A full user-level backup can capture the account data categories available in DirectAdmin, including website files, mail and databases. Downloading a verified copy outside the hosting account protects it from an account or server failure.
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Check access and requirements
Check the available storage and whether your plan permits user backups. A backup can require temporary space as well as its final archive. Review applications that need a consistent database and file state, and record what data lives outside this hosting account.
01 Create and download a full DirectAdmin account backup
- Open Advanced Features > Create/Restore Backups at user level.
- Review every offered data category and select all categories required for a full account backup. Read distinctions such as mail settings versus mail data and database settings versus database data.
- Start Create Backup once. The initial message may only mean the job was queued, so wait for the completion notification in the message system.
- Review the result for warnings or failed components. Open File Manager and locate the completed archive in the account backup directory, commonly
backups. - Download the finished archive over the secure panel connection and store it outside the hosting account. Record the account, date and selected scope. Do not expose the archive in a public website directory.
How do I verify the full account backup?
Confirm the downloaded file is complete and readable, then perform an appropriate test restore in an isolated location. A large archive or a queued-job message alone does not establish that its databases and files can be recovered.
Resolve setup problems
If generation fails for quota or temporary-space reasons, remove only verified obsolete copies or ask support about another backup route. Do not delete the only usable backup before a replacement exists. External services and data created after the backup are outside its recovery point.