How to migrate a single cPanel account to a new server?

Moving a website to a new server can feel intimidating, but don’t worry — we’ve got you covered. In this guide, you’ll learn how to move a single cPanel account to a new server in a simple, step-by-step way — no stress, no confusion.

Moving just one cPanel account? Great — this is the simplest type of migration, and we’ll walk you through it step-by-step. You don’t need to rush. Grab a cup of coffee, open your terminal, and let’s begin!

Method 1: SSH-Based Manual Migration

1. 1. Connect to the Source (Old) Server:

   Use SSH from your computer or terminal to access your old server:

   ssh your_username@old_server_ip

   Hint: Replace your_username with your actual SSH user, and old_server_ip with the IP address of your current server.

2. 2. Create a Full Backup of the cPanel Account:

   Navigate to the home directory first:

   cd /home

   Now, generate the backup:

   /scripts/pkgacct cpanel_username

   Hint: Replace cpanel_username with the username of the account you want to move.

   Note: This process may take a few minutes depending on the account size. Just wait for it to finish before proceeding.

3. 3. Transfer the Backup to the New Server:

   Run this command to transfer the backup file:

   rsync -av --progress /home/cpmove-cpanel_username.tar.gz root@new_server_ip:/home

   Hint: Replace cpanel_username and new_server_ip with the account username and your new server’s IP address.

   Note: This step may take several minutes, depending on the file size and connection speed.

4. 4. Restore the Backup on the Destination (New) Server:

   Now SSH into the new server:

   ssh your_username@new_server_ip

   Navigate to the home directory first:

   cd /home

   Then restore the account backup:

   /scripts/restorepkg cpmove-cpanel_username.tar.gz

   Note: After this, log in to WHM or cPanel to verify that everything is working correctly.

Method 2: Use the cPanel Backup Feature (No SSH on Source Server)

1. 1. Log in to the Source cPanel Account:

   Access the cPanel account you want to migrate. Scroll down to the Files section and click on Backup.



2. 2. Create a Full Account Backup:

   In the Backup interface, look for the Full Backup option. Click on Download a Full Account Backup.

   

   For the backup destination, select Home Directory and click Generate Backup.

   

   Hint: You can enter your email address to receive a notification when the backup is complete.

   Note: The backup file may take a few minutes to generate depending on the size of the account.

3. 3. Locate the Backup File:

   Once the backup is complete, go to the File Manager in cPanel and navigate to the main directory (click Up One Level if needed).

   

   You should see a file that looks something like this: backup-5.11.2025_13-51-24_username.tar.gz

4. 4. Move the Backup File into the public_html Folder:

   Right-click the backup file and choose Move. Enter /public_html as the destination and click Move File.

   

   Hint: This step makes the file accessible from your browser using your domain name.

5. 5. Set File Permission to 777:

   Still in File Manager, right-click on the backup file inside the public_html folder and click Change Permissions.

   Set all permission checkboxes to make it 777 and save the changes.

   

   ⚠️ Warning: Setting 777 permissions allows full public access to the file. Make sure to delete the file immediately after restoration to avoid security risks.

6. 6. Verify the Download Link:

   If your domain is example.com and your backup file is named backup-5.11.2025_13-51-24_username.tar.gz, then the file will be accessible at:

   https://example.com/backup-5.11.2025_13-51-24_username.tar.gz

   Hint: Open this link in a browser to confirm it is working and the file is downloadable. Only proceed when the file link is live.

Hint 2: Replace example.com with your actual domain name and backup-5.11.2025_13-51-24_username.tar.gz with your real backup file name.

7. 7. Restore the Backup on the Destination Server:

   SSH into your new (destination) server using your terminal:

   ssh your_username@new_server_ip

   Navigate to the home directory:

   cd /home

   Now download the backup file directly from the old server’s public link using wget:

   wget https://example.com/backup-5.11.2025_13-51-24_username.tar.gz

   Hint : Replace example.com with your actual domain name and backup-5.11.2025_13-51-24_username.tar.gz with your real backup file name.

   Note: Wait until the download reaches 100% before moving to the next step.

   Once the download is finished, restore the backup using this command:

   /scripts/restorepkg backup-5.11.2025_13-51-24_username.tar.gz

   Hint : Replace backup-5.11.2025_13-51-24_username.tar.gz with your real backup file name.

   Final Step: Log in to WHM or cPanel on the new server to verify that the account is working properly.

And that’s it! You’ve now learned two reliable ways to move a single cPanel account to a new server — one using SSH for full control, and another through cPanel’s own backup tool, ideal when SSH access isn’t available on the source server.

✅ Don’t forget to delete the backup file from the public_html folder after restoring it to keep your server safe. Great work — migration complete!