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A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11To change a WordPress site’s address, update the siteurl and home rows in the site’s options table, then replace the old address in stored content. The safest complete workflow is to back up the database, inspect the current values, preview a WP-CLI search-and-replace with --dry-run, run it while skipping the guid column, and then verify the front end and administrator login.
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Changing only the two options fixes WordPress’s primary addresses but leaves old domains in post content, metadata, widgets, theme settings and builder data. Conversely, a blind SQL replacement across every table can corrupt PHP-serialized values. The sections below show which method fits each situation and how to recover when the URL change causes redirects or a locked-out dashboard.
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What the WordPress URL settings control
WordPress stores two separate addresses in the options table:
siteurl: the address where the WordPress core installation is located.home: the public address visitors use for the site.
They are normally in a table named wp_options. Your installation may use a different prefix, such as abc_options, because the table name is built from the prefix configured for that site. Do not assume that wp_options exists; confirm the actual prefix before running SQL.
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For a conventional installation, both values might be https://old.example.com. In a less common setup, WordPress core can live at a different path or subdomain from the public site, so siteurl and home should not be changed to identical values unless that is the intended architecture.
These rows govern generated URLs and where WordPress expects its files and front end to be. They do not rewrite every occurrence of the old address elsewhere in the database. Links in posts and pages, attachment metadata, serialized widget settings, theme options, page-builder layouts and plugin records can still point to the old address after the two rows are changed.
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| Method | What it changes | Serialized-data safety | Access required | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
WP-CLI option update plus search-replace |
The two URL options and, when run, matching values throughout registered WordPress tables | WP-CLI accounts for PHP-serialized string lengths | Shell access and WP-CLI | Most migrations and domain changes |
| SQL update on the options table | Only siteurl and home |
Safe for these plain URL rows, but it does not repair serialized content elsewhere | A MySQL client or database panel | Emergency access or a change limited to the primary addresses |
| Raw SQL replacement across tables | Every matching text value selected by the SQL | Risky; byte-length prefixes in serialized values are not recalculated | A MySQL client | Generally avoid |
WP_HOME and WP_SITEURL constants |
Overrides the database values at runtime | Does not rewrite stored content | Access to wp-config.php |
Troubleshooting or temporarily pinning an address |
Use one method deliberately rather than mixing partial changes. If you have WP-CLI, it provides the safest way to update URLs throughout WordPress because it understands serialized data. If you only need to make the site boot after a domain mistake, an options-table update can restore the two controlling values; plan a serialized-data-safe replacement afterward.
Prepare a safe URL change
1. Confirm the destination address
Write down the exact old and new values, including the scheme (http or https), capitalization and any path. A replacement from http://example.com to https://example.com is different from a replacement that also changes a path, such as https://example.com/blog to https://example.com. Do not include a trailing slash unless the stored value actually includes one; an inconsistent search string can miss links or create doubled slashes.
2. Back up before editing
Create and test a restorable database backup before running either SQL or WP-CLI. Keep the backup separate from the server being migrated. A URL replacement can affect thousands of rows, and an incorrect destination, table selection or prefix is easiest to undo by restoring the backup.
3. Record the current values
From the WordPress installation directory, WP-CLI can show the values that WordPress currently reads:
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wp option get siteurl
wp option get homeSave the output with the backup. If these commands report values different from the address you expected, stop and resolve that discrepancy first. It may indicate a different installation, a nonstandard table prefix or constants in wp-config.php.
4. Check for configuration constants
Open wp-config.php and look for definitions of WP_HOME and WP_SITEURL. When present, they override the corresponding database rows. Updating MySQL while those constants still point to the old address can make the change appear ineffective. Note the existing lines so they can be restored or removed intentionally after the migration.
Preferred workflow: WP-CLI with a dry run
Step 1: Preview the content replacement
Run this from the directory containing wp-config.php, substituting your real domains:
wp search-replace 'https://old.example.com' 'https://new.example.com' --skip-columns=guid --dry-runThe preview reports how many replacements would be made without saving them. Review the table and column counts. A result of zero usually means the old value is not present in the tables WP-CLI examined, the command is being run against the wrong installation, or the stored address differs in scheme, path or trailing slash.
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Step 2: Run the replacement
When the preview matches your plan, run the same command without --dry-run:
wp search-replace 'https://old.example.com' 'https://new.example.com' --skip-columns=guidWP-CLI’s replacement logic updates serialized PHP values while preserving their recorded byte lengths. That matters for arrays used by widgets, themes, plugins and page builders; a text-only SQL substitution can leave those lengths wrong and make the values unreadable.
Step 3: Decide whether to use --all-tables
By default, WP-CLI targets tables registered to WordPress through $wpdb. If the old address also exists in custom tables that are not registered there, preview a run with --all-tables and inspect the scope carefully:
wp search-replace 'https://old.example.com' 'https://new.example.com' --skip-columns=guid --all-tables --dry-runOnly run the live --all-tables command when you know those tables belong to this site and the replacement is appropriate for them. A shared database can contain unrelated applications or tables whose URLs should not change.
