This older video shows the setup screen, although it has changed since 2019:

What Basic WebHost Manager Setup controls

The exact options depend on your cPanel version. Hover over each setting for its description.

Step 1: set the contact email

Use an address that is not hosted on this server. If the server has a problem, alerts to a mailbox on the same server may never arrive. Then open Server Contacts > Contact Manager, choose which notifications you want, and send a test.

Step 2: set the nameservers

1. Choose nameserver names, for example ns1.example.com and ns2.example.com.
2. Enter them on the Nameservers tab and click Configure Address Records to assign IP addresses.
3. At the registrar of example.com, register the nameservers as host records (glue records) with the same IP addresses.
4. Use at least two nameservers, ideally on separate IP addresses or servers.

If you use external DNS, for example from your host or a DNS service, enter those nameservers instead and do not run DNS on this server.

Step 3: create a hosting package

Packages set the limits for new accounts. Open Packages > Add a Package and set disk space, bandwidth, number of email accounts, databases and addon domains. A feature list, set in Feature Manager, controls which cPanel tools users see.

Step 4: first security tasks

• ✓ Turn on automatic updates in Update Preferences.
• ✓ Turn on two-factor authentication for root and resellers.
• ✓ Enable cPHulk and a firewall, and add your own IP to the allow lists.
• ✓ Enable AutoSSL for all users.
• ✓ Set up remote backups in Backup Configuration.
• ✓ Run Security Advisor and fix its warnings.

Our cPanel security tips explain each step.

Step 5: create the first account

1. Open Account Functions > Create a New Account.
2. Enter the domain, a user name and a strong password, and choose the package.
3. Click Create, then log in to the new cPanel account to check it works.

Step 6: check the server’s basics

• The hostname is a full name such as server1.example.com, with an A record pointing to the server.
• The server can resolve other domains; see Networking Setup > Resolver Configuration.
• The cPanel licence is active for the server’s IP address.
• Enough disk space is free on /home for accounts and on the backup destination.

If WHM shows errors when creating accounts, our DNS resolution guide covers the most common cause.

Useful WHM areas to know

If you skipped the setup wizard

Automated installs sometimes skip the first-login wizard. Check Basic WebHost Manager Setup straight away to make sure the contact email and nameservers are set. See our guide to skipping the WHM setup wizard.