-in-time backup you want to roll back to.
3. Select the target package to restore into.
4. Optionally specify a path — leaving this empty restores to the current location, replacing what's there; specifying a different path restores into a separate folder instead, similar to the manual tool's temporary-directory option.

Step 3: Restoring a Single File (File History)

One advantage Timeline Backups offers over the manual tool is file-level recovery. If you only need to undo a change to one specific file rather than your whole site:

1. Open the File Manager.
2. Right-click the specific file.
3. Select View File History.
4. Choose an earlier version and restore just that file.

This is especially useful for recovering from a single accidental edit or deletion without needing to roll back your entire site.

Choosing the Right Approach for a Given Situation

• Before a risky change (a major plugin update, a theme switch, editing core files): run a manual backup first, so you have an immediate, known-good restore point regardless of whether Timeline Backups is active.
• Ongoing, background protection against unexpected issues you didn't anticipate: Timeline Backups' daily automatic snapshots cover this far better than remembering to run manual backups regularly.
• Recovering a single accidentally edited or deleted file: File History (Timeline Backups) is the most precise, least disruptive option.
• Cloning a site to a new package or setting up a staging copy: the manual Backup/Restore tool's portable ZIP format is well suited to this.

Common Mistakes Beginners Make

• Only keeping backups on the same hosting account they protect. Always download and store a copy elsewhere.
• Assuming Timeline Backups is included by default. It's a paid add-on — check whether it's active on your account before relying on automatic daily snapshots being available.
• Trying to restore a ZIP that wasn't generated by the Backup/Restore tool itself. Only backups created by this specific tool are compatible with its restore function.
• Forgetting to select "restore databases" when a database restore is actually needed, resulting in files being restored but the database staying in its old state.

Troubleshooting

"My restore doesn't seem to have included my database." Confirm you selected the checkbox to restore databases as part of the process — file and database restoration are handled as separate selections.

"I'm trying to restore a ZIP file and it's not being accepted." Only ZIP files generated by StackCP's own Backup/Restore tool can be restored through it — a manually created ZIP or a different tool's export isn't compatible.

"I need to recover just one file, not my whole site." Use File History via the File Manager (requires Timeline Backups) rather than a full restore, which would affect everything else on your site too.

Building a Simple Backup Routine

Rather than treating backups as something you only think about during a crisis, a light, repeatable routine makes a real difference:

• Before any major change (theme switch, plugin update, code edit): take a manual backup first, regardless of whether Timeline Backups is active — this gives you an immediate restore point tied to that specific moment.
• Monthly, at minimum: download a fresh copy of your manual backup (or confirm Timeline Backups is running as expected) and store it somewhere off your hosting account.
• After any significant content update (a redesign, a new product catalog import, a major content migration): take a fresh backup so your restore point reflects the current, correct state of your site rather than an outdated one.

A Note for Hosting Resellers Managing Multiple Customer Sites

If you're managing hosting for multiple customers, it's worth deciding upfront — and communicating clearly to each customer — whether Timeline Backups is included as part of their plan or offered as a paid add-on, since expectations around "is my site backed up automatically" can otherwise lead to a difficult conversation after something goes wrong. For customers without Timeline Backups, encouraging a habit of manual backups before they make any changes themselves (or handling that step on their behalf as part of your service) is a simple way to reduce support headaches down the line.

Testing a Restore Before You Actually Need One

A backup you've never tested restoring is a bit of an unknown quantity. If you have a spare or staging hosting package available, it's worth occasionally practicing a restore there — using the "restore to a temporary directory" option, or a full clone onto a separate package — just to confirm the process works as expected and that your backup genuinely contains what you think it does. This is far better to discover during a calm, low-stakes test than to find out during an actual emergency that something in your backup process wasn't working correctly.