The Tool Desk
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A media export or WordPress content export is not a like-for-like migration. It omits server configuration, plugins, themes, uploads in their original paths, and database records needed for settings, users, orders, and custom post types. The procedure below covers a standard single-site move and identifies the points that need specialist help on multisite, high-write, or heavily customized installations.
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What a complete Kinsta migration contains
A WordPress site is a coordinated set of files, database tables, domains, and services. Copying only one part produces a site that may load but is not equivalent to the original.
| Component | What it carries | How to move it |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress files | Core files, wp-content, plugins, themes, uploads, custom code, configuration files, and any server-specific files you intentionally use |
Download the full tree over SFTP and upload it to the destination |
| SQL database | Posts, pages, users, settings, menus, plugin data, orders, comments, and custom post types | Export an SQL dump, create a destination database, and import the dump |
| Web and service configuration | SSL, redirects, cron tasks, caching, CDN behavior, transactional mail, webhooks, and DNS records | Recreate and test each item at the new host; these settings do not automatically travel with a file copy |
Kinsta describes its downloadable backup as a snapshot of site files and database content. Retain that archive, keep a separate SQL export, and store at least one copy outside your Kinsta account so a failed import does not remove your only recovery path.
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Plan the move and freeze changes
Build an inventory
Before downloading anything, record every public and private dependency. Include the primary domain, www variant, subdomains, parked domains, redirects, canonical URL rules, multisite mappings, scheduled jobs, cache and CDN settings, SSL certificates, email routing, forms, payment or membership callbacks, analytics, search-engine files, and any custom Nginx or reverse-proxy rules. Note the PHP and database versions currently in use, disk consumption, upload size limits, and the location of any secrets supplied as environment variables rather than files.
- List all plugins and themes, including premium or custom packages that are not available from the normal WordPress installer.
- Identify uploads and other directories that are excluded by a security rule or backup policy; they still need a deliberate migration decision.
- Document cron frequency and command, queue workers, image-processing jobs, and external webhooks.
- Record which DNS records handle the website, email, verification tokens, storage, and other services.
Choose a low-risk window
Schedule the copy during a low-traffic period and allow time for validation before changing DNS. For an ecommerce, membership, booking, or community site, enable maintenance mode or otherwise stop writes while the final copy is made. New orders, registrations, comments, and profile edits created after the source snapshot will not exist in the destination. Kinsta’s migration documentation states: “Do not make changes to your site once the migration starts. Any updates made after that point won’t carry over to Kinsta.” Treat that as a freeze on the source, not merely a suggestion.
Decide how to handle visitors during the freeze
A brochure site can usually display a short maintenance notice. A transactional site should also pause background workers and integrations that write to WordPress. Tell staff not to edit pages, upload media, change settings, or run plugin updates until the new site is declared live. Keep a written list of any unavoidable transactions so they can be replayed manually after cutover.
Create portable backups from Kinsta
Use Kinsta’s backup controls to create and download the most recent complete archive, then make an independent SQL export as an additional recovery artifact. Preserve the original archive without modifying it; make working copies for extraction and testing. Store at least one copy outside the Kinsta account, with access restricted because database exports contain credentials, email addresses, and other personal data.
- Confirm the latest backup completed successfully and note its timestamp.
- Download the complete backup archive from the Kinsta dashboard.
- Export the database as SQL through phpMyAdmin or an equivalent database tool, if you have access to one.
- Open the archive in a separate workspace and verify that the expected
wp-contentdirectories and an SQL file are present. - Record checksums or file sizes so an interrupted download is not mistaken for a valid backup.
Do not delete the Kinsta site or its backups after downloading. They are the fastest rollback option if the destination has an incomplete upload, corrupted database, or incompatible server setting.
Prepare the destination server
Create an empty WordPress-capable environment before importing anything. The destination should have enough storage for the uncompressed files, the database, temporary import files, and future backups. Confirm the PHP and database versions support your current WordPress core and plugins; changing versions during a migration can create a second problem that is difficult to separate from the move itself.
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- SFTP or SSH access with a user who can read and write the web root.
- A database and database user with the privileges required by WordPress.
- SSL certificate support and a way to renew certificates automatically.
- Working cron behavior, including the ability to run real server cron if your site depends on it.
- Configurable upload limits, memory limits, execution time, and request-size limits appropriate to your plugins.
- Staging, preview, or temporary-hostname access for private testing.
- Support for multisite, Bedrock, Trellis, custom Nginx, reverse proxies, or queue workers if your installation uses them.
- A documented backup and restore process independent of the migration itself.
Ask the new host how it handles caching, object storage, outbound mail, IP allowlists, and webhooks. A site can appear healthy in a browser while scheduled jobs, payment callbacks, or email delivery silently fail.
Transfer the WordPress files and database
Copy the file tree over SFTP
- Connect to Kinsta’s SFTP endpoint with the credentials shown for the site.
- Download the complete WordPress tree, not only
wp-content. Include custom files, hidden files that your deployment uses, and any root-level configuration required by the destination. - Compare the downloaded size and directory structure with the backup archive. Pay special attention to
wp-content/uploads, plugin directories, custom themes, and language files. - Connect to the new host and upload the files into its document root. Preserve paths and filename case; case changes can break links on a case-sensitive filesystem.
