Suspending an account blocks the website, email and cPanel login without deleting any data. It is the right tool for overdue invoices, abuse reports or a compromised site you need to stop quickly. When the issue is fixed, you unsuspend it and everything comes back exactly as it was.
Before you start
- WHM access on your reseller plan.
- The account's username or domain.
- A short reason you can record, for example Invoice 1043 overdue.
What happens when an account is suspended
- Visitors see a "This account has been suspended" page instead of the website.
- The customer cannot log in to cPanel, FTP or Webmail.
- Incoming email is still accepted and queued for the mailbox by default, so mail is not lost.
- Files, databases and DNS records are kept untouched.
Suspend an account
- Log in to WHM (see logging in to WHM).
- Go to WHM → Account Functions → Manage Account Suspension.
- Select the account in the list.
- Type the reason in the Reason box. Only you and other administrators can see it.
- Optional: tick Prevent the reseller from unsuspending if you are a master reseller suspending a sub-reseller's customer.
- Click Suspend.
Tip: You can also suspend from WHM → Account Information → List Accounts: expand the account with the + icon and click Suspend. Suspended accounts are highlighted in the list.
Unsuspend an account
- Go to WHM → Account Functions → Manage Account Suspension.
- Select the suspended account.
- Click Unsuspend.
The website and logins work again within seconds. If you see a cached suspension page, clear the browser cache or wait a minute for LiteSpeed to refresh.
Automating suspensions with billing
If you sell with a billing system such as WHMCS, it can suspend and unsuspend automatically based on invoices. See selling hosting with WHMCS. Manual suspensions you make in WHM are not known to the billing system, so record them in the client notes.
Suspend or terminate?
Suspend first. Termination deletes the account and its data permanently, and you cannot undo it. Keep accounts suspended for a grace period (many hosts use 14–30 days), then follow how to terminate an account safely.
Troubleshooting
The site still loads after suspending
The domain may point to another server or a CDN cache such as QUIC.cloud or Cloudflare. Purge the CDN or check DNS.
The Unsuspend button is greyed out
The account was locked by a higher-level administrator (for example MdmHost after an abuse report). Open a ticket to ask why.
The customer still receives email
That is expected. Mail is accepted while suspended so nothing is lost.
Frequently asked questions
Does suspending an account stop its cron jobs?
Yes. Cron jobs, FTP and SSH stop running for a suspended account, because the system user is locked. They resume automatically after you unsuspend.
Can I customise the suspension page?
The suspension page is set at server level, so it is the same for all accounts on the server. If you need a branded message, ask the customer to contact you through your own billing or support site instead.
Is a suspended account still included in backups?
Yes. Daily JetBackup snapshots continue, which is one more reason to suspend first and terminate only after the grace period.