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Dennis Nind
By Dennis Nind
• 10 articles

How to restart services on your cPanel server within WHM

Sometimes you may need to restart a service on your cPanel server, whether that's due to a change you've made to the services configuration, or if it's experiencing issues. WHM allows you to restart several key services quickly and easily. Restarting Services: Once logged in, from your WHM home screen type in 'restart services' within the search box, located in the top left of your WHM area. You will then see the 'Restart Services' section which is split in to a restart option for various services, which have been listed below: - DNS Server - HTTP Server (Apache) - IMAP Server - Mail Server (Exim) - Mailing List Manager (Mailman) - PHP-FPM service for Apache - SQL Server (MySQL) - SSH Server (OpenSSH) Once ready to proceed, click on the service you need to restart. For this guide, we will be restarting Apache, and so have clicked on the option for 'HTTP Server (Apache)' Note: The restart prompts are the same Yes / No options for all of the service restart pages. Once ready to proceed with the restart, click the 'Yes' button. The system will then restart the service, showing a prompt that it is currently restarting (along with any associated information). Once done, the system will then display that the service has restarted successfully, along with any other associated information. If the restart experiences an error and cannot restart, this will instead display an error message, normally with the error log to state why it was unable to restart. Note: If you are unable to restart a service after a couple of attempts, and would like us to investigate, please submit a support ticket via the Open Ticket option within your client area.

Last updated on Aug 14, 2025

How to configure backups on your cPanel server via WHM

It's essential to have backups of the cPanel accounts on your server in case you ever need to restore / roll back to resolve an issue. WHM provides a built in and flexible backup configuration option so that you can ensure accounts are backed up and retained for as long as required. Note: This guide is for setting up standard cPanel server backups within WHM. If you currently have a cPanel server with us, along with the Enterprise Backup addon then you will not need to follow this guide as the system will instead be using Jetbackup. The Enterprise Backup addon will backup the most recent 7 days, followed by 4x weekly backups and then 3x monthly backups, which are stored on a separate backup server. If you would like to purchase the Enterprise Backup addon for your cPanel server, or would like to double check if you already have this on your account, please submit a support ticket via the Open Ticket option within your client area and we can assist further. By configuring backups using this guide, it will enable WHM to take and store backups locally on your server, which will also add to your overall server disk space usage. Configuring backups: Once logged in, from your WHM home screen type in 'backup configuration' within the search box, located in the top left of your WHM area, then click on 'Backup Configuration' This will then take you to the backup configuration page. Firstly, if you have not already enabled backups, click on the 'Enable Backups' tick box. By default WHM will then set the backup type to 'Compressed', this is normally the preferable option to ensure you have a full cPanel account backup, but also conserve disk space. Alternatively you can select 'Incremental' if you'd only like to backup information which has changed, or been added since the last backup. Next you can adjust whether WHM checks to ensure enough disk space is available on the server before attempting to backup. By standard this is enabled, and set to 5% - so the server would need at least 5% disk space available in order to start the backups. You can also adjust the Backup and Backup Restoration timeout, which will stop the backup (or restoration) process if it reaches this limit. By default this is set to 7200 seconds for each backup, which is 2 hours,  and 21600 seconds for backup restoration, which is 6 hours. If you continue scrolling down the configuration page, you will then see the 'Scheduling and Retention' section. Here, you can select whether you would like WHM to backup daily, weekly or monthly (or if needed you can select all / any combination of these). By default this is set to Daily Backup, and will backup on 4 days: Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. You can however select / deselect the backup days as needed. If you choose Weekly Backup - you will be able to select which day of the week this will take the single weekly backup. If you choose Monthly Backup - you will be able to select if you would like to backup on the 1st of the month, or 15th of the month. For each backup choice (Daily, Weekly, Monthly) you will also see a 'Retention' option. This determines how long the system will retain the backup before removing it from the server. By default this is set to: 5 days for Daily backups, 4 weeks for Weekly backups and 1 month for Monthly backups, but this can be changed to the length you require. Note: By selecting to backup on additional days, or retain for longer, you may find the server disk space fills up quicker. Backup / Retention options however can be adjusted at any time until you find a suitable balance. The next section within the backup configuration is for 'Files' Here you can select what is backed up on your server. By default WHM will select to Back up User Accounts (all of the cPanel accounts on the server), Back up Bandwidth Data and Back up System Files. You can manually select / deselect which cPanel accounts are backed up though by clicking the 'Select Users' button. You can also opt to Back up Suspended Accounts, as well as Access Logs if needed. Next is the 'Databases' section. By default WHM will select to backup the MySQL databases on a per account basis, which is the preferred option so that you will be able to restore account databases if needed. Alternatively if you would prefer to simply back up the entire MySQL directory (or a combination of the whole directory + individual accounts) this can be selected here. Finally, is the 'Configure the Backup Directory' section. Here you can set the directory you'd like to use on the server when taking backups and storing backups. By default the system sets these both to '/backup', however you can change this if required to a directory of your choice. The system will also set 'Retain Backups in the Default Backup Directory'. This will ensure that backups are kept within the directory you have chosen (for as long as the retention period you have set). Note: If you have configured backups to send the backups offsite to another server / location, you can opt to turn this off, unless you would like to keep a copy locally on your server Once done, click on 'Save Configuration' to save your options and enable backups. The system will then show a message to confirm that is has successfully saved the backup configuration.

