How to create and download a WordPress backup with Softaculous in cPanel

Category: cpanel

Before updating plugins, switching themes, or touching the CMS core, it pays to have a backup handy. Softaculous, commonly available in shared-hosting cPanel accounts, lets you create a backup of your site (files and database together) in just a few clicks and download it to your computer.

In this guide you will learn when to use a Softaculous backup, how to generate it, and how to download it outside your hosting account to keep it safe.

When to use a Softaculous backup

Not every backup serves the same purpose. Here is the quick difference:

  • Softaculous Backup: ideal when you want a specific restore point for one installation (files + database for that site). It is fast, and Softaculous can restore it from the same tool.
  • cPanel Backup Wizard: useful for a full account backup (home, databases, mailboxes, forwarders). Use it when you need something broader than one installation.

For most users who just want a safety net before a site change, the Softaculous backup is the most direct option.

Prerequisites

  • Access to your cPanel account.
  • A site that appears in the Softaculous list (it usually does if you installed it from the same cPanel).
  • Free space in your hosting account. The backup is stored first inside your account, so it takes up disk space until you download it or delete it. If space is tight, see how to check disk usage in cPanel and free space safely .

Confirm your installation is listed in Softaculous

  1. Log in to cPanel.
  2. In the search bar type Softaculous and open Softaculous Apps Installer.
  3. In the top right, click the Installations icon (the box with a down arrow).
  4. Check that your site appears in the list with the correct domain.

If it is not listed, the site was either not installed through Softaculous or was imported. In that case, use the cPanel Backup Wizard instead.

Create the backup from Softaculous

  1. Inside Installations, locate the site you want to back up.
  2. On the right side of the installation you will see several action icons. Look for Backup (it may appear as an arrow icon or as the label Backup, depending on the Softaculous version).
  3. Click Backup. The Backup Installation screen opens.
  4. Review the site details and the backup options:
    • Backup Directory: check this option to include the site files.
    • Backup Database: check this option to include the database.
    • Backup Name (Optional): optional, but handy to identify it, for example before-update-2026-05-26.
  5. Click Backup Installation at the bottom of the form.

Softaculous will show a progress screen. Do not close the tab until it finishes. For a small site it usually takes less than a couple of minutes; sites with many images or a store may take longer.

Download the backup to your computer

A backup that lives only inside the hosting account is not a safe backup: if you lose access to the account or the disk fails, it is gone too. Always download it.

  1. In the Softaculous top menu, click the Backups icon (a box).
  2. You will see the list of available backups with date, size, and name.
  3. On your backup row, click the download icon (the down arrow).
  4. Your browser downloads a file with the .tar.gz extension. Save it to a clearly named folder, for example backups/mydomain/2026-05-26.tar.gz.

Once downloaded, consider deleting the backup from the server using the same Backups screen to free disk space. Always keep at least one local copy and, if possible, another one in a separate cloud service.

Verification checklist

Before considering the backup good, check:

  • The backup appears in Softaculous → Backups with today’s date.
  • The size is reasonable (not just a few KB; a real site usually weighs several MB or more).
  • The .tar.gz file finished downloading to your computer.
  • You renamed the file with domain and date so it is easy to identify later.
  • If the backup is already on your computer, you removed the copy from the server so it does not consume disk space.

Common issues

The Backup button is missing or returns an error. Make sure the installation is still listed in Softaculous and that the hosting account has free space. If the disk is almost full, free some space and try again.

The backup stays in progress for a long time. Large sites can take a while. If it is too slow, try backing up only files in one run and only the database in another, instead of both together.

I cannot download the .tar.gz file. Make sure your browser is not blocking the download and that your connection is stable. As an alternative, you can download it from cPanel File Manager by opening the softaculous_backups folder in your home directory.

After the backup, the site looks broken or blank. The backup itself does not modify the site. If something else changed at the same time (a plugin, a theme), see how to solve error 500 after changing your site .

Best practices

  • Create a backup before updating the CMS core, a theme, or a major plugin.
  • Download the .tar.gz file the same day you generate it.
  • Do not keep many old backups on the server: they take up disk space and can affect your account performance.
  • Combine Softaculous backups with full account backups using Backup Wizard when you plan major changes.

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