{"id":10696,"date":"2026-05-18T08:37:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T08:37:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/?p=10696"},"modified":"2026-05-19T02:36:47","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T02:36:47","slug":"how-to-restore-a-deleted-temporary-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/how-to-restore-a-deleted-temporary-website\/","title":{"rendered":"How to restore a deleted temporary website"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When you delete a website that used a randomly assigned temporary domain name, you cannot simply recreate that exact same domain string. However, if your hosting plan has unexpired backups available, you can restore your website files into a new temporary domain and point them to your original data.<\/p><h2 id=\"h-pre-requisites\">Pre-requisites<\/h2><ul>\n<li>Access to your Hostinger hPanel.<\/li>\n<li>Available unexpired backups from the deleted website.<\/li>\n<\/ul><h2 id=\"h-step-1-generate-a-new-temporary-domain\">Step 1: Generate a new temporary domain<\/h2><p>Since you cannot reuse the old automatically assigned string, you must start fresh with a clean slate:<\/p><ol>\n<li>Log in to your hPanel and navigate to the <a href=\"https:\/\/hpanel.hostinger.com\/websites\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Websites<\/a> section.<\/li>\n<li>Click on the Add website button.<br>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10697\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-23.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"716\" height=\"283\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-23.png 716w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-23-300x119.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 716px) 100vw, 716px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Select PHP\/HTML from the application type options.<\/li>\n<li>Choose the option to Use a temporary domain name.<br>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10698\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-25.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1382\" height=\"855\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-25.png 1382w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-25-300x186.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-25-1024x634.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-25-768x475.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1382px) 100vw, 1382px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Continue through the remaining setup screens until a new, empty website is active on your dashboard.<\/li>\n<\/ol><h2 id=\"h-step-2-restore-your-deleted-websites-files\">Step 2: Restore your deleted website&rsquo;s files<\/h2><p>Next, you need to pull your old website&rsquo;s folder structure out of the system backups and into your server directory.<\/p><ol>\n<li>Go to the Files section in hPanel and select <strong>Backups<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Click on <strong>File backups<\/strong> and choose a backup date from before the website was deleted.<\/li>\n<li>Select the <strong>Show files<\/strong> toggle option.<br>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10699\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-25_1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1147\" height=\"357\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-25_1.png 1147w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-25_1-300x93.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-25_1-1024x319.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-25_1-768x239.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1147px) 100vw, 1147px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>When the list of files shows up, click on&nbsp;<code>domains.<br>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10701\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-28.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1149\" height=\"466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-28.png 1149w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-28-300x122.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-28-1024x415.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-28-768x311.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1149px) 100vw, 1149px\" \/><\/code><\/li>\n<li>Check the box directly next to the folder named after your deleted temporary domain.<\/li>\n<li>Confirm and click <strong>Restore selected<\/strong>. Wait for the system to complete the recovery.<br>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10702\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-29.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1170\" height=\"762\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-29.png 1170w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-29-300x195.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-29-1024x667.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-29-768x500.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1170px) 100vw, 1170px\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ol><h2 id=\"h-step-3-remap-the-directories-via-file-manager\">Step 3: Remap the directories via File Manager<\/h2><p>Once restored, you will have two folders inside your server: your newly created empty temporary site and your old recovered site data. You must swap their identities so the new domain points to the old data.<\/p><ol>\n<li>Open the File Manager, ensuring you select the option to see <strong>the files for your entire hosting plan<\/strong> (the root directory), rather than a single site environment.<\/li>\n<li>Navigate into the domains folder.<\/li>\n<li>Locate the folder belonging to your newly generated temporary domain and rename it by appending a suffix (e.g., rename newsite.hostinger-site.com to newsite.hostinger-site.com-original).<br>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10703\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-33.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1591\" height=\"780\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-33.png 1591w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-33-300x147.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-33-1024x502.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-33-768x377.png 768w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-33-1536x753.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1591px) 100vw, 1591px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Locate the recovered folder belonging to your deleted website (e.g., oldsite.hostinger-site.com).<\/li>\n<li>Rename that old folder to match your new temporary domain exactly (e.g., newsite.hostinger-site.com).<br>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10704\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-34.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1595\" height=\"791\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-34.png 1595w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-34-300x149.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-34-1024x508.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-34-768x381.png 768w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-34-1536x762.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1595px) 100vw, 1595px\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ol><h2 id=\"h-step-4-database-configuration-and-adjustments\">Step 4: Database configuration and adjustments<\/h2><p>If your temporary website was a dynamic application (like WordPress) or used configuration variables, you must wrap up the setup:<\/p><ol>\n<li>Navigate to Backups to restore the database associated with your old site if needed.<br>\n<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-10705\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-35.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1245\" height=\"430\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-35.png 1245w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-35-300x104.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-35-1024x354.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/55\/2026\/05\/2026-05-18_15-35-768x265.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1245px) 100vw, 1245px\" \/><\/li>\n<li>Open your configuration files (such as wp-config.php or .env) using the File Manager.<\/li>\n<li>Update any hardcoded entries of your old temporary domain to reflect your new temporary domain string so styles and links load correctly.<\/li>\n<\/ol><p>After migrating the website from a temporary domain to another, it&rsquo;s crucial to <b>update the site URL <\/b>throughout the whole website. If it&rsquo;s a<b> WordPress<\/b> website, you can use the <b>Search and Replace<\/b> function by following this tutorial: <b><a class=\"intercom-content-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/tutorials\/how-to-perform-search-and-replace-in-wordpress-database\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to Perform a WordPress Search and Replace in the Database<\/a><\/b><\/p><p>By shifting your restored backup files under the identity of a new temporary domain, you can fully salvage your work. Your site files will now load seamlessly through the newly generated link.<\/p><p>&nbsp;<\/p><div class=\"intercom-interblocks-callout\" style=\"background-color: #e3e7fa80;border-color: #334bfa33\">\n<p><strong>Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Empty Directory<\/strong>: The folder you appended -original to can be safely deleted via the File Manager once you verify the restored site works, as it contains no data.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Database Links<\/strong>: Remember to update URLs inside your database using a plugin or script if your restored site relies on absolute links matching the old temporary URL.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Backup Lifetime:<\/strong> Temporary site backups follow standard hosting retention policies. If no backups appear in the dashboard, the data can no longer be recovered.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn how to recover data from a deleted temporary website by launching a new temporary domain and migrating your backups into it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":594,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"include_on_kodee":true,"footnotes":""},"categories":[236,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-backups-management","category-uncategorized"],"hreflangs":[{"locale":"en-US","link":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/how-to-restore-a-deleted-temporary-website","default":1}],"include_on_kodee":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/594"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10696"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10708,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10696\/revisions\/10708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostinger.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}