Moving a site from a Hostinger Web or Cloud plan to a CyberPanel VPS at Hostinger comes down to five steps in this order: copy the files and the database, create the site on the VPS, import the database and point the application at it, test the copy on the VPS, and only then route the domain to the new server. The old hosting plan keeps serving the site until the new copy works. Email is a separate decision and does not move just because the website does.
Hostinger’s Help Center article with the same title, updated in September 2026, sets out this sequence. The steps below follow it and add the checks it leaves to you: which application runs the site, whether it uses a database, where the domain’s DNS is hosted, and what happens to mailboxes.
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Confirm what you are moving and where it is going
Check four things before you touch either server. Each one changes a step below.
- Source plan: a Hostinger Web or Cloud hosting plan managed in the Hostinger dashboard.
- Destination: a CyberPanel VPS at Hostinger. If the VPS setup is still pending, finish activating it before you start the transfer.
- Application: the CMS or framework, its version, and any plugins, themes, scheduled tasks, or background services it depends on. The migration article cannot identify these from the title, so you need to list them yourself.
- Dashboard-level settings: redirects and anything else you configured in the Hostinger dashboard rather than inside the site itself.
Two more checks decide which branches apply. Find out whether the site uses a database, and whether the domain’s mailboxes run on Hostinger Email or on an outside provider. Also consider how the site was built. Hostinger’s general shared-hosting-to-VPS tutorial, published in September 2026, warns that sites made with a website builder may need different steps. If yours was built that way, confirm the process for that builder before following the sequence below.
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Back up the files and the database
Make a complete copy of the website files and, if the site uses one, a copy of its database. Hostinger’s guide suggests the dashboard backup feature first, with FTP and phpMyAdmin as alternatives.
| Method | Use it for | What the guide states |
|---|---|---|
| Hostinger dashboard backup feature | Backup of the site from the source plan | Suggested first option. The guide does not state what the backup file contains. |
| FTP file download | Complete copy of the website files | Listed as an alternative to the dashboard backup. |
| phpMyAdmin database export | Copy of the site’s database | Listed as an alternative to the dashboard backup for the database. |
Record which database belongs to the site, and write down its name, username, and password. You will need all three on the VPS.
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Build the site on the CyberPanel VPS
- Log in to CyberPanel on the VPS.
- Add your domain as a website in CyberPanel.
- Transfer the files with CyberPanel File Manager or FTP. Check that uploads, theme and plugin folders, and hidden files such as
.htaccessarrived. - If the site uses a database, create a database in CyberPanel and import your export into it. Note the database name, user, password, and host that CyberPanel shows.
- Update the site’s configuration with the new database connection values.
Update the configuration file for your application
Hostinger does not name one configuration file that applies to every CMS, so the file you edit depends on the application. Some common examples: WordPress keeps its database settings in wp-config.php as DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, and DB_HOST; Laravel reads them from a .env file; Joomla stores them in configuration.php.
Change only the database connection values at this stage. Settings that contain the domain name are checked during testing. If the database sits on the same VPS, the host value is often localhost, but confirm it against the database details CyberPanel shows rather than assuming.
Recreate the dashboard-level settings
Redirects are the example Hostinger gives. Settings you made in the Hostinger dashboard are not part of the files or the database, so recreate them inside CyberPanel or in the site’s own configuration. Check these against your inventory:
- Redirects from old URLs to new ones.
- The choice between the www and non-www version of the domain, and any HTTP-to-HTTPS redirect.
- Any other option you changed in the Hostinger dashboard and noted during the inventory.
Test the VPS copy before you change DNS
Hostinger’s guide places DNS last and gives no site-specific checklist, so test the copy on the VPS first. A common way to do this without changing the public record is a hosts-file entry on your own computer that maps the domain to the VPS IP address. For example, 203.0.113.10 example.com www.example.com (the IP is a documentation placeholder; use your VPS address). Add it to /etc/hosts on Linux or macOS, or to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts on Windows. Test in a private browser window, and remove the entry when you finish.