- Set ownership and permissions according to the destination host’s documented WordPress requirements. Avoid making the entire tree world-writable.
Large media libraries can take longer than the database. If the host supports resumable transfers, use them and verify that the final file count and size match the source before testing.
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- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
Export and import the SQL database
- Export the source database as SQL with phpMyAdmin or an equivalent tool. Include all WordPress tables, including tables added by plugins and custom applications.
- Create an empty database and user on the destination. Record the database name, username, password, host, and port exactly as supplied by the new host.
- Import the SQL file into the empty destination database. For a large dump, use the host’s command-line import method or request an import limit increase rather than truncating the export.
- Check that the expected table prefix is preserved. A nonstandard prefix is valid, but it must match the setting used by WordPress.
- Confirm row counts or table names for high-value data such as users, orders, subscriptions, and form entries before opening the site to visitors.
Connect WordPress to the new database
Update wp-config.php with the destination database name, user, password, host, port, and table prefix, or set the equivalent environment variables if the destination uses them. Do not paste production credentials into a public document or commit them to a repository. If the host supplies a managed WordPress configuration, use its documented variables instead of adding a second, conflicting configuration file.
Load the temporary destination URL and watch the PHP and web-server logs while WordPress starts. A database connection error usually means a credential, host, port, privilege, or socket mismatch; a blank page or fatal error usually indicates an incompatible PHP version, missing extension, or plugin that did not copy correctly.
Recreate domains, URLs, SSL, and supporting services
Attach the domain and issue SSL
Add the production domain and its required aliases at the new host, then issue or install an SSL certificate before cutover. Test HTTPS on the temporary hostname if the certificate supports it, and test the production hostname privately before public DNS changes where possible. Check that HTTP redirects to HTTPS exactly once and that both the apex and www host follow your intended canonical rule.
Handle WordPress URL settings
If the domain remains the same, avoid changing the WordPress Address and Site Address unnecessarily. If the domain changes, update both values only after the destination is ready and use a careful, serialized-data-aware search-and-replace method for URLs embedded in the database. Do not perform a blind text replacement on a serialized WordPress database; it can corrupt option lengths and break plugins.
Rebuild services that are outside the file copy
- Recreate redirects and custom rewrite rules.
- Configure server cron and confirm that scheduled events run at the expected interval.
- Reconnect transactional email and verify SPF, DKIM, sender addresses, and bounce handling.
- Update payment, identity, analytics, form, and webhook callbacks to the destination URL or IP where required.
- Recreate CDN origins, cache rules, image processing, and purge behavior.
- Check
robots.txt, XML sitemaps, canonical tags, and noindex settings before launch.
Test the new server privately before DNS cutover
Do not use the public DNS change as your first test. Kinsta documents Site Preview and also describes hosts-file testing, both of which let you inspect the destination while the old site remains public.
Use a preview or staging URL
Open the host’s preview URL and test the front end, login, dashboard, and administrative actions. Some plugins generate absolute URLs or refuse to operate on a temporary hostname; note those exceptions and test the same behavior through a hosts-file override before launch.
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Map the production hostname to the destination server’s IP address in your local hosts file, then browse the site from that machine. This changes resolution only for your computer, so visitors continue to reach Kinsta. Remove the entry after testing and flush the local DNS cache. Test from more than one network or device because a hosts-file override can hide certificate, DNS, or caching problems that other visitors will experience.
Run a functional test plan
- Open representative posts, pages, archives, search results, categories, and 404 pages.
- Log in as an administrator and a normal user; edit content, upload media, and save settings.
- Check permalinks, pagination, feeds, language files, image sizes, captions, and downloads.
- Submit every important form and verify delivery, autoresponders, spam protection, and storage.
- Exercise checkout, subscriptions, bookings, comments, registrations, or membership renewals without creating unwanted live charges.
- Confirm webhooks, API callbacks, analytics events, conversion tracking, and consent tools.
- Review responsive layouts, browser console errors, mixed-content warnings, PHP notices, and web-server error logs.
- Check scheduled tasks, queue processing, backups, cache purge, and object or file storage.
- Verify
robots.txt, XML sitemaps, canonical URLs, redirects, and staging noindex controls.
Record each result and the exact fix for any failure. Do not declare the migration complete because the home page loads; critical failures often occur only in admin, checkout, cron, or third-party callbacks.
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- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
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Change DNS without breaking email
When testing passes, lower the DNS TTL ahead of the cutover window if your DNS provider permits it. Change only the record that directs web traffic: normally the relevant A record or CNAME. Do not replace the entire DNS zone or change nameservers merely to point the website at a new host.
| DNS action | Use when | Risk to other services |
|---|---|---|
| Change an A record | The hostname should resolve directly to the destination IPv4 address | Usually limited to that hostname; verify any separate IPv6 record |
| Change a CNAME | The hostname should follow the destination host’s canonical hostname | Check restrictions on the apex domain and preserve verification records |
| Change nameservers | Only when you are deliberately moving DNS management and have recreated the entire zone | Can interrupt email, verification, storage, APIs, and other subdomains if records are missing |
Preserve MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, verification, and service records when email shares the domain. Kinsta’s documentation places DNS, CDN, and email setup responsibility with the customer after migration, so make a record-by-record inventory before touching the zone.
