Applies to: Windows hosting customers
SolidCP doesn't have a single "download everything" button, but a complete backup of your hosting has exactly three parts — files, databases and email — and each takes only a few minutes. Do all three and you hold a full copy of your web presence.
Part 1: Your website files
Two ways, pick one:
- File Manager (quickest): log into SolidCP, open File Manager, tick your website's folder (e.g.
yourdomain.co.za), click Zip to compress it, then download the zip. Delete the zip from the server afterwards so it doesn't eat your disk quota. - FTP: connect with FileZilla (see How to upload your website with FileZilla) and drag your whole site folder from the server panel to a dated folder on your computer, e.g.
backup-2026-08.
Part 2: Your databases
For each database under Databases > SQL Server 2019: open the database, expand Maintenance Tools, click Backup, and download the .bak file to your computer. Full steps: How to back up and restore an MS SQL database in SolidCP.
Part 3: Your email
Mailbox contents live on the server, so to keep your own copy:
- Add each mailbox to a desktop mail program (e.g. Outlook or Thunderbird) using IMAP — see How to set up Outlook and your phone (Windows hosting).
- Let it fully synchronise — all folders, not just the inbox.
- Export from the mail program (Outlook: File > Open & Export > Import/Export > Export to a .pst file). That file is your mail archive.
If you only use POP3 with "leave messages on server" off, your mail program already holds the only full copy — export it regularly.
When to do a full backup
Before anything risky: site redesigns, CMS upgrades, changing developers, migrating hosts. And on a schedule that matches how much you can afford to lose — monthly for a brochure site, much more often for a busy store. Keep backups in at least two places (computer + cloud storage), and test-restore occasionally.
Related articles
How to use the File Manager in SolidCP • How to back up and restore an MS SQL database in SolidCP • How to upload your website with FileZilla
