File and Directory Restoration in cPanel

You can restore individual files or entire directories in cPanel using the built-in File and Directory Restoration interface. This is especially useful for recovering deleted or overwritten files, or rolling back changes without restoring your full account.

Step 1: Access the File Restoration Interface

1. Log in to your cPanel account.
2. Navigate to the Files section.
3. Click on File and Directory Restoration (this option appears only if your hosting provider has enabled it via WHM’s Feature Manager).
4. You will see two main sections: Files and Directories and Backups.

Step 2: Choose the Backup Source

You can restore from backups stored on the local server. (Note: Remote backups must first be transferred to the server before using this tool.) cPanel & WHM Documentation

Backup Source Options

Step 3: Select Files or Directories to Restore

Option A: Enter a direct path

1. In the Files and Directories section, choose Enter a path →.
2. In the text box, enter the path relative to your account’s home directory (for example public_html for /home/username/public_html).
3. Click Show Backups to list available backups for that path.
4. In the Backups section, choose a backup and click Restore. Confirm the action when prompted.

Option B: Browse your home directory

1. In Files and Directories, select Browse files and directories.
2. Navigate through your home directory to locate the file or directory you want to restore. Click into folders as needed.
3. Once you’ve selected the item, click Show Backups.
4. In the Backups section, select a backup and click Restore. Confirm when prompted.

Step 4: Restoration Behaviour & Important Notes

• The system will overwrite existing files in the selected path if present in the backup.
• This interface does not support restoring the account’s .cpanel and mail directories. To restore those, you must perform a full account backup restoration instead.

Step 5: Verify the Restoration

• Once the process completes, check via File Manager or FTP that the file(s) and directory structure match what you’ve restored.
• Test your website or application to ensure functionality is correct and nothing is missing or broken.
• If you restored content under public_html, load your site or staging environment to confirm everything works as expected.

Notes and Best Practices

• Always create a fresh backup of your current site files before performing an overwrite restoration — just in case.
• Use this tool for file-level recovery (e.g., accidentally deleted pages, changed CSS, plugin files) rather than full site disaster recovery.
• For full site or mail directory recovery, use a full account backup restoration instead.
• If your site uses a database, note that this interface does not include database restoration — you’ll need to restore the database separately to keep files and database in sync.
• If you’re doing major changes (e.g., migration, big update), consider using a staging subdomain (for example: staging.thamara.cloud) to test first.
• If in doubt, contact Thamara.Cloud support before initiating the restoration.

Updated on: 13/11/2025