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World desk10 min

WordPress Migration Checklist: What to Do Before and After Moving

Move WordPress without losing data: back up files and database, test a private destination, replace URLs safely, verify every integration, and keep rollback available after DNS changes.
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A safe WordPress migration is a controlled change, not a file copy. Back up the complete site, rehearse the new installation privately, account for every URL and integration that can change, and keep the old site available until the new one passes live smoke tests. The checklist below covers a move between servers, hosts, domains, protocols, and directory paths without losing content or creating avoidable search, email, or checkout failures.

Choose the migration path before touching production

The work differs according to what is changing. Write down the current domain, protocol, directory path, upload location, and hosting environment, then select the applicable row.

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Move type What usually changes Extra work to plan
Same domain and path, new server Files, database, PHP/runtime, web server and DNS destination Environment compatibility, cache, SSL, cron, email and integration testing
New domain or protocol Public URLs in content, settings, metadata and third-party callbacks Serialized-data-safe replacement, redirects, canonical URLs, certificates and search-console updates
New subdirectory or upload path Path portions of links and media references Path replacement, rewrite rules, media and download verification
Single site to Multisite or between networks Network and per-site options, table structure and domain mapping Review wp_blogs, wp_site, each site’s home and siteurl, and fileupload_url; test every site separately

A brochure site with no logged-in users can tolerate a short content freeze. A store, membership site, forum or publishing operation needs a longer, explicit freeze or a documented delta window because orders, registrations, comments and scheduled content can arrive while files are being copied.

Build an inventory and a cutover plan

Before exporting anything, create a migration sheet that another administrator could use to reconstruct the site. Record:

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  • Primary domain, aliases, HTTP/HTTPS variants, subdirectory and permalink structure.
  • DNS provider, current records, TTL values and any CDN, firewall or proxy in front of the origin.
  • Database name, database user, host, table prefix and character-set settings.
  • PHP version, database engine/version, web server, enabled extensions and server-level rewrite rules.
  • Active theme, must-use plugins, normal plugins, licenses, custom code and scheduled cron jobs.
  • Transactional email sender, SMTP or API credentials, DNS authentication records and bounce handling.
  • Analytics, Search Console, consent management, advertising pixels, payment gateways, APIs, webhooks and external storage.
  • Important URL examples: homepage, posts, pages, categories, tags, author archives, feeds, XML sitemaps, media attachments, downloads, login and checkout.

Decide the cutover window, the person who can change DNS, the person who will run post-cutover checks and the exact rollback trigger. Lower TTL ahead of a planned switch only if your DNS provider honors the change; record the old values so they can be restored.

Freeze content or define the delta

Tell editors when to stop publishing, uploading media, changing menus and modifying settings. If a complete freeze is impossible, record the start time and identify every change made afterward. A final database export or a documented delta must be captured immediately before DNS changes; otherwise new orders, comments or user accounts can remain only on the old server.

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Make a restorable backup

The WordPress.org Advanced Administration Handbook advises beginning with a backup of the WordPress directory, images, plugins and other files, as well as the database. Do both parts; either one alone is incomplete.

Copy the complete file tree

  • Include wp-content/uploads, themes, plugins, languages, custom directories and any files outside the standard layout used by your site.
  • Include wp-config.php, rewrite files such as .htaccess, web-server configuration snippets and hidden files where applicable.
  • Preserve permissions, symbolic links and timestamps when your transfer method supports them.

Export and protect the database

Export every WordPress table, including custom plugin tables and (for Multisite) network tables. Store the SQL dump and file archive in a location separate from the live server. Open the archive, inspect the dump header and perform a test restore into an isolated database or staging instance. There is no universal retention period or recovery-time target published for all WordPress sites, so set a retention policy appropriate to your traffic, legal and business needs.

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Label the backup with its creation time, source hostname and database name. Keep credentials out of publicly accessible archives. If temporary migration access is shared, plan to rotate it after the move.

Prepare a destination that can be tested privately

Provision enough storage for the current files, database growth, backups and temporary import space. Match or deliberately upgrade the PHP version, database version and required extensions; test the upgrade rather than discovering incompatibilities after DNS changes. Create the destination database and user, install the certificate, configure rewrite support and verify that the web server can run WordPress.