Last updated on Aug 14, 2025

How to enable Two-Factor Authentication in cPanel

If you are looking to further secure your cPanel hosting, Two-Factor Authentication can be enabled within cPanel. This means that when logging in to cPanel, once you have entered your username and password you will be prompted to enter a secondary authentication code - which will be generated from an authenticator on your mobile. If you do not already have an authenticator app for your mobile device, cPanel currently suggests installing one of the below: - **For Android™, iOS®, and Blackberry® — **Google Authenticator™ - **For Android and iOS — **Duo Mobile - **For Windows® Phone — **Authenticator Enabling Two-Factor Authentication: On the Two-Factor Authentication page, when you are ready to proceed with set up click on the "Set Up Two-Factor Authentication" button You will then be shown two steps. For Step 1 you will need to scan the QR code on your authenticator app, which will appear where the red box is marked in the below image. Note: The QR code for this example has been removed for security reasons. If for any reason you are having issues with scanning the QR code, please use the details below the QR code from the Don't have a QR code reader? section, to manually add this to your authenticator app. Note: in the example shown, the Key is blurred out for security reasons. Once you have added this to your authenticator app, scroll down the page on cPanel to Step 2. In the **Security Code **box, please enter the 6 digit code that your authenticator app is displaying Then click on the Configure Two-Factor Authentication button to complete set up. You should then see the below message to confirm that Two-Factor Authentication is now enabled Now that this is set up, you can test by logging out of cPanel, then log in again. Once you enter your password it cPanel will then prompt you to enter a randomly generated 6 digit code from your authenticator app.

