How to Migrate a WordPress Site to a New Host (2026)

By David Mau · Updated 10 June 2026

There are three ways to migrate a WordPress site to a new host: let the new host move it for free, use a migration plugin like Duplicator, or copy the files and database across manually. Done properly, your visitors never see an outage, because your domain's DNS only points at the new server after the copied site has been tested and verified.

Which migration method should you choose?

All three methods end in the same place: a working copy of your site on the new server, then a DNS change to send traffic to it. The difference is who does the work and what can go wrong.

If you have not chosen a destination yet, start with our guide to the best WordPress hosting in Australia. The migration method matters far less than where you are migrating to.

Method 1: Let your new host migrate your site for free

This is our recommendation for most people. Good hosts want your business enough to do the heavy lifting themselves, and their migration teams move sites every day. They have seen every broken plugin, oversized database and weird server config you could throw at them.

Here is how free host migration works in practice:

1. Sign up for the new hosting plan but do not cancel your old host yet.
2. Request the migration through the new host's support or dashboard. You will typically supply your old hosting control panel login or cPanel credentials.
3. The host copies your site - files, database, the lot - onto their server while your live site keeps running untouched at the old host.
4. You preview and approve the copy via a temporary URL or hosts-file edit.
5. DNS switches and traffic flows to the new server. Your old site stays live as a safety net until propagation completes.

Several Australian-relevant hosts include this at no charge:

There is a structural bonus for Australian site owners moving from an overseas server to one of these Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane facilities: a Sydney origin sits under 20ms network round trip for most Australian visitors, while a US server adds roughly 200-300ms to every request. Our controlled Australian speed benchmark is in progress - measured figures are published as each test completes. See our hosting test methodology for how we measure.

The only real downsides of free host migration are queue time (it can take a day or two for the team to schedule your move) and the fact that you are handing over credentials. Change your old hosting password after the migration completes.

Method 2: How do you migrate WordPress with a plugin?

Plugins automate the export-and-import process so you never touch phpMyAdmin. The two most established options are Duplicator and All-in-One WP Migration, and both follow the same broad pattern.

Migrating with Duplicator

1. Install Duplicator on your current site and build a package. You get two files: an archive (your entire site, zipped) and an installer.php script.
2. Download both files to your computer.
3. Upload them to your new host - into the web root (usually public_html) via the file manager or SFTP. You do not need to install WordPress first; the installer rebuilds everything.
4. Create an empty database at the new host and note the database name, username and password.
5. Run the installer by visiting the installer.php URL on the new server (using a temporary URL or hosts-file edit so you are hitting the new host, not the old one).
6. Follow the wizard - enter the database details, let it extract and rewrite the configuration, then log in and delete the installer files.

Migrating with All-in-One WP Migration

1. Export your site from the old host as a single .wpress file.
2. Install a clean WordPress at the new host (most hosts offer one-click WordPress installs).
3. Install All-in-One WP Migration on the new site and import the .wpress file. The import overwrites the fresh install with your real site, including users and passwords.
4. Re-save permalinks when prompted, then test.

SiteGround customers get a third option: the SiteGround Migrator plugin generates a transfer token in the SiteGround dashboard, you paste it into the plugin on your old site, and it pushes the whole site across automatically. It only works for moves to SiteGround, but it sidesteps upload limits entirely.

Method 3: How do you migrate WordPress manually?

Manual migration suits large sites, multisite installs and anything a plugin chokes on - but you need to be comfortable with cPanel, SFTP and a database. A WordPress site is just two things: files and a database. Move both, reconnect them, done.

Step 1: Copy the files

Connect to your old host via SFTP or the control panel file manager and download everything in your web root (usually public_html). The folder that matters most is wp-content - your themes, plugins and uploads - but take the lot, including wp-config.php and any .htaccess file. On cPanel hosts, compress the directory to a single zip first; it downloads far faster than thousands of small files over FTP.

Step 2: Export the database

Open phpMyAdmin at the old host, select your WordPress database (the name is in wp-config.php under DB_NAME), choose Export, and download it in SQL format. For big databases, use the Custom export method and enable compression.

Step 3: Import at the new host

1. Create a new database and database user at the new host, and grant the user full privileges on the database.
2. Import your SQL file via the new host's phpMyAdmin.
3. Upload your files into the new web root and extract.

Step 4: Update wp-config.php

Edit wp-config.php on the new server and update four values to match the new database: DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD and DB_HOST (usually localhost, but some hosts use a separate database hostname - check their documentation).

Step 5: Search-replace URLs (only if the domain changes)

If you are keeping the same domain, skip this step - nothing in the database needs to change. If the domain is changing, do not run a raw find-and-replace on the SQL file: WordPress stores some settings as serialised PHP arrays, and a text replace corrupts them. Use WP-CLI instead:

wp search-replace 'https://olddomain.com.au' 'https://newdomain.com.au' --all-tables

WP-CLI handles serialised data correctly. If you do not have shell access, the Better Search Replace plugin does the same job from the WordPress dashboard.

Step 6: Check file permissions

If pages load but uploads or plugin updates fail, permissions are the usual culprit. The standard is 755 for directories and 644 for files, with wp-config.php often tightened further. Most cPanel extractions set these correctly; manual SFTP uploads sometimes do not.

