Copying Website Files in Plesk

You can copy your website files in Plesk to another website within the same account or to an external FTP storage. This feature is particularly useful for creating staging environments or backing up your production website before making major changes.

Step 1: Access the Website Copying Tool

1. Log in to your Plesk control panel.
2. From the left-hand sidebar, select Websites & Domains.
3. Locate your production website (for example, thamara.info).
4. Click Copy Files or Website Copying.

Step 2: Configure the Copy Destination

You’ll now see the Copy Destination section, where you can define where to copy your website’s files.

Copy Destination Options

1. Website in Plesk

Copy the site files to another website hosted under the same Plesk account.

If you have FTP access to another account or server, you can use the FTP Storage option instead.

• Site Name – Select the destination website where files will be copied.

Handling Existing Files

Choose what to do with existing files on the destination website:

• Keep existing files – Leaves existing files untouched; new files are added without overwriting.
• Delete all existing files – Removes all files on the destination site before copying.

2. FTP Storage

Copy website files to an FTP account, either on this server or an external server.

Enter the following details:

FTP Connection Method

Choose the mode based on your network setup:

• Active mode – Recommended if the Plesk server is not behind a firewall. In this mode, Plesk sends its IP address and port to the remote server, which then initiates the connection.
• Passive mode – Use when the Plesk server is behind a firewall and cannot accept incoming TCP connections.

Step 3: Start the Copy Process

1. Review your selected options carefully.
2. Click OK, to begin the process.
3. Wait for Plesk to complete the copy operation. Progress or completion details will be displayed.

Once the copy is complete, verify that:

• Files were transferred successfully to the destination.
• The copied site or storage location contains the expected structure.
• Your staging or backup environment functions as intended.

Notes and Best Practices

• Always back up both the source and destination sites before copying.
• Avoid overwriting live production sites unless necessary.
• For staging environments, consider creating a subdomain (for example, staging.thamara.info).
• Remember that copying files does not automatically copy databases — clone or export databases separately if required.

Updated on: 05/11/2025