1. Overview
When an account is too large for WHM’s automated transfer tools, you can manually transfer the account between servers. This process must be performed as the root user.
Note:
This guide uses the following placeholders:
cPanel username: user
Domain: example.com
2. Create a Temporary Directory
Run the following command to create a temporary directory:
mkdir /home/user-temp
This creates the user-temp directory inside /home.
3. Create a Compressed Backup of public_html
Important:
Depending on server configuration, addon and subdomain directories may not exist inside public_html. See the Domains section of Tweak Settings for details.
Most disk usage comes from public_html. Compressing it reduces transfer size.
Run:
tar cvzf /home/user-temp/user-backup.tar.gz /home/user/public_html
Argument breakdown:
- c — Create a new archive
- v — Verbose output
- z — Compress with gzip
- f — Write to specified file
4. Move public_html to the Temporary Directory
mv /home/user/public_html /home/user-temp/
Warning:
Never delete public_html before the transfer is complete. Always keep a copy.
5. Create Compressed Backups of Logs
Large sites generate large logs. Compressing them saves time and space.
Apache logs are stored in:
/usr/local/apache/domlogs
Run:
tar -cvzf /home/user-temp/user-logs.tar.gz /usr/local/apache/domlogs/example.com
mv /usr/local/apache/domlogs/example.com /home/user-temp/
6. Transfer Files Manually with SCP
Use SCP to securely transfer files between servers.
General format:
scp /path/to/local/file user@remote-host:/path/to/destination/
Example:
scp /home/user-temp/user-logs.tar.gz [email protected]:/home/temp/
scp /home/user-temp/user-backup.tar.gz [email protected]:/home/temp/
Useful SCP arguments:
| Argument | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| -P | Specify SSH port | scp -P 372 file [email protected]:/home/temp/ |
| -i | Use SSH key authentication | scp -i key.pem file [email protected]:/home/temp/ |
| -v | Verbose mode for debugging | scp -v file [email protected]:/home/temp/ |
7. Extract the Backups on the Destination Server
After transferring the files and completing the account transfer, extract the backups.
General extraction command:
tar -xvzf file.tar.gz -C /path/to/destination/
Restore public_html and logs:
tar -xvzf /home/temp/user-backup.tar.gz -C /home/user/
tar -xvzf /home/temp/user-logs.tar.gz -C /usr/local/apache/domlogs/
After extraction, the account has been successfully transferred.
Conclusion
Manual account transfers are useful when dealing with large accounts that exceed WHM’s automated transfer limits. By compressing data, transferring it securely with SCP, and restoring it properly, you can reliably migrate accounts between servers.