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Confirm the following on the VPS:
- The home page and at least one inner page load with the migrated files.
- Pages that read from the database show content rather than a database connection error.
- Forms, logins, search, and any checkout or member area work from start to finish.
- Redirects behave the way they did on the old site.
- Uploaded images and media load.
- Links and asset URLs point to the domain. If they point to the old hosting address, check the site URL setting inside the application.
- Scheduled tasks and background services the application needs are running on the VPS.
- HTTPS works for the domain. Certificate validation usually requires the domain to resolve to the VPS, so this step may only be completable after the DNS change. Plan for that.
Point the domain to the VPS
Change DNS only after the migrated copy passes the checks above. Hostinger says DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate. Where the domain’s DNS is hosted determines where you make the change.
Domain uses Hostinger nameservers
Open the DNS Zone Editor in the Hostinger dashboard and change the A record for the domain to the VPS IP address, as Hostinger’s broader migration tutorial describes.
Domain uses another DNS host or registrar
Change the A record at the provider that hosts the domain’s DNS. Hostinger’s migration article does not cover that provider’s interface, so follow its documentation.
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If your DNS host lets you, lower the record’s TTL a day before the change. This shortens how long resolvers hold the old address. The 24-hour figure is Hostinger’s estimate, not a schedule. Resolvers pick up the new address at different times, so some visitors may see the old site for a while after you switch.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Cut over and keep the old plan until the VPS is confirmed
Hostinger’s Help Center states:
“If you have any Hostinger dashboard settings, like redirects, you will need to recreate them later inside CyberPanel itself – it’s recommended to wait until you have everything set up and working correctly at your VPS before deleting your domain from the previous hosting plan.”
In practice, leave the Hostinger plan and its files in place after the DNS change. Check the site from a few networks or devices over the following day. If a serious fault appears, changing the A record back restores the old setup, which is why the old plan must still be active. Only after the VPS is confirmed should you remove the domain from the previous plan.
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Move email on its own track
Moving website files and the database does not move mailboxes. Find out where the domain’s mail is hosted, then follow one branch.
Mailboxes on Hostinger Email
- Set up the mail server on the VPS.
- Copy existing messages with IMAP SYNC (imapsync), using the old account’s credentials and
imap.hostinger.comas the source server.
Mailboxes with an external provider
Mail stays with that provider, such as Titan or Google Workspace. Leave the MX records pointing to it, and keep the SPF and DKIM records that provider requires. When you edit the zone for the website, do not delete or change these records.
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Troubleshooting after cutover
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| The old site still appears on the domain | Resolvers are still holding the old A record | Confirm the A record value at the DNS host, then wait. Hostinger’s estimate is up to 24 hours. |
| Database connection error on the VPS | The configuration file still uses old database values | Compare the name, user, password, and host in the config file with the values CyberPanel shows. |
| Pages load, but links or images point to the old address | The application stores the domain in its own settings | Check the site URL setting inside the application and update it to the new domain. |
| Old URLs return errors | Redirects were not recreated | Recreate them in CyberPanel, as Hostinger’s article directs. |
| Mail stops or bounces after a DNS edit | An MX, SPF, or DKIM record was changed or removed | Restore the records your mail provider requires. |
What the available guidance does not establish
- Hostinger’s migration article gives a sequence and the redirect caveat. It does not provide a site-specific validation list, and it does not identify the CMS, plugins, or services your site needs.
- The 24-hour figure is an estimate for DNS propagation, not a guarantee.
- Hostinger’s shared-hosting-to-VPS tutorial uses Virtualmin in its worked command-line example. Those commands and file paths belong to Virtualmin and should not be used on CyberPanel.
- Neither Hostinger source reports performance results or guarantees a seamless cutover, so budget time for manual fixes after the switch.
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