---
title: "How do I split a single cPanel account into multiple ones"
description: "In this article we'll go over the basic process you would need to take if you have a single cPanel account, and you'd like to split that one account up into multiple cPanel accounts. You can only..."
url: https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/cpanel/how-do-i-split-a-single-cpanel-account-into-multiple-ones/
date: 2012-11-12
modified: 2021-11-19
author: "InMotion Hosting Contributor"
categories: ["cPanel"]
type: post
lang: en
---

# How do I split a single cPanel account into multiple ones

In this article we’ll go over the basic process you would need to take if you have a single cPanel account, and you’d like to split that one account up into multiple cPanel accounts. You can only have multiple cPanel accounts on a VPS or dedicated server plan where you have access to WHM (Web Host Manager), and splitting up your domains into separate cPanel accounts can help you better organize your sites, and split up access between multiple end-users easily.

In the example below we will be taking our cPanel account **userna1** which has the primary domain name set to **PrimaryDomain.com** and an addon domain of **AddonDomain.com**. We will split off the **AddonDomain.com** site into its own separate cPanel account so that we can give a developer full FTP and cPanel access to the site without having to worry about them being able to access anything on our **PrimaryDomain.com** account.

cPanel creation is no longer unlimited. Learn more about [cPanel Pricing Changes](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/cpanel/cpanel-pricing-structure/) and [related FAQs]( https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/edu/cpanel-edu/cpanel-pricing-changes-faq).

If you happen to have [root access](/support/server/ssh/root-access-faq/) to your server, you’ll probably be interested in our more advanced article on [splitting a cPanel account into multiple accounts using SSH](/support/edu/cpanel/split-single-cpanel-account-into-multiple-accounts-using-ssh/).

Both of our example sites are using WordPress so they have a MySQL database setup, they also have one e-mail account setup as well with mail in it.

