How to Restore Mail Node Backups in cPanel

 Introduction

Restoring email backups in cPanel becomes crucial when a crash, accidental deletion, or migration issue affects mail delivery. If you're using a mail node in a clustered environment or just want to retrieve mailbox contents, this guide outlines a safe path to restoring your cPanel mail backups.

1. Understanding Mail Node Architecture

A mail node is a separate server or service responsible for handling mail accounts. It might be integrated into a cPanel environment or run as a remote node. Make sure you understand whether your mail is stored locally (/home/username/mail) or remotely.

2. Locating Email Backups

Email backups are typically found at:

bash

CopyEdit

/backup/{date}/accounts/{user}/homedir/mail


If using JetBackup, check:

bash

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/usr/local/jetapps/usr/jetbackup/bin/jetcli backup list


3. Manual Restore via File Manager or SCP

  • Login to cPanel or use File Manager

  • Navigate to the mail directory of the domain

  • Upload the backup folder into place

  • Ensure correct permissions:

bash

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chown -R user:mail /home/user/mail


  • Restart Dovecot or Exim for changes to take effect

4. Restore via JetBackup (GUI)

If JetBackup is installed:

  • Go to cPanel → JetBackup

  • Choose Email Backups

  • Select the backup point and click "Restore"

  • Wait for the confirmation message

5. Verifying the Restoration

Once the backup is restored:

  • Login to Webmail (Roundcube/Horde)

  • Check if old emails are back

  • Send a test mail to confirm delivery

Bonus Tips

  • Schedule regular JetBackup email backups

  • Store off-site backups to recover from a full disk failure

  • Always restore during low traffic to avoid mail delivery issues

Conclusion

Restoring cPanel mail node backups is straightforward if you're using tools like JetBackup or following manual paths. To avoid complex configurations, choose Host Anytime, which provides seamless email backups and restoration options with expert support.


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