Last updated on Aug 14, 2025

How to transfer a cPanel account in to your cPanel server using WHM

If you ever need to move cPanel accounts between servers, for example from an old host to your server - WHM has a very effective transfer tool built in, which will quickly allow you to transfer cPanel accounts across. Accessing the WHM Transfer tool. Once logged in, from your WHM home screen type in 'Transfer' within the search box, located in the top left of your WHM area, then click on 'Transfer Tool' Alternatively you can click on the 'Transfer Tool' option on your home screen if this is showing. Connecting to the other cPanel server: On the Transfer Tool page, you will then be entering the details of the other cPanel server, so that WHM can connect and copy the cPanel account across. In the 'Remote Server Address:' box, enter the IP address, or server name of the cPanel server that you would like to connect to In the 'Remote SSH Port:' box, enter the port number of the server you are connecting to. By default this is set to the standard port 22, so if the cPanel server you are connecting to uses a non-standard port simply change port 22 to the port number required. Next is the 'Authentication' section. 'Login': For this guide we'll be logging in to the other cPanel server using the Root user. If instead you need to connect with a specific cPanel / WHM User, click on the 'User' option. This will then provide an additional box for you to enter the username. 'Authentication Method': As we will be connecting using the root password we will leave this as 'Password', however if you have an SSH key access to the server set up, select 'SSH Public Key' instead. 'Root Password': Enter the Root password for the other server here. If you have selected the login as 'User', then this will instead ask for the User Password. Once done scroll down to the 'Security' section. Here you can choose to enable 'Restricted Restore'. As mentioned in the example image below, this will cause WHM to perform additional security checks on the backup file being transferred.  If it finds that the backup has a security issue it will not restore that part of the backup. By default this option is off, as it is still listed as experimental. Once you are ready to proceed, click on the 'Scan Remote Server' button Selecting and transferring cPanel accounts: WHM will then connect out to the other cPanel server, and display a list of accounts that can be transferred to your cPanel server. If you are connecting as Root then you will see all accounts on the other server. If you are connecting with just a cPanel user / WHM user then you will only see the accounts applicable to them. Next, Locate the account that you would like to transfer, and tick the box to the left of the domain name. This will mark it as selected for transfer. You can also adjust the options to the right of the domain, should you wish to copy, or not copy certain items such as databases. For our guide we've also enabled 'Express Transfer' to the right of the domain name. As per cPanel documentation, this will perform the following additional actions during a transfer: 1. Updates the account’s A record to point to the destination server. 2. Changes the domain’s nameserver entry to point to the destination server. 3. Updates the email routing configuration’s MX records, so that mail arrives at the destination server. 4. Adds a redirect for the Account Moved page (cgi-sys/movingpage.cgi) 5. Suspends the transferred accounts on the remote server. If you're moving a cPanel account between servers where the domain will stay on your nameservers, this is a great tool to ensure that the DNS is automatically updated, and the cPanel is suspended on the old server to ensure that there's no accidental editing of the account on the old server whilst the DNS propagates. Once you're happy with your selections, click on the 'Copy' button to initiate the transfer between servers. WHM will then take you to the Transfer process page, which will automatically update (as long as you keep the page open). The box on the left hand side for 'Transfer' shows the progress for backing up the cPanel account on the old server The box on the right hand side for 'Restore' shows the progress for restoring the cPanel account backup on to your server. Once this hits 100% for both Transfer and Restore, WHM will show that this is completed, along with a summary at the bottom of the page. If there were any warnings, or errors during the transfer this will also be listed here. You can then click on the warning / error which will then display a full output should you need to diagnose the issue further. That's it! if you now go to your 'List Accounts' page on WHM, you will see the cPanel account that has just been transferred. If you did not select 'Express Transfer' in the previous steps, you will also now need to go ahead and update the domain DNS to re-point this to your server, and then suspend, or terminate the cPanel account on the old server if no longer required once the DNS propagates.

Last updated on Aug 14, 2025

How to change PHP versions on your cPanel server within WHM

WHM allows you to easily switch between PHP versions used by the cPanel accounts on your server, as well as the default PHP version that the server will use. In this guide we will show you several methods for adjusting the PHP version on your cPanel server. Please continue reading, or use one of the quick links below to skip straight to a section. Changing the default system PHP version Changing the PHP version of multiple cPanel accounts Changing the PHP version of a single cPanel account Changing the default system PHP version: Once logged in, from your WHM home screen type in 'PHP Manager' within the search box, located in the top left of your WHM area, then click on 'MultiPHP Manager' On the MultiPHP Manager page you will be able to see what is currently set as the 'System PHP Version' This will be the default PHP version used by all cPanel accounts that are created, and any existing cPanel accounts that have their PHP version set as 'Inherit'. To change the system default, click on the 'Edit' button to the right of the PHP version. This will then switch to a drop down selection box. Click on the drop down box and select the PHP version that you would like to switch to Once selected, click on the 'Apply' button to save the changes. WHM will then apply the new system default PHP version. Once done it will also show a green 'Success' notice in the top right corner of the page to confirm that the change of PHP Version is complete. Changing the PHP version of multiple cPanel accounts: Once logged in, from your WHM home screen type in 'PHP Manager' within the search box, located in the top left of your WHM area, then click on 'MultiPHP Manager' On the MultiPHP Manager page you will see a list of all of the cPanel accounts, along with what PHP version they are currently set to. If the PHP version shows 'Inherit', this means it will automatically use the PHP version set as the system default. To adjust multiple accounts at once - select all of the cPanel accounts that you would like to change the PHP version for, by ticking the box to the left of each domain name. Then in the 'PHP Version' drop down box, select the PHP version you would like to change them to. Once selected, click on the 'Apply' button. WHM will then apply the PHP version to the selected cPanel accounts. To the right of each cPanel account you will see the system show 'Updating PHP Version' whist this is carried out. Once done, WHM will show a green 'Success' notice in the top right of the page to confirm that the PHP version has been updated. Changing the PHP version of a single cPanel account: Once logged in, from your WHM home screen type in 'PHP Manager' within the search box, located in the top left of your WHM area, then click on 'MultiPHP Manager' On the MultiPHP Manager page you will see a list of all of the cPanel accounts, along with what PHP version they are currently set to. If the PHP version shows 'Inherit', this means it will automatically use the PHP version set as the system default. Next, locate the cPanel account that you would like to adjust the PHP version for, then click on the 'PHP Version' drop down box to the right of the account. From this drop down box, select the PHP version you would like to change the account to. WHM will then apply the PHP version to the cPanel account you have selected. To the right this account you will see the system show 'Updating PHP Version' whist this is carried out. Once done, WHM will show a green 'Success' notice in the top right of the page to confirm that the PHP version has been updated.

