Will Restoring My Website Affect My Email?

Efe K 15 Jul, 2026 Backups, cPanel, Email

Website files and database restore on cPanel reseller accounts can be done using Jetbackup or Acronis. Ideally restoring a website files and database type from backup will NOT impact emails or inboxes.

Type of backup Restoration available with Jetbackup 5

1. Full Backups: Restoring a full backup will rollback entire account including website files, database, Emails, FTP, addons and subdomains data. This option affects your emails and should only be used when certain you want everything rolled backed.
2. Home Directory or Files: With this option, specific file or files can be selected for restoration. This way only the selected files from the backup will be restored e.g restoring corrupted wp-config.php file in the public_html folder from a backup.
3. Databases: With this option, you are able to restore only specific or selected databases
4. Database User: To restore specific or selected database user
5. Email Accounts: This option lets us select specific email accounts to restore or roll back.
6. FTP Account: For restoring FTP accounts
7. Cron Jobs: For restoring cron jobs
8. Domains: For restoring other domains (subdomains, addons) in the account. However, this seldom used as the file and database option is ideal to restore addon/subdomain contents.

What does website files‑and‑database restore include?

A files‑and‑database restore rolls your website back to a previous point in time. It includes:

• Website files, typically located in the public_html directory
• MySQL databases associated with the website

This type of restore is used to fix issues like broken updates, malware infections, or accidental file deletion.

How is this different from an email restore?

An email restore specifically targets mailbox data. This will affect inbox contents because it replaces the mailbox with the version stored in the backup.

If you only request a website restore, your email remains untouched.

What to Include in a Restore Request

To ensure the support team can process your request quickly, include:

• The exact restore date and time you want the site rolled back to
• Whether you need files only, database only, or both
• Any specific directories or databases involved (if not the entire account)

Providing this information upfront reduces back‑and‑forth clarification and speeds up the restore process.

When would I need an email restore instead?

Request an email restore if:

• Emails were deleted accidentally
• A mailbox became corrupted
• A user wants their inbox rolled back
• Folders or messages disappeared

In these cases, a mailbox‑specific restore is required.