A private platform provider.
How to migrate a WordPress site to a new host.
Moving WordPress comes down to a few steps in the right order: back up, copy the files and database, test, and switch DNS last. This guide walks through each one.
If you would rather not do it yourself, EasWrk will move your site for free. The offer is at the end.
- Eight steps
- Old site stays up until the end
The steps
Eight steps, in this order.
The order is what keeps the old site running while you build the new one.
- 01
Back up everything
Download a full copy of your site files and export your database. Keep both somewhere other than the old server. If a later step goes wrong, this is how you go back.
- 02
Note what you run
Write down your WordPress version, PHP version, active plugins and any custom settings, so the new host can match them.
- 03
Lower your DNS TTL
The TTL is how long other networks remember your domain’s address. Lower it at your DNS provider some time before the move, ideally a day ahead, so the final switch spreads quickly.
- 04
Set up the new hosting
Create the account on the new host and add your domain to it. Do not change your live DNS yet.
- 05
Copy the files and the database
Upload your files to the new site’s folder, create a new empty database, and import your export into it.
- 06
Update wp-config.php
Edit the wp-config.php file so it points at the new database name, user and password.
- 07
Test before you switch
Look at the new site before the public does. A common way is to point your own computer at the new server with a hosts file entry. Click through key pages, log in, and place a test order if you run a store.
- 08
Switch DNS, then check
Point your domain at the new host. If your email lives with the old host, move or re-point it too, or mail will stop arriving. Keep the old site and your backup for a while and check forms, logins and email.
Choose your method
A plugin, a host, or a person.
A migration plugin can copy a small, simple site. You still do the DNS switch and the testing.
Your new host can often do the copy for you. Ask whether it is free, whether your old site stays online, and who handles email.
A store needs extra care. If customers are ordering while you move, plan for the orders that arrive on the old site after you copied it.
Before you start
- Backup
- Files and database
- Versions
- WordPress and PHP
- DNS
- Lower the TTL
- Know where it lives
Or let us do it
EasWrk moves it for free.
Coming from a cPanel host, we transfer your files, databases and email for you. We copy everything to EasWrk first, get it working, and only then point your domain across.
Your existing site keeps serving visitors the whole time, and nothing is deleted from your old host until you say so. On a closed platform such as Wix, Squarespace or Shopify there is no server to copy, so our concierge team rebuilds the site by hand. Read how moving to EasWrk works, or coming from GoDaddy or Bluehost specifically.
Questions
Plain answers.
How long does a WordPress migration take?
It depends on the size of the site and how much testing you do. The copying itself is the short part. Lowering your DNS TTL ahead of time and testing before the switch are what keep the move calm.
Do I need to lower my DNS TTL?
It is not required, but it is a good habit. A lower TTL means visitors reach the new server sooner after you switch.
Can I migrate a WordPress site without downtime?
The method in this guide keeps the old site running while you build and test the new one, and you switch DNS last. That is how EasWrk does it too.
Can a plugin do the migration?
For a small, simple site a migration plugin may be enough. For a store, take extra care: orders placed on the old site during the move can be missed unless you plan for them.
Does EasWrk move WordPress sites for free?
Yes. Coming from a cPanel host, we transfer your files, databases and email for you at no charge. See Move to EasWrk.
Migrate WordPress
Do it yourself, or hand it over.
Both work. If you hand it over, it is free, your old site stays online, and plans start at $45 a month with the first month free.