Introduction
Backing up your emails is essential to avoid losing important information. If you use Bacan and access your files via FTP, you can manually download the mail directory, which stores the data for your email accounts.
Here is how to do it step by step using an FTP client like FileZilla.
🛠️ Step-by-step instructions
1. Connect via FTP to your hosting account
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Open your FTP client (e.g.: FileZilla).
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Enter your access credentials:
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Server: yourdomain.com
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Username: your FTP account username
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Password: your FTP password
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Port: 21 (default)
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💡 If you don't have your FTP credentials handy, you can find them in your control panel (DirectAdmin or cPanel) under the «FTP Accounts» section.
2. Navigate to the mail directory
Once connected, in the right panel (the server side), navigate to the root of your account and open the folder called mail.
🔍 Inside you will find subfolders for the domains and email accounts you have configured.
3. Download the full directory
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Inside the
mailfolder, right-click and choose «Download». -
FileZilla will begin transferring all content to the left panel (your computer).
📁 The download location depends on the local folder you have open in FileZilla. Make sure you are in the path where you want to save your backup.
4. Verify the copy on your computer
Once the download is complete:
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Open the local folder and check that all subfolders and files were downloaded.
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You can compress the folder (
mail.zip) to archive it or move it to an external drive. -
✅ Useful tips
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📌 Back up regularly, especially before making changes to email accounts.
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💽 Keep an additional copy in the cloud or on another physical device.
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⚠️ Do not edit the downloaded files unless you know exactly what they do, as you could damage the emails if you re-upload them.
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