The Ultimate Bluehost Backup Guide: How to Secure Your Website and Emails?

This guide covers manual and professional methods recommended by RecoveryTools experts to perform a secure Bluehost Backup. When you run a business or a blog, your data is your most valuable asset.

While Bluehost is one of the most reliable hosting providers on the market, relying solely on their servers creates a single point of failure. What happens if there is a server outage, a hacking attempt, or-worst of all-Bluehost deletes my website due to a billing error?

To ensure your data is safe, you need a personal, local copy. In this article, we will walk you through everything you need to know, covering the manual steps for your WordPress site and introducing a professional tool that automates the process for your critical Bluehost emails.

What Is a Bluehost Backup?

A Bluehost backup is simply a copy of your website files, databases, and emails saved to a location separate from the Bluehost cloud servers. This ensures that if you lose access to your Bluehost login or if a malicious attack occurs, you can restore your business to its previous state without starting from scratch.

Why Do You Need a Bluehost Backup?

There is an assumption that hosting providers handle everything. However, checking the Bluehost backup policy reveals that while they do perform basic backups, they are not guaranteed.
You need your own backup strategy because of these reasons:

• Your important files and Bluehost email folders can be deleted by mistake or accidental deletion.
• Cyberattacks like ransomware and malware can lock you out of your live site.
• If you want to migrate and decide to change hosts, you need a clean, portable copy of your data.
• If Bluehost support cannot restore your account immediately during an outage, having a local backup keeps you in control.

Types of Bluehost Backups Available

Before you start securing your data, it is important to understand the different methods available to you. Generally, Bluehost backup strategies fall into three main categories:

1. Bluehost Automatic Backups:
   Bluehost offers paid add-ons like CodeGuard Basic. These run automatically in the cloud but often come with extra monthly fees and limited storage. They are good for “set and forget,” but you don’t physically hold the data yourself.
2. Manual cPanel Backups:
   This involves logging into your control panel and manually downloading zipped files of your website and databases. While free, this requires you to remember to do it regularly. It is often used for a Bluehost cPanel backup before making small changes.
3. Professional Backup Tools:
   This is the most secure method for users who want full control. A dedicated Bluehost backup tool allows you to save Bluehost emails and data directly to your local computer or hard drive. Unlike server-side backups, this method ensures you have access to your data even if you cannot access the Bluehost login page or if the server goes down completely.

Manual Methods to Backup Bluehost Data

You need to back up your website files, your database, and your Bluehost emails separately. Here are the three manual methods you must perform to get a complete backup.

Method 1: Backup Website Files (The cPanel Wizard)
This is the standard way to save your website’s structure (images, themes, plugins).

• • Log in to your Bluehost account.
  • Navigate to Advanced (this is the Bluehost cPanel backup area).
  • See the “Files” section and click on Backup Wizard.
  • Select “Backup” and choose a “Full Backup” or a “Partial Backup”

Method 2: Backup the Database (phpMyAdmin)
This backup often misses the actual content of your WordPress site (your posts and comments). You must do this separately:

• • In cPanel, scroll to the Databases section and click phpMyAdmin.
  • Select your website’s database from the left sidebar.
  • Then, click on the “Export” button.
  • Choose “Quick” as the method and “SQL” as the format, then click Go. This downloads your Bluehost backup database file.

Method 3: Backup Bluehost Emails (Roundcube/Webmail)
This is the most time-consuming part of the manual process. Bluehost does not offer a simple “Download All Emails” button in cPanel for individual accounts.

• • Log in to your Bluehost Webmail (usually via Roundcube).
  • Select the specific email you want to save.
  • Click the “More” button in the top menu and select “Export“.
  • This downloads that single email as an .eml file.

(Note: To back up a whole folder manually, you technically have to repeat this or use complex FTP setups, which is why most users prefer automated tools).

Why Manual Method Not Considered Reliable?

The cPanel method works for files but it has many limitations, especially for Bluehost emails:

• It is Time-consuming; you have to repeat the process manually every week or month.
• It is hard to restore Bluehost emails in Outlook/Thunderbird because of the Email limitations.
• You cannot perform a Selective backup and have to download everything if you have a large site.
• It has a High Risk of Corruption; large ZIP files often become corrupted during download.

My Personal Experience

I don’t just write about this software; I use it for my own business. Every Friday, I run this utility to pull a fresh copy of my Bluehost emails to my local hard drive. Since I rely on the “Incremental Backup” feature, it only takes a few minutes to grab the new messages from the week. It has become an crucial part of my workflow; it keeps my data safe and secure.

How to Perform a Bluehost Backup Using a Professional Tool?

Using a professional tool automates the difficult parts of the process. Here is how you can secure your data in just a few clicks:

1. Download and launch the software on your Windows machine.
2. Input your Bluehost email credentials. The tool connects securely via IMAP.
3. Select the Specific folder you want to backup from the mailbox.
4. Select your desired Saving option (e.g., PST for Outlook, PDF for legal records, or MBOX).
5. Apply the Advanced Filters for selective backups.
6. Click on the Backup button to begin. The tool will download your data directly to your local hard drive.

Key Benefits of Using a Professional Bluehost Backup Solution

• It will preserve Data integrity. You can keep all Bluehost email attachments, metadata (To, From, Date), and folder structures.
• Unlike a generic Bluehost cPanel backup, you can convert your data into multiple formats.
• You can skip Bluehost emails you have already backed up through Incremental Backup.
• It has a User-friendly interface, you do not need technical knowledge of databases or FTP clients to use it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. How do I restore my Bluehost backup?
Ans: You can restore it in two ways: first, manually and with a professional tool. If you restore manually, you must go back to the “Backup Wizard” in cPanel and select “Restore,” then upload your ZIP file. If you use a third-party solution for Bluehost email, you can simply import the resulting PST/MBOX file into your email client (like Outlook or Thunderbird).
Q2. Can I bulk download all my Bluehost emails at once?
Ans: No, Bluehost’s cPanel and Webmail interfaces do not offer a “Download All” feature for email accounts. You are restricted to exporting Bluehost emails one by one. You can use an automated backup solution utilising IMAP protocols to download bulk Bluehost emails to a local hard drive.
Q3. Does Bluehost have backups?
Ans: Yes, they do, but their Bluehost backup policy states that they are not responsible for failed backups. They offer Bluehost automatic backups via paid add-ons like CodeGuard, but rely on these at your own risk.

Conclusion

Whether you are worried about hackers, server crashes, or accidental deletion, having a reliable Bluehost backup is non-negotiable for website owners. While manual cPanel methods are useful for occasional file dumps, they are often too clunky for regular maintenance.

For a seamless, secure experience-especially for your critical Bluehost emails-use a professional Bluehost backup tool to ensure your data is safe, searchable, and always within your control. Don’t wait until data loss happens; secure your Bluehost account today.