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Monitor the cutover and keep a rollback path
After changing DNS, verify the site from multiple networks, mobile data, and an external uptime monitor. Confirm HTTPS, redirects, forms, orders, login, cache behavior, analytics, scheduled jobs, outbound email, and webhook deliveries. Compare error logs and traffic patterns with the source rather than relying on a single successful browser test.
Leave the Kinsta environment intact until DNS caches have expired and the new server has remained stable through a normal traffic cycle. Keep the downloaded archive and SQL dump as well. If a critical fault appears, restore the web record to the Kinsta destination, stop writes on the new site, identify and preserve any legitimate transactions, and correct the destination before attempting the cutover again. This rollback plan is a practical safeguard derived from retaining the documented backup and testing workflow.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Special cases that need additional planning
WordPress multisite
Migrate the network as one unit, including the database tables, uploads, domain mappings, network settings, and rewrite rules. Moving a single site out of a multisite database is a separate extraction project, not a routine host migration.
Bedrock, Trellis, custom Nginx, or reverse proxies
These installations may keep configuration outside the conventional web root and may depend on deployment scripts, environment variables, or proxy headers. Reproduce the deployment and server layers deliberately; copying files alone is insufficient.
High-write or regulated sites
Sites receiving continuous orders, messages, registrations, or financial records need a controlled write freeze or a database replication strategy. A simple one-time SQL export cannot capture changes made while the source remains active.
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- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
Queue-heavy and media-processing sites
Pause workers during the final copy, migrate pending jobs according to the application’s instructions, and verify that scheduled processing resumes only after the destination is authoritative. Large media libraries may require staged transfer and a final delta copy.
How to evaluate the destination host
Price alone does not determine migration risk. Compare the capabilities that affect recovery and day-to-day operation.
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| Capability | Questions to ask |
|---|---|
| Migration assistance | Is hands-on migration available, what is included, and can the provider handle multisite or custom stacks? |
| Preview and staging | Can you test the destination privately with the real domain and SSL before DNS changes? |
| Backup export and restore | Can backups be downloaded, restored independently, and retained outside the account? |
| Server access | Are SFTP, SSH, database tools, logs, and cron available at the level your site requires? |
| SSL and DNS control | Are certificates automated, and can you manage A, CNAME, MX, and authentication records without surrendering the whole zone? |
| CDN and caching | Can caches be purged and bypassed while troubleshooting, and are origin settings documented? |
| Application support | Are your PHP extensions, database version, multisite mode, queues, and scheduled tasks supported? |
| Rollback | How quickly can you restore a backup or point DNS back while preserving logs and evidence? |
Kinsta says its expert migration team is generally recommended for migrations, and its 2026 expedited option is listed at $49 per site with an eight-hour target during the stated weekday UTC window. Those figures describe that service and objective, not a guarantee for every migration or a substitute for testing your own site.
Troubleshoot common migration failures
“Error establishing a database connection”
Recheck the destination database name, username, password, host, port, socket setting, table prefix, and user privileges. Confirm that the database server accepts connections from the web server and that the import completed rather than stopping at a size or timeout limit.
Pages show 404 errors but the home page works
Save the WordPress permalink settings once to regenerate rewrite rules, then inspect the destination’s rewrite configuration. Check that the web root points to the directory containing index.php and that custom redirects were copied.
Images or downloads are missing
Compare the source and destination uploads directories, including year and month subdirectories, filename case, and file permissions. Check whether a CDN or object-storage URL was embedded in the database and whether the destination can reach that storage.
Mixed-content warnings appear
Find HTTP asset URLs in theme settings, plugin settings, database content, and custom CSS or JavaScript. Issue the SSL certificate first, then update affected URLs with a serialized-data-safe method and clear every page, object, and CDN cache.
Forms, email, or webhooks fail
Inspect outbound-mail credentials, DNS authentication records, firewall rules, callback allowlists, and the destination’s PHP mail or SMTP behavior. Send a real test submission and verify receipt, logging, retries, and the external service’s delivery record.
Scheduled tasks do not run
Check server cron, the WordPress cron setting, time zone, executable path, permissions, and whether the old host was triggering jobs externally. Run one task manually, inspect logs, and prevent duplicate workers from operating on both hosts during propagation.
Quick Recap
Final launch checklist
- Complete file tree and SQL database are present on the destination.
- Independent backup archive and SQL export are stored outside Kinsta.
- Source writes were frozen for the final copy, with any unavoidable transactions recorded.
- Database credentials, PHP settings, permissions, SSL, redirects, and cron are verified.
- Preview or hosts-file tests passed for content, administration, forms, commerce, email, webhooks, analytics, and SEO files.
- Only the required A or CNAME record was changed; MX and authentication records remain intact.
- Both environments remain available during DNS propagation.
- Logs, uptime, traffic, cache behavior, and business-critical workflows are monitored before Kinsta is retired.
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