Can I install cPanel to replace another control panel?

Question

Can I install cPanel to replace another control panel on a server?

Answer

cPanel, like many other controls panels, is designed to be the first thing that is installed on a brand new server, just after the operating system is installed.  Our Installation Guide says "Only install cPanel & WHM on a freshly-installed operating system."  If you did try and perform a cPanel installation over the top of another control panel, it will likely cause serious damage to the system.

If you want to migrate from Plesk, Ensim, or DirectAdmin, please contact our support team as we offer that service at no charge.  If you're migrating from another control panel we have a guide at the following page that provides more information on how you can manually perform that work:

How to manually migrate accounts to cPanel from unsupported control panels