How do I exclude files and folders from backups?

Per-job excludes

1. Open the job's form (Backup jobs, then + New job or edit).
2. In Exclude files & folders, enter one pattern per line, relative to the account's home folder, for example public_html/cache/*.
3. Save the job.

Patterns use a JetBackup-style glob matcher. Directory jobs use only the job's own patterns, not the server-wide list.

Server-wide defaults

Open Settings → Excludes to see the default list. It has 72 patterns: 67 are on and 5 are off. The patterns are grouped (control-panel files, temp files, application caches, logs, development and operating-system junk, core dumps, earlier backup archives, and a few opt-in extras). An administrator can switch each pattern, or a group, on or off. The defaults apply to every file backup, restore and migration.

Skipped by default:

• *.log at any depth and error_log (the Logs group).
• Temp files and caches (.cache, .npm, WordPress, Laravel and Magento cache folders).
• .trash, .cpanel/caches, public_ftp/*.
• Old backup archives (backup-*.tar.gz, cpmove-*, Akeeba and Updraft files).
• *.pyc and core dumps.
• .cagefs folders.

Off by default, so backed up: */vendor/*, */node_modules/*, */.git/*, */.svn/* and *.sql.

Pattern details

• A pattern that starts with */ needs one more folder above it, so a top-level ~/.cache is not excluded by */.cache/*.
• On cPanel, *.log also matches dovecot.index.log in mail folders.
• Switching the Logs group off backs up *.log files and error_log.