How to move a WordPress site to a new host

Before you start: a checklist

Most migration problems are not caused by the copy itself. They come from a missing login, a DNS record nobody knew about, or an order placed on the old site after the copy was taken. Ten minutes with this checklist can spare you hours later.

Two small jobs pay off on the day. First, lower the DNS TTL (time to live) on your website records a day or so before the switch, so the change spreads quickly; a few minutes is a common setting for the move, raised back to its usual value once the new site is live. Second, agree a content freeze: anything published or changed on the old site after the copy starts will not appear on the new one.

If two-factor authentication protects your current hosting account, check how your new host's team will log in: it may need pausing until the copy is finished, or the team may be able to sign in as a separate user that you remove afterwards.

Option 1: use your new host's migration service or plugin

The simplest way to move WordPress to a new host is to let the new host do the copying. Hosts offer this in two ways, and some offer both:

• A team-run migration: you give the host access to your current hosting, or a backup file, and its staff copy the site, check it and tell you when it is ready to test
• A migration plugin: you install the host's plugin on your current site, enter the details it asks for, and it transfers the files and database for you

A team-run move suits business sites with unusual set-ups or no in-house developer; a plugin suits straightforward sites and people who like to control the timing. Either way, the copy is made while your original site stays live, and nothing changes for visitors until you update DNS.

Check what is left for you afterwards. Typically the host copies the website, and the DNS and email steps stay with you: WP Engine's go-live checklist, for example, has you update the records at your own DNS host, with an option to have them configured automatically.

Migration help at each host

Each host describes its migration help in its own words. This is what their own pages say, listed A to Z:

Plans and the migration help attached to them change, so confirm the current details on each host's own page: Cloudways (opens in a new tab), Krystal (opens in a new tab) and WP Engine (opens in a new tab).

A few details are worth knowing. Krystal says it will flag anything that could complicate the move, such as an older PHP version, before it starts. WP Engine's managed migration service includes validating the site on staging and guiding the DNS change.

Option 2: migrate or transfer a WordPress site to a new host yourself

You can also transfer a WordPress site to another host yourself. It suits developers, staging copies and simple sites, and some hosts publish their own guides: WP Engine, for example, has a manual migration checklist in its User Portal. The outline is the same on any host:

1. Back up the old site. Download the files (at least the wp-content folder and wp-config.php) by SFTP, and export the database as an SQL file.
2. Create the new site. Set up an empty site and database on the new host, and note the database name, user, password and host.
3. Upload the files to the new site, keeping the same folder structure. Some hosts let you upload a zipped wp-content folder through their dashboard instead.
4. Import the database into the new database.
5. Update wp-config.php with the new database name, user, password and host, and check the table prefix matches the imported tables.
6. Fix the address if it has changed. If the domain or URL is different, use a search-and-replace tool that understands serialised data, such as WP-CLI's search-replace command, rather than editing the database by hand.
7. Remove what the new host replaces. Managed hosts often run caching at server level and restrict some plugins. WP Engine restricts some caching and backup plugins, and Krystal advises against adding caching plugins on its managed platform.
8. Test on a temporary address or by pointing your own computer at the new server, then update DNS when you are happy.

The difference between the two options is mostly time and risk:

For most business sites, letting the new host's team or plugin do the copy, and spending your own time on testing and DNS, is the efficient split.

DNS, email and domain records: the part people forget

A website move changes where your domain's website records point. Your email usually lives somewhere else entirely, but its records sit in the same DNS zone, which is why a careless switch can stop email arriving.

It helps to separate four things that are often bundled together:

• Domain registrar: where the domain name is registered and renewed
• DNS host: where the records for the domain are kept (often the registrar, sometimes the old web host)
• Web host: where the WordPress site runs, which is what you are changing
• Email provider: often Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, which normally does not change at all

Managed WordPress hosts often keep email separate from hosting. Krystal, for example, says its managed WordPress plans do not include mailboxes as standard, with email available as an add-on. So in most moves your email stays exactly where it is. There are then two ways to point the domain at the new host:

If the whole zone moves, these are the records that most often go missing:

Your website also sends its own email: enquiry form notifications, password resets and order confirmations. Check how the new host sends this transactional email, and make sure your domain's SPF, DKIM and DMARC records cover whichever service sends it, so these messages do not land in spam. Some hosts make the DNS step easier: WP Engine says its User Portal can configure DNS records at your DNS host automatically through a service called Entri.

How long the change takes to spread depends on your TTL settings: WP Engine says it can take up to 24 to 72 hours globally, with your site reachable throughout. Then check your website, email and form notifications.

Shops and membership sites: maintenance mode

A brochure site barely changes during a migration, so the copy and the live site stay the same. A shop, membership site or community site changes all the time: every order, sign-up and profile update is new data. If those changes land on the old site after the copy is taken, they are left behind.

The usual answer is maintenance mode. While it is on, visitors see a notice and cannot place orders, register, update profiles or publish content, so nothing new lands on the old site after the copy is taken. The host copies the site, you review the copy, then you update DNS, and the old site stays in maintenance mode until the change has spread.

How long the window lasts depends mostly on the size of the site: WP Engine, for example, says smaller sites may transfer in under an hour, while large or busy sites can take several hours. Then allow time for your review and for DNS. Whichever host you move to, these steps keep the window short:

• Schedule the move for your quietest trading hours, and for a time when you can start testing as soon as it completes
• Lower the DNS TTL a day before
• Tell regular customers or members in advance if the site will be unavailable
• Pause email campaigns and promotions that would send people to the site during the window
• Have a test order or test sign-up ready to run on the new copy
• After go-live, check payment gateway notifications and any services that recognise your server's IP address

Also check that the new host keeps basket, account and checkout pages out of its page cache, so shoppers see their own baskets once you are live. Our WooCommerce hosting guide covers running a shop in more detail, and WordPress multisite hosting covers moving a network.

After the move: testing and switching over

Test the new copy before DNS changes, then test again once it is live. A short, repeatable checklist works well:

• Key pages: home page, main service or product pages, blog posts and anything linked from your adverts
• Forms: send a test from every enquiry and quote form and check the notification arrives
• Shop and logins: place a test order, log in as a customer or member, and reset a password
• Media and links: images, downloads and internal links all point to the right domain
• Redirects and SSL: old URLs still redirect, and the padlock shows on every page
• Tracking: analytics, tag manager and search console verification still work
• Scheduled jobs: scheduled posts, plugin tasks, feeds and integrations run as expected
• Speed: test a few pages with the same tool you used before the move

Once the site is live, clear the new host's caches if anything looks out of date, and keep an eye on its monitoring tools for the first few weeks.

Keep the old hosting account running until DNS has fully changed over, email is flowing and you have a final backup of the old site. Cancel the old hosting only once you have confirmed the site loads correctly from the new host, wherever you move.

Next step: choose where to move

If you have not yet chosen a new host, the migration help on offer is a fair tie-breaker, alongside data centre location, backups and support:

• Compare the three hosts side by side on our WordPress hosting comparison page
• Need a UK data centre? Our guide to UK-based WordPress hosting covers the London and UK options each host lists
• Running a shop or a network? See WooCommerce hosting and WordPress multisite hosting
• Want the host to take on more of the work? Our managed WordPress hosting guide explains what managed hosts handle

Each host page on this site covers one host in more depth: Cloudways, Krystal and WP Engine. Plans are bought directly from each host, on its own terms, and each host lists its current migration help on its own site.