WHM cPanel server Intermediate

Creating cPanel accounts in WHM

Step-by-step guide to creating a new cPanel account in WHM for a hosting client. Set the domain, username, password, email, and resource limits using a package.

UnderHost NOC Network Operations

5 min read Updated June 2026

On this page

Create an account
Key settings explained
Add a domain
Access the new account
Suspend and terminate accounts

On a cPanel/WHM server you administer, each hosted site or client can receive its own cPanel account. Creating an account provisions an isolated environment with its own disk quota, email, databases, and login credentials.

Create an account

Log in to WHM
Go to Account Functions → Create a New Account
Enter the Domain (primary domain for the account)
Set the Username (max 8 characters, lowercase letters and numbers)
Set the Password-use the generator for a secure random password
Enter the client's Email address (receives account welcome email and notifications)
Select a Package to apply resource limits, or set them manually
Click Create

WHM creates the account, sets up the cPanel environment, creates the document root, and-if you have zone creation enabled-adds a DNS zone for the domain.

Key settings explained

Field	What to set
Username	Used for cPanel login, FTP, and system user. Must be unique. Usually first part of the domain.
Package	Apply a pre-defined resource limit set. Easier than setting limits individually per account.
Disk Quota	Total disk space in MB. Use 0 for unlimited only when it fits the server policy and available capacity.
Bandwidth	Monthly data transfer limit in MB. 0 = unlimited within your allocation.
Max Email Accounts	How many mailboxes this account can create. 0 = unlimited.
Shell Access	Grant SSH access. Leave disabled for most client accounts.

Add a domain as a new cPanel account

When you administer a cPanel/WHM server, adding a separate client's domain usually means creating a new cPanel account in WHM and assigning a package. This gives the domain its own username, password, file space, mailboxes, databases, and resource limits.

If the domain should live inside an existing cPanel account instead, use cPanel's addon-domain or domain management tools from that account rather than creating another WHM account.

Access the new account's cPanel

To enter a client's cPanel without their password:

Go to Account Information → List Accounts
Find the account by domain or username
Click the cPanel icon next to the account

This creates a session as that user immediately. You have full cPanel access to manage their files, email, and databases.

Suspend and terminate accounts

Suspend a non-paying account without deleting their data: Account Functions → Manage Account Suspension → select the account → Suspend. See suspend and unsuspend accounts in WHM for the full process.

Terminate permanently deletes the account and all its files, databases, and email. This cannot be undone. See terminate accounts in WHM before removing an account.

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