Last updated on Aug 14, 2025

How to adjust PHP settings of your cPanel server within WHM

You may sometimes need to manually adjust the PHP settings on your cPanel server - for example if a site is hitting the PHP memory, or file size upload limit. WHM allows you to quickly change the settings of any PHP version installed on the server when needed, using the built in MultiPHP INI Editor. Adjusting PHP settings: Once logged in, from your WHM home screen type in 'PHP ini' within the search box, located in the top left of your WHM area, then click on 'MultiPHP INI Editor' On the MultiPHP INI Editor page, you will be taken to the 'Basic Mode' tab by default, which will allow you to change the most commonly adjusted PHP settings. Note: In this guide we will be covering adjusting settings within the Basic Mode, however if you need to add custom PHP lines, or adjust other advanced settings, please use the 'Editor Mode' tab Click on the 'Select a PHP Version' drop down box, then select the PHP version that you would like to adjust the settings for. The Page will then fill with a list of PHP settings that can be adjusted / toggled on or off. Take your time to read through these and adjust the settings that you require. The most commonly adjusted settings normally include 'memoy_limit' and 'upload_max_size', where you can adjust the limit in MB (MegaBytes). If you are unsure on any of the settings - Each line will have some basic information describing what the setting does. For settings that require a value to be set for them (for example: memory_limit), you will also find the PHP default value written underneath the value entry box, should you ever need to set it back to default. Once you've changed your required settings, click on the 'Apply' button at the bottom of the page. If you haven't yet saved by clicking on the 'Apply' button, WHM will notify you with a blue notice in the top right hand corner of the page, to state 'You must click "Apply" to apply the new changes'. Once you have clicked 'Apply' and WHM has saved the settings, this will then display a green 'success' notification in the top right corner of the page, to confirm that the PHP settings have been applied.

Last updated on Aug 14, 2025

How to update your cPanel server to the latest version via WHM

Although WHM will normally automatically keep itself up to date, you may want to manually check for server updates / push through an update that is pending, or it may be that you have automatic updates switched off on your cPanel server. In this guide we will show you how to update your cPanel server to the latest version. Note: Depending on what is being updated during this process, some services may be temporarily unavailable (such as Apache), which can cause intermittent down time during the update. It is normally advisable to perform this out of normal hours, or at a time that will cause least disruption to the websites hosted on the server. Updating your cPanel server to the latest version: Once logged in, from your WHM home screen type in 'Upgrade to Latest Version' within the search box, located in the top left of your WHM area, then click on 'Upgrade to Latest Version' Alternatively if WHM has already detected a new version available, you may see a yellow notice in the top right corner of your WHM area stating "Version "..." is available. Clicking on the 'Update Now' button will also take you to the Upgrade to Latest Version page. On the Upgrade to Latest Version page click on the 'Click to Upgrade' button to begin the update. WHM will then initiate the update, and show you the overall process bar, along with the log output as to what is currently being processed. If any errors are encountered during this process they will be listed within the output log on this page. Once the progress bar reaches 100%, itself and the log output will turn green to show that the process has completed. WHM will also note underneath the progress bar: 'Upgrade Complete'. If you then go back to your main WHM page, you will see the updated version number in the top right corner of the page. Sometimes, if the update was a major release, or included a significant patch such as a server Kernel update, you may also be prompted to restart the server to complete the update.  If this is the case, you will see a yellow prompt in the top right of the page advising you to restart the server.  If you are unsure on how to do this please see our guide for How to reboot your cPanel server.

