Arsal • Location • Starter

How to Safely Reset a cPanel Hosting Account

Problem:

A hosting account may need to be completely reset when the existing website files, databases, and other stored data need to be removed so the account can be used as a fresh hosting environment.

Before resetting the account, always create backups of the existing data because the deletion process will remove the stored website files and databases.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Step 1—Log in to cPanel:

Log in to your hosting account and open cPanel.

Step 2—Create a Backup Before Resetting:

Before deleting anything, create a backup of the existing hosting data.

  1. Open Backups in cPanel.
  2. Download a Full Account Backup.
  3. Also create/download a backup of the required database.
  4. Make sure the backup files are safely saved before continuing.

This backup is important because the files and databases will be deleted during the reset process.

Step 3—Delete All Website Files:

After creating the backups, open File Manager in cPanel.

  1. Open File Manager.
  2. Click Settings.
  3. Enable the option to show hidden files.
  4. Go to the website's file directory.
  5. Select all the files and folders.
  6. Click Delete.

Make sure hidden files are also visible before selecting and deleting the files so that the existing website data is completely removed.

Step 4—Delete the Databases:

Now remove the existing databases from the hosting account.

  1. Go to the Databases section in cPanel.
  2. Open the database management option.
  3. Identify the existing databases.
  4. Delete the databases that are part of the old hosting setup.

After the website files and databases have been removed, the cPanel account has been cleared of the existing website data and is ready for a fresh setup.

Important Note

Always create and verify your backups before deleting files or databases. Once the existing data is deleted, it may not be recoverable without a valid backup.