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Use a staging hostname, host-file override or hosting preview URL. Protect that address with authentication or an IP restriction and send a noindex signal while it is non-public. Do not let a preview clone become the canonical site in search results. Keep a private note of the destination credentials and the exact path where files were restored.

Transfer and configure the new installation

  1. Put the destination in maintenance or controlled preview mode. Block indexing and prevent public sign-ups or payments while the copy is being verified.
  2. Copy the files. Transfer the complete WordPress directory and confirm that uploads, plugin files, themes and hidden configuration files arrived without truncation.
  3. Import the database. Create the destination database with the required character set and import the tested dump. Check table counts and size against the source.
  4. Update configuration. Edit wp-config.php with the destination database name, user, password, host and table prefix. Keep salts and other site-specific settings unless you have a deliberate security reason to regenerate them.
  5. Set temporary URL values only when needed. If the hostname or path differs, update the database’s home and siteurl values for the preview address or use a host-file mapping that lets the site answer on its eventual hostname.
  6. Regenerate rewrites. In the WordPress dashboard, visit Settings > Permalinks and click Save Changes without changing the structure. This refreshes rewrite rules.
  7. Clear every relevant cache. Purge page, object, opcode, CDN and browser caches so you are testing the restored files and database rather than an old response.

Update URLs without corrupting serialized data

A domain, protocol, subdirectory or upload-path change can leave old addresses in options, post content, widgets, menus, plugin settings and serialized PHP values. A blind SQL text replacement can change string lengths without updating the serialized length markers, breaking settings or widgets. Use a tool that understands PHP serialization.

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WP-CLI documents this pattern:

wp search-replace 'oldurl.com' 'newurl.com' --skip-columns=guid

The command searches database rows and intelligently handles PHP serialized data. Run it against the intended database and tables, review the available dry-run/reporting options in your installed WP-CLI version, and take a fresh backup first. The guid column is normally skipped because post GUIDs are identifiers, not a mechanism for rewriting links; follow your site’s migration policy and review any exceptional feed requirements.

After replacement, search for the old domain, protocol and path in the database and in rendered page source. Check navigation menus, widgets, custom fields, theme options, CSS, JavaScript, download links, image sources, canonical tags and plugin callback URLs. Multisite migrations require network-table and per-site review rather than assuming one global replacement is sufficient.

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Run launch QA before changing DNS

Test the destination through the private preview while it still has a rollback-free, isolated hostname. Compare important pages with the old site, not just the homepage.

Content and navigation

  • Open the homepage, representative posts and pages, category and tag archives, author archives, search results, feeds and XML sitemaps.
  • Open image, PDF, video and other attachment URLs. Check full-size images, responsive variants, captions and downloadable files.
  • Use the primary menu, footer links, breadcrumbs, pagination, internal search and any language switcher.
  • Check that dates, authors, comments, custom post types, taxonomies and embedded media match the source.

Accounts, forms and transactions

  • Log in, log out, reset a password and test the relevant user roles.
  • Submit every important contact, newsletter, booking or support form and verify both the success response and message delivery.
  • For memberships or commerce, test registration, account pages, cart, checkout, payment return, refunds or cancellations, coupons and order emails in the provider’s safe test mode where available.
  • Trigger webhooks, API requests and scheduled jobs. Confirm that cron is running on the destination and that duplicate jobs will not fire from both servers.

Performance, security and search signals

  • Confirm the certificate covers the hostname, HTTP redirects to HTTPS as intended, and no mixed-content warnings appear.
  • Inspect robots.txt, canonical URLs, XML sitemap URLs, meta descriptions, structured data and staging noindex protection.
  • Crawl for 404 responses, redirect chains, loops, links to the old or preview domain and missing assets.
  • Review PHP, database, web-server and application logs while exercising the site. Check security headers, firewall rules, cache behavior and upload limits.
  • Verify analytics, consent signals and conversion events using a controlled test so the move does not silently stop measurement.

Preflight and HTTP verification checks described in migration-tool documentation are useful even for a manual move: request important URLs, inspect status codes and verify expected content before permitting public traffic.

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Cut over DNS safely

  1. Take the final backup or database delta. Do this after the content freeze and immediately before the DNS change.
  2. Confirm the destination passes QA. Do not use DNS as a test; DNS switching is the launch step, not the validation step.
  3. Change only the required records. Preserve mail, verification, TXT, DKIM, SPF, subdomain and service records unless the migration plan explicitly changes them.
  4. Keep the old site intact