> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.hosting.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Backing up your email accounts with cPanel's File Manager

> This article walks you through creating a backup of your email and messages via cPanel's File Manager feature.

Backing up your email accounts (and messages) via [cPanel File Manager](/docs/cpanel-file-manager) is a wise way of preserving your email accounts if you want to archive them, restore them, or take extra precautions before migrating your account.

You can still create a full (or partial) cPanel backup using the Backup tool within cPanel, but often there are situations where you only need to back up email-related data. This tutorial walks you through creating a backup of email data onto your local computer.

## Backing up your email accounts

To back up your email accounts using the cPanel File Manager, follow these steps:

1. Log in to cPanel.
   > 📘 Note
   >
   > If you do not know how to log in to your cPanel account, please see [this article](/docs/accessing-cpanel).

2. On the **Tools** page, in the **Files** section, click **File Manager**:\
   ![](https://static.hosting.com/kb/kb-cpanel-jupiter-file-manager-icon.png)

3. In the home directory of your hosting account (which typically is labeled as**/home/(your username)/** ) find the **Mail** folder.\
   ![](https://static.hosting.com/kb/kb_maildirectoryinfilemanager_filemanageremailbackups.jpg)

4. Within the **Mail** folder, find a folder labeled after your domain name. This will be the file we will compress and backup.\
   ![](https://static.hosting.com/kb/kb_domainmailfolder_filemanageremailbackups.jpg)

5. Next, right-click the domain mail folder. Of the several options that appear, click on **Compress**:\
   ![](https://static.hosting.com/kb/kb_compressmail_filemanageremailbackups.jpg)

6. You will then choose which format you would like your files to be compressed in. The following formats are available to choose from:\
   ![](https://static.hosting.com/kb/kb_compressionoptions_filemanageremailbackups.jpg)

   The table below gives a summary of the four compression types and their usage:

   | Compression Type    | Acronym  | Usage                                                                                                                                                      |
   | :------------------ | :------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
   | Zip Archive         | .zip     | This type of compression offers maximum compatibility, standard compression, and is typically used by Windows or macOS users.                              |
   | Tar Archive         | .tar     | The backup file will not be compressed, and the data is placed into an archive.                                                                            |
   | GZipped Tar Archive | .tar.gz  | Files are compressed using the gzip algorithm(which has nice compression ratios). This type of compression is typically used by Linux users.               |
   | Bzip2ed Tar Archive | .tar.bz2 | Files are compressed using the bzip2 algorithm. This type of compression offers better compression than GZipped Tar (.tar.gz) but the algorithm is slower. |

7. Select the compression type that best suits your needs, and click **Compress File(s)**.

8. Your new compressed file will now be listed as one of the available files in that section of **File Manager** ’s directory. Right-click the compressed file and click **Download**. This will download the compressed file onto your local machine. It is highly advisable to save this file to both your local computer and/or several machines.\
   ![](https://static.hosting.com/kb/kb_zipfiledownload_filemanageremailbackups.jpg)

9. To save space on your hosting account, it highly advised that you delete the compressed file within **File Manager**. Simply right-click the compressed file and click **Delete** to remove it.

10. You have now created a backup of your email (and messages).

11. To save your entire mail directory, follow the same steps as above, but simply click on **Mail** in **File Manager** and not the mail for an individual domain.

## Related articles

* [E-mail backups](/docs/e-mail-backups)

* [Managing backups](/docs/backups-in-cpanel)

* [Getting started with File Manager](/docs/getting-started-with-file-manager)

* [cPanel File Manager](/docs/cpanel-file-manager)