How to move your WordPress site to a new host

Updated October 2026

Moving a WordPress site sounds risky, but it's routine. Many hosts will do it for you free, and the rest give you a plugin that handles most of the work.

Let your new host do it

Kinsta and Rocket.net offer unlimited free expert migrations. Cloudways includes one free managed migration, and SiteGround and WP Engine provide free migration plugins.

Doing it yourself

1. Back up your site at your current host, files and database.
2. Sign up with the new host but don't cancel the old one yet.
3. Copy the site with your new host's migration plugin, or a plugin like Duplicator or All-in-One WP Migration.
4. Test on a temporary address. Most hosts give you a preview URL. Click through key pages, forms and checkout.
5. Point your domain to the new host by updating DNS or nameservers. Changes can take a few hours to spread.
6. Install SSL on the new host once the domain points there.
7. Cancel the old host after a week or two, once you're sure everything works.

Move during a quiet period, and pause publishing or orders during the switch so nothing is lost.