How to Restore Your Website Using cPanel: Step-by-Step Guide

Restoring your WordPress website using File Manager on MilesWeb’s cPanel is a straightforward process if you have a backup of your files and database. This step-by-step guide walks you through the complete restoration process to get your website live again.

Step 1: Log in to cPanel

Start by logging into your hosting control panel:

  • Open your browser and go to: yourdomain.com/cpanel

  • Enter your username and password

Step 2: Upload Your WordPress Files

  1. Navigate to File Manager in cPanel
  2. Open the public_html directory (or your site’s specific folder)
  3. Click Upload from the top menu
  4. Upload your WordPress backup ZIP file
  5. After the upload is complete, extract the ZIP file

Step 3: Restore the Website Files

  • Ensure that all essential WordPress files (index.php, wp-content, etc.) are placed directly in the public_html folder

  • If your backup includes a structure like homedir/public_html, move those contents into public_html manually

Step 4: Download MySQL® Database File

  1. Locate your Old backup folder
  2. Open the MySQL® Databases subfolder
  3. Download the corresponding .sql file — this is your database backup

Step 5: Restore the MySQL® Database

  1. In cPanel, go to Backup Wizard
  2. Click Restore
  3. Select MySQL Database
  4. Upload the .sql file you downloaded in Step 4

Step 6: Create and Link a New Database User

  1. In cPanel, go to MySQL® Databases
  2. Scroll down to Add New User

    • Enter the Username and Password exactly as shown in your existing wp-config.php file

    • (To find this, go to File Manager > public_html, right-click on wp-config.php, and select Edit)

  3. After creating the user, scroll to Add User to Database

    • Select the newly created User and Database

    • Click Add

     

  4. On the next screen, check All Privileges and click Make Changes

Step 7: Test Your Website

  • Visit your domain in a browser

  • Check that your website is loading properly

  • If not, verify the database settings in wp-config.php

Final Tips

  • Clear your browser and server cache after restoration

  • Ensure file and folder permissions are correct

  • Backup again after successful restoration

What is Website Migration?

Migration means moving your website from one environment to another.
This can include:

  • Changing hosting providers (e.g., from GoDaddy to MilesWeb)

  • Moving from a subdomain to a main domain

  • Switching from HTTP to HTTPS

  • Changing CMS (e.g., from Blogger to WordPress)

Purpose: Move the site without data loss, keeping functionality and URLs intact.

What is Website Restore?

Restore means bringing your website back to a previous state using a backup.
It’s usually done when:

  • Your site is hacked

  • It’s accidentally deleted or corrupted

  • You want to undo recent changes

Purpose: Recover the original version of your website using a backup (files + database).
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