Last updated on Aug 14, 2025

How to modify multiple cPanel accounts within WHM

Sometimes you may need to adjust multiple cPanel accounts at once within your WHM area. As an example you may be wanting to change the package of multiple cPanel accounts so that they all use the same. Our guide will show you how to carry this out, quickly and easily Modifying multiple cPanel accounts: Once logged in, from your WHM home screen type in 'multiple accounts' within the search box, located in the top left of your WHM area, then click on 'Modify/Upgrade Multiple Accounts' On the Modify/Upgrade Multiple Accounts page, the system will then list out all of the cPanel accounts currently contained within your Reseller hosting or cPanel server. Firstly, click on the tick box to the left of each cPanel account that you would like to modify. If needed you can use the search options on the right hand side of the page to narrow down your results, for example to show all cPanel accounts which currently use a certain package. Next, you will be able to choose a couple of different options: - **Locale: **Adjusts the default language to be used on the selected cPanel accounts. - Package: Adjusts the package to be used by the selected cPanel accounts. Note: In this guide the example shown is what you would see on a Reseller hosting account. If you have a cPanel server and are accessing as Root then there will also be further options to choose from: - Reseller: Adjusts the selected cPanel accounts to be owned by a reseller, or root - Theme: Adjusts the default theme to be used by the selected cPanel accounts. Once you have selected the cPanel accounts and settings needed, click on the 'Change' button to complete the changes. The system will then list through the accounts being updated, and once done show an 'All Modifications Complete' message.

Last updated on Aug 14, 2025

How to reboot your cPanel server via WHM

From time to time you may need to reboot your cPanel server, for example after a large cPanel update, or server kernel update. Normally WHM will notify you that it requires a reboot via a yellow notice in the top right corner of the page once you log in, you can then decide when best to reboot your server. Note: Rebooting your server will cause temporary downtime for the sites hosted on it, which should normally be no longer than a few minutes. There are two methods for rebooting your cPanel server from within WHM, Graceful and Forceful. We will cover both in this guide, but if you would like to skip straight to one of the sections please use the links below: - Graceful server reboot via WHM - Forceful server reboot via WHM Graceful server reboot via WHM: If your cPanel server is requiring a reboot due to recent updates, or is experiencing some issues and you would like to reboot the server, the best option to use is the Graceful Reboot. This method will cleanly shut down the server to avoid data loss, then restart. Once logged in, from your WHM home screen type in 'Reboot' within the search box, located in the top left of your WHM area, then click on 'Graceful Server Reboot' On the Graceful Server Reboot page, click on the 'Proceed' button to initiate the reboot. The page will then update to show that 'A reboot is now in progress...' Please allow a few minutes for the server to fully restart, then try going back to your WHM home screen, or simply refresh the page. If for any reason the page does not load, please allow another couple of minutes and try again. Forceful server reboot via WHM: If your server is experiencing an issue, or you just need to reboot and the Graceful Server Reboot option is not responding / working, then WHM allows you to issue a Forceful server reboot. This will force the server to shut down immediately then restart, rather than trying to cleanly shut down processes first as it would with the Graceful reboot option. There is the potential that this could cause some data loss, however if the Graceful reboot option is not working then this is the next best option. Once logged in, from your WHM home screen type in 'Reboot' within the search box, located in the top left of your WHM area, then click on 'Forceful Server Reboot' The Forceful Server Reboot page, will then show a warning that by proceeding it will forcefully reboot the system, which could potentially result in data loss. Once you are ready to reboot, click on the 'Proceed' button The page will then update to show that 'A Forced reboot is now in progress...' Please allow a few minutes for the server to fully restart, then try going back to your WHM home screen, or simply refresh the page. If for any reason the page does not load, please allow another couple of minutes and try again.

Last updated on Aug 14, 2025

How to change the root password on your cPanel server within WHM

If you ever need to update your cPanel server root password, this be easily done via your WHM area. Note: If you are unable to log in to your server / WHM area, and need us to reset the password on your behalf, please submit a support ticket via the Open Ticket option within your client area. Updating the root password: Once logged in, from your WHM home screen type in 'change root password' within the search box, located in the top left of your WHM area, then click on 'Change Root Password' On the Change Root Password page, you will then be prompted to enter the new password of your choice. You can either enter a password of your choosing in to the 'New Root Password' and 'Confirm Password' boxes, which will then display how strong it is in the Strength box underneath. This will need to meet, or exceed the system requirement. Alternatively you can click on the 'Generate' button. This will then generate a random strong password in to the 'New Root Password' if you are happy with this, then copy in to the 'Confirm Password' box. You can also click on the 'Down Arrow' to the right of the 'Generate' button, which will provide you with options such as being able to select the generated password length, and whether to use only characters and numbers (no symbols), as well as all uppercase, or all lowercase characters. Once you have your password entered, click on the 'Change Password' button to proceed The system will then update the root password for your server, and display a green message box to confirm that 'The system successfully updated the root password'. You can now test to make sure the new password is working by logging out of WHM, then logging back in.

Last updated on Aug 14, 2025