1. We want to first grab all of the content for the **AddonDomain.com** site via [FTP](/support/website/ftp/getting-started-guide/). However we’ll want to actually connect via FTP using the primary site’s username, so in this case **userna1**. That way we can grab the mail files for that site as well.
2. In this example we’re connected using FileZilla, with the server’s files on the right-hand side, and our local folders on the left. First we are going to right-click in the left-hand pane and select **Create directory**, in the pop-up to name the new directory we want to type in **etc** then click **OK****.[![filezilla-right-click-create-directory](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_filezilla-right-click-create-directory-1024x633.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_filezilla-right-click-create-directory.png)**      
3. Again we are going to right-click in the left-hand pane and select **Create directory**, in the pop-up to name the new directory we want to type in **mail** then click OK.
4. One last time we are going to right-click in the left-hand pane and select **Create directory**, in the pop-up to name the new directory we want to type in **public_html **then click OK.
5. In both window panes navigate to the **etc** directories, then drag the server-side **AddonDomain.com** directory into our empty local **etc** one.[![filezilla-drag-etc-addondomain-directory](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_filezilla-drag-etc-addondomain-directory.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_filezilla-drag-etc-addondomain-directory.png)      
6. In both window panes navigate to the **mail **directories, then drag the server-side **AddonDomain.com** directory into our empty local **mail **one.[![filezilla-drag-mail-addondomain-directory](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_filezilla-drag-mail-addondomain-directory.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_filezilla-drag-mail-addondomain-directory.png)      
7. Now in both window panes navigate to the **public_html** directories, then drag the server-side **AddonDomain.com** directory into our empty local **public_html** one.[![filezilla-drag-public-html-addondomain-directory](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_filezilla-drag-public-html-addondomain-directory.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_filezilla-drag-public-html-addondomain-directory.png)     ** **
8. Now we want to also generate a backup of our MySQL database that we need for the site, in order to do this you’ll want to [Login to your cPanel](/support/edu/cpanel/how-to-log-into-cpanel/).
9. Once logged in, navigate down to the **Files** section then click on **Backup**.[![](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/cpanel_backups-paper-lantern.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/cpanel_backups-paper-lantern.png)    
10. Under the **Download a MySQL Database Backup** section click on the database you need to backup, in this case we’ll be downloading the **userna1_wrdp2** database. You should notice you can also download any **Email Forwarders** or **Email Filters** you had setup from the section as well.[![](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/cpanel_backups_download-database-backup.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/cpanel_backups_download-database-backup.png)      
11. We should now have everything we need to recreate the site under a different account. The first thing you’ll want to do is [Log into WHM](/support/edu/whm/log-into-whm/).
12. In the top-left **Find** box type in **Create**, then click on **Create a New Account**.[![cpanel-click-on-create-new-account](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_cpanel-click-on-create-new-account.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_cpanel-click-on-create-new-account.png)      
13. Now for the **Domain:** you’ll want to enter your domain with a **-temp.com** suffix, that way we can test and get the account up and running prior to shutting down the real site. So in our example we’re using **AddonDomain-temp.com**, you can then choose a username and password you’d like this new cPanel to use, and in the **Choose a Package** drop-down you’ll want to select the default **vps **package or whatever custom package you might have set up.After entering in all the information scroll to the bottom of the page and click on **Create** [![cpanel-enter-temp-domain](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_cpanel-enter-temp-domain.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_cpanel-enter-temp-domain.png)    
14. Now you’ll want to connect to the new account you just created with FTP using one of your domain’s as the hostname and your new username **userna2** in this case. Next navigate to the **etc** directory in both windows, then drag the **AddonDomain.com** directory from the left pane into the right.
15. [![filezilla-drag-etc-addondomain-directory-local](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_filezilla-drag-etc-addondomain-directory-local.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_filezilla-drag-etc-addondomain-directory-local.png)  
16. Next navigate to the **mail** directory in both windows, then drag the **AddonDomain.com** directory from the left pane into the right.[![filezilla-drag-mail-addondomain-directory-local](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_filezilla-drag-mail-addondomain-directory-local.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_filezilla-drag-mail-addondomain-directory-local.png)    
17. Now navigate to the **public_html** directory in both windows, then into the **AddonDomain.com** directory in the left-hand pane. Still in the left-hand pane hit **Ctrl-A** on your keyboard to select all files, then drag those files into the right pane.[![filezilla-drag-public-html-addondomain-directory-local](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_filezilla-drag-public-html-addondomain-directory-local.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_filezilla-drag-public-html-addondomain-directory-local.png)    
18. Now you’ll want to [login to your cPanel](/support/edu/cpanel/how-to-log-into-cpanel/) with the new username you created.
19. Under the **Databases** section click on **MySQL Database Wizard**.[![cpanel-click-on-database-wizard](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/cpanel_mysql-database-wizard-paper-lantern.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/cpanel_mysql-database-wizard-paper-lantern.png)      