The DNS cutover: how to switch hosts with zero downtime

This is the part that decides whether your migration is invisible or a mess. The golden rule: do not touch DNS until you have verified the copied site works on the new server.

Test before you switch

You have two ways to preview the new copy while the world still sees the old site:

• Hosts-file edit. Add a line to your computer's hosts file (/etc/hosts on Mac/Linux, C:WindowsSystem32driversetchosts on Windows) mapping your domain to the new server's IP address. Your browser then loads the new copy at your real domain while everyone else still sees the old host. Click through pages, log in to wp-admin, test forms, then remove the line.
• Staging or temporary URL. Most hosts provide a temporary preview URL for exactly this purpose. It is easier but less faithful, because the site is rendering under a different hostname.

Lower the TTL ahead of time

A day or two before the cutover, log in to wherever your DNS is managed and drop the TTL (time to live) on your domain's A record to 300 seconds. TTL controls how long resolvers cache the old answer - a low TTL means the world picks up your change in minutes rather than hours.

Make the switch

Update the A record to the new server's IP address. If the new host requires its own nameservers instead, switch nameservers at your registrar - just note that nameserver changes move all your DNS records, including mail, so copy every existing record across first. Propagation can take up to 48 hours in theory, but with a lowered TTL most visitors land on the new server within the hour.

Post-migration checklist

Once traffic is hitting the new server, work through this list before you relax:

• Permalinks. Go to Settings then Permalinks in wp-admin and click Save (no changes needed). This rebuilds rewrite rules and fixes most 404 errors after a move.
• SSL certificate. Your old certificate did not move with you. Issue a new one at the new host - nearly all decent hosts provide free Let's Encrypt certificates - and confirm the padlock shows on every page, not just the homepage.
• Email. If your email is hosted with your old web host, it does not come along automatically, and a nameserver change can silently break mail delivery. Plan email migration as a separate job, and consider moving mail off your web host entirely - our best email hosting in Australia guide explains why splitting email from web hosting is the right long-term call.
• Forms. Submit a test through every contact form and confirm the notification email actually arrives. Mail sending is the single most common thing to break after a host change.
• WooCommerce checkout. If you run a store, place a real test order end to end, including payment, and confirm your payment gateway's webhooks point at the live domain. It is also a good moment to confirm your host is up to the job - see our best WooCommerce hosting guide.
• Cron and scheduled tasks. Check that scheduled posts, backups and plugin tasks are firing on the new server.
• Google: do nothing. You do not need to resubmit your site, update Search Console or touch your sitemap. If your URLs have not changed, Google neither knows nor cares which server answers them. There is no SEO penalty for changing hosts - this is the most common migration anxiety and it is unfounded. The only SEO risk is extended downtime, which is exactly what this process avoids.

If the migration has you rethinking your whole setup, our best web hosting in Australia pillar compares the full market.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does migrating WordPress hosting affect SEO?

No - if your URLs stay the same, changing hosts has no effect on your rankings. Google indexes URLs, not servers, and does not need to be notified of a host change. The only SEO risk is prolonged downtime during a botched cutover, which proper DNS sequencing avoids entirely. If your domain changes at the same time, that is a separate project requiring 301 redirects.

How long does a WordPress migration take?

The copy itself usually takes minutes to a few hours depending on site size. A free host migration is typically completed within one to two business days of your request. DNS propagation adds up to 48 hours in theory, though with a lowered TTL most visitors reach the new server within the hour. Plan the whole project across a week to leave room for testing.

Can I migrate WordPress myself for free?

Yes. Duplicator and All-in-One WP Migration both have free versions that handle most small to medium sites, and the fully manual method (SFTP plus phpMyAdmin) costs nothing but time. The catch is upload size limits on budget hosting and the risk of corrupting serialised data if you change domains carelessly. For most owners, a host's free migration service is still the better deal: also free, but with experts doing it.

Will my website go down during migration?

Not if you sequence it correctly. Your live site keeps running on the old host while a copy is built and tested on the new one. Only after you have verified the copy do you switch DNS, and during propagation both servers serve identical content, so every visitor sees a working site. Downtime only happens when people cancel the old host or switch DNS before the new copy is confirmed working.

Do web hosts migrate your site for free in Australia?

Yes, most reputable ones do. VentraIP and Conetix both offer free migrations performed by Australian-based teams, and SiteGround offers free WordPress migration plus its own SiteGround Migrator plugin. Managed WordPress hosts Kinsta and WP Engine include migrations on their plans. If a host charges to bring your site over, treat it as a red flag - plenty of equally good hosts will not.

Do I need to transfer my domain when I switch hosting?

No. Your domain registration and your hosting are separate services, and most people should leave the domain where it is and simply update its DNS records to point at the new host. Transferring to a different registrar is optional and can be done at any time, before or after the hosting move. The two changes are independent of each other.

What happens to my email when I change web hosts?

If your mailboxes live with your old web host, they will not move automatically, and switching nameservers without recreating your mail DNS records can stop email arriving. Before the cutover, copy your MX and related records to the new DNS, and plan a separate mailbox migration. Better still, host email independently of your website so the next hosting move never touches it.

Last updated: June 2026.