Step 4: Ensure the two options are correct
If the search-and-replace included the options table, it may already have changed home and siteurl. Check them:
wp option get siteurl
wp option get homeIf they are still wrong, update them explicitly:
wp option update siteurl 'https://new.example.com'
wp option update home 'https://new.example.com'Use different values when your architecture intentionally places WordPress core and the public site at different addresses.
Step 5: Flush caches and test
Flush WordPress and hosting or reverse-proxy caches according to your environment. Test an incognito front-end request, several internal links, an image, the administrator login and a representative post or page. Check that the browser remains on the new scheme and host and that no old-domain requests remain in page source or network activity.
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Changing only siteurl and home with SQL
An options-only change is useful when WP-CLI is unavailable or the immediate goal is to restore access. It does not perform a migration of content URLs.
Identify the correct table prefix
Read the $table_prefix setting in wp-config.php, or inspect the database for the table containing rows named siteurl and home. Replace wp_options below with the actual table name.
Run the targeted update
UPDATE wp_options
SET option_value = 'https://new.example.com'
WHERE option_name IN ('siteurl', 'home');Run the statement only after confirming the selected table belongs to the intended site. Then query the rows to verify the result:
SELECT option_name, option_value
FROM wp_options
WHERE option_name IN ('siteurl', 'home');This statement is deliberately narrow. It does not change URLs in posts, post metadata, comments, user metadata, plugin options or custom tables. Follow it with WP-CLI search-replace when a complete domain migration is required, or update the remaining data with a tool that understands serialization.
Why a broad SQL replacement is dangerous
WordPress stores many options and metadata values as PHP-serialized strings. A serialized string records its byte length, so changing old.example.com to a longer or shorter value without recalculating that length can corrupt the value. Broken serialized data may reset widgets, disable theme settings, damage builder layouts or cause PHP warnings. A SQL REPLACE() over every table cannot reliably repair those lengths; use WP-CLI or another serialization-aware migration utility instead.
Using WP_HOME and WP_SITEURL for troubleshooting
Adding these constants to wp-config.php makes WordPress use the specified addresses regardless of the values in wp_options:
define( 'WP_HOME', 'https://new.example.com' );
define( 'WP_SITEURL', 'https://new.example.com' );They can be useful when a bad database value prevents the dashboard from loading, or when you need to pin the expected address while diagnosing a redirect. They do not rewrite old links in stored content and do not change the database rows. Once the underlying values are corrected, remove or revise the constants if they are no longer part of the intended configuration; leaving conflicting definitions in place makes later database changes appear ineffective.
If the site redirects repeatedly, inspect wp-config.php for constants that disagree with the database and with the requested host or scheme. Check web-server or proxy redirects as well, because a database edit cannot override a redirect issued before WordPress runs.
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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThe RELOCATE constant: temporary recovery only
WordPress migration guidance describes a RELOCATE constant that can change the stored siteurl under specific recovery conditions. It is not a general replacement for a planned search-and-replace. If you use it, remove it immediately after the address is corrected: the migration guidance warns that leaving it defined can be insecure in some configurations. Do not leave recovery constants in production as a substitute for setting the correct database values and updating stored content.
Diagnose common failures after the change
The front end still uses the old address
- Check whether
WP_HOMEorWP_SITEURLinwp-config.phpoverrides the database. - Run
wp option get siteurlandwp option get homefrom the correct installation directory. - Flush page, object, CDN and reverse-proxy caches.
- Confirm that the browser is reaching the intended server and not a second installation.
The site redirects in a loop
- Compare the requested scheme and host with both option values and any configuration constants.
- Look for conflicting HTTP-to-HTTPS or host redirects at the web server, proxy and application layers.
- Temporarily correct the values with a targeted options update or matching constants, then remove conflicting overrides.
The dashboard will not accept the new login URL
- Verify that both the public host and the WordPress core host are correct for the installation.
- Clear browser cookies for the old and new hosts and test a private window.
- Check that the replacement did not alter a path that is required by the server configuration.
- Use the recorded backup and option values to restore the last known-good state if the installation cannot be reached.
Images or internal links still point to the old domain
The options-only SQL statement never addresses these references. Run a serialized-data-safe search-replace across the appropriate WordPress tables, preview first, and include custom tables only after confirming their ownership. Check post content, metadata, widgets, theme settings and builder data separately when a plugin stores URLs in a format or table outside the default set.
Widgets or layouts broke after an SQL migration
Restore the backup if possible. A broad raw SQL replacement may have left serialized byte lengths inconsistent. Repeating the same SQL replacement will not repair those lengths; use a serialization-aware tool on the original data and verify the affected options or metadata after restoration.
Quick Recap
Choose WP-CLI when the change is a migration, because it combines explicit updates to the two controlling options with a serialization-safe replacement across WordPress tables. Choose the narrow SQL update only when you deliberately need to change those two rows and will handle content references separately. Avoid raw SQL find-and-replace across all tables unless you have a tool and a recovery plan that preserve serialized data. Use configuration constants as a temporary override or diagnostic aid, not as a replacement for correcting the stored values. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
siteurl and home return the intended values.WP_HOME, WP_SITEURL or RELOCATE definitions remain in wp-config.php.Which approach should you use?