20. Enter in a database name, then click on **Next Step**.[![cpanel-create-a-database](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_cpanel-create-a-database.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_cpanel-create-a-database.png)      
21. Enter in a database username and password, then click **Create User**.[![cpanel-create-a-database-user](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_cpanel-create-a-database-user.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_cpanel-create-a-database-user.png)      
22. Place a check beside **All Privileges**, then click **Next Step**.[![cpanel-database-privileges](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_cpanel-database-privileges.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_cpanel-database-privileges.png)      
23. Back at the cPanel home screen, under **Databases**, click on **phpMyAdmin**.[![cpanel-click-on-phpmyadmin](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/cpanel_phpmyadmin-paper-lantern.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/cpanel_phpmyadmin-paper-lantern.png)    
24. From the left-hand menu, click on our **userna2_wrdp1** database we created.[![phpmyadmin-click-on-userna2-wrdp1](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_phpmyadmin-click-on-userna2-wrdp1.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_phpmyadmin-click-on-userna2-wrdp1.png)      
25. Click on the **Import** tab at the top, then click on **Choose File** to browse for the backup we created earlier.[![phpmyadmin-click-on-choose-file](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_phpmyadmin-click-on-choose-file.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_phpmyadmin-click-on-choose-file.png)      
26. You should now see your selected backup filename, then click **Go**.[![phpmyadmin-backup-selected-click-go](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_phpmyadmin-backup-selected-click-go.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_phpmyadmin-backup-selected-click-go.png)     ** **
27. You should now notice the import was successful by the status message at the top, also our tables now display under our database in the left-hand menu.[![phpmyadmin-backup-restored](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_phpmyadmin-backup-restored.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_phpmyadmin-backup-restored.png)      
28. Now because we switched cPanel usernames from **userna1** to **userna2** we need to update any database configuration scripts to use this new user so when we git rid of the old one it still can function on its own.Back in cPanel, under the **Files** section click on **File Manager**.[![cpanel-click-on-file-manager](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/cpanel_file-manager-paper-lantern.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/cpanel_file-manager-paper-lantern.png)      
29. In the pop-up select **Home Directory**, and then click **Go**.[![cpanel-click-on-home-directory-and-go](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_cpanel-click-on-home-directory-and-go.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_cpanel-click-on-home-directory-and-go.png)      
30. In the left-hand pane click on **public_html**, then in the right-hand pane right-click on **wp-config.php** and then click on **Edit**. In the **Text Editor** window that pops-up, click on **Edit**.[![file-manager-edit-wp-config](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_file-manager-edit-wp-config.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_file-manager-edit-wp-config.png)     ** **
31. Find the database configuration lines, which in a WordPress **wp-config.php **script should look like:`/** The name of the database for WordPress */ define('DB_NAME', 'userna1_wrdp2'); /** MySQL database username */ define('DB_USER', 'userna1_wrdp2'); /** MySQL database password */ define('DB_PASSWORD', 'wordpress2');`   Now update these values with your new username and database name and password if you changed it: `/** The name of the database for WordPress */ define('DB_NAME', 'userna2_wrdp1');/** MySQL database username */ define('DB_USER', 'userna2_wrdp1'); /** MySQL database password */ define('DB_PASSWORD', 'wordpress1');` Finally click on **Save Changes**. [![file-manager-edit-wp-config-save](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_file-manager-edit-wp-config-save.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_file-manager-edit-wp-config-save.png)    
32. Now you’ll want to login to your original cPanel account again to remove the **AddonDomain.com** from the account, so that we can modify the one we created on our new account.To start this process under the **Domains** section click on **Addon Domains**.[![cpanel-click-on-addon-domains](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/cpanel_addon-domains-paper-lantern.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/cpanel_addon-domains-paper-lantern.png)      
33. Beside **AddonDomain.com** click on **Remove**.[![cpanel-addon-domain-remove](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_cpanel-addon-domain-remove.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_cpanel-addon-domain-remove.png)     On the confirmation screen click on **Remove “AddonDomain.com”**.
34. Now that the domain is removed from our **userna1** cPanel account, we’ll want to log back into WHM so we can modify our **userna2** account to use that domain.In the top-left **Find** box type in **modify**, then click on **Modify an Account**.[![whm-click-on-modify-an-account](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_whm-click-on-modify-an-account.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_whm-click-on-modify-an-account.png)      
35. Click on our **AddonDomain-temp.com** domain, then click on **Modify**.[![whm-select-addon-click-modify](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_whm-select-addon-click-modify.png)](/support/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/website_cpanel_cpanel-split_whm-select-addon-click-modify.png)      
36. Now change the domain entry in the **Primary Domain:** field to **AddonDomain.com**, then scroll to the bottom and click on **Save**. You should see a green **Success!** status display when it’s done.****

That should complete the process of splitting one cPanel account into multiple ones. After you’ve got everything running under the new separate cPanel account, you can go back through the original account and remove the files in the **/etc**, **/mail**, and **/public_html** directories for the old addon domain. You can also go remove the original MySQL database as well now that you have a separate standalone one for your new account.