How to Back Up WordPress by Acronis in cPanel and WHM is for hosting providers, reseller admins, and customers whose hosting panel exposes Acronis recovery points. Use this method when provider-grade backups with granular restores for files, folders, databases, mailboxes, and full accounts.
A good WordPress backup includes the website files and the database. The files carry themes, plugins, uploads, configuration, and custom code. The database carries posts, pages, users, settings, WooCommerce orders, booking records, form entries, menus, and plugin data. Before you change WordPress core, PHP, DNS, plugins, themes, checkout, or a page builder, make sure you know which backup contains both halves.
When this backup method makes sense
Acronis cPanel and WHM backup plugin is a good fit when you already have that tool available and need a practical restore path. It is especially useful before updates, redesign work, hosting migrations, malware cleanup, PHP changes, database work, and plugin troubleshooting.
Before you begin
- Confirm the WordPress URL and document root so you back up the right site.
- Find the database name in
wp-config.phpor the hosting panel. - Check free disk space; many backup failures start with a full account.
- Pause risky work until the backup finishes and you can see the file.
- For stores and booking sites, note the last order, booking, or form entry before the backup.
Backup steps
- Confirm the host has the Acronis cPanel and WHM plugin installed and licensed.
- Open the Acronis backup interface from cPanel or WHM.
- Select the account, website files, database, or mailbox data you need to protect or restore.
- Check available recovery points and retention.
- Before restoring, identify the WordPress database and document root.
- Use granular restore when possible instead of rolling back a whole account unnecessarily.
Automated backups and cron
Acronis is typically scheduled by the hosting provider or server admin. Customers should still check recovery-point dates before starting risky WordPress work.
For WordPress plugin backups, remember that WordPress scheduled tasks often depend on WP-Cron. WP-Cron runs when WordPress receives traffic and notices a task is due. That is fine for many small sites, but low-traffic sites can run late. For business-critical sites, pair plugin schedules with a real server cron, hosting-panel backups, or provider backups where available.
How to test restore readiness
Restore the smallest safe scope: one file, folder, database, mailbox, or account. For WooCommerce, avoid restoring old database tables over newer orders unless you have exported the fresh data.
Do not test your only restore for the first time during an outage. Use a staging copy, temporary subdomain, local development environment, or provider restore preview when available. After restore, check login, home page, important pages, media, forms, checkout, email delivery, permalinks, and cache behavior.
Common mistakes
- Restoring the whole cPanel account for a single plugin file.
- Not checking whether database users are restored or recreated.
- Assuming the customer can self-restore if the host has not exposed the feature.
- Ignoring provider retention limits.
Where to store the backup
Keep at least one copy outside the web server. Good destinations include your own Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, S3-compatible storage, Backblaze B2, Wasabi, SFTP, a provider backup vault, or a secure internal backup server. The exact tool matters less than the restore test, retention policy, and separation from the production account.
Fix I.T. Phill recommendation
Use Acronis cPanel and WHM backup plugin as one layer, not the whole plan. Keep a second backup path for important sites, especially WooCommerce, bookings, memberships, and agency-managed sites. Before major updates, take a fresh manual backup even if automatic backups are already scheduled.
Related Fix I.T. Phill guides
- Complete WordPress backup methods guide
- How to Back Up WordPress: Complete Methods Guide
- How to Back Up WordPress by cPanel Backup Wizard
- How to Back Up WordPress by cPanel File Manager and phpMyAdmin
- How to Back Up WordPress by WHM Full Account Backups
- How to Back Up WordPress by cPanel WP Toolkit
- WordPress 7.0 safe upgrade checklist
- Install essential PHP extensions for WordPress in WHM/cPanel
- Disable WordPress plugins with phpMyAdmin when wp-admin is broken
- Help4 Network hosting and website support
