This guide shows you how to create a manual backup of your website files, databases, and email accounts using the backup tools in your hosting control panel. You will also learn how to download the backup to your local computer for safekeeping.
When to create a manual backup
While HOSTDOG runs automated daily backups, there are times when a manual backup gives you extra peace of mind:
- Before updating your CMS (WordPress, Joomla, etc.), themes, or plugins
- Before making significant code or configuration changes
- Before importing a large amount of data into your database
- When you want to download an offline copy of your entire account
Create a full account backup
Navigate to the HOSTDOG homepage and click the Log in button in the top-right corner. From your client area, go to your hosting service and click Login to Control Panel.
In your control panel, locate the Files section and click Backup (or Backup Wizard for a step-by-step guided experience).
Click Download a Full Account Backup (or Generate in the Backup Wizard). Select the backup destination:
- Home Directory — saves the backup file to your hosting account (default)
- Remote FTP Server — sends the backup to an external FTP server (requires FTP credentials)
For most users, storing it in the home directory and then downloading it is the simplest approach. Click Generate Backup to start.
Once the backup is ready, return to the Backup page. You will see a link to the generated backup file (usually named backup-MM-DD-YYYY.tar.gz). Click the filename to download it to your local computer. You can also use the File Manager to navigate to the home directory and download it from there.
Create a partial backup
If you only need to back up specific parts of your account, the Backup page also offers partial backup options:
| Backup type | What it includes |
|---|---|
| Home Directory | All files in your hosting account (website files, scripts, configuration files) |
| MySQL Database | A specific database — click the database name to download a .sql.gz file |
| Email Forwarders | All email forwarding rules for a specific domain |
| Email Filters | All email filtering rules for a specific domain |
Partial backups are faster to create and smaller to download. They are ideal when you only need to safeguard a specific database before running a migration or import.
Best practices for manual backups
- Download and store offline — always download backup files to your local computer, an external drive, or cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox). Do not rely on the copy stored on the server alone.
- Delete from server after downloading — manual backup files can be large. Remove them from your hosting account once downloaded to avoid filling your disk quota.
- Label your backups — rename downloaded files to include the date and reason (e.g.,
backup-2026-03-22-before-wp-update.tar.gz) so you can identify them easily later. - Test your backups periodically — a backup file is only useful if it works. Occasionally extract and inspect a downloaded backup to confirm it contains everything you expect.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on the size of your account. Small sites finish in under a minute, while larger accounts with several gigabytes of data may take 5 to 15 minutes. The process runs in the background, and you will receive an email when it completes.
Yes. A full account backup includes all MySQL databases, website files, email configurations, and account settings. If you only need a single database, use the partial backup option to download just that database file.
Yes. You can upload a previously downloaded backup file back to your hosting account and use the Restore function in the Backup tool. For database backups, you can import the .sql.gz file through phpMyAdmin. If you need assistance, our 24/7 support team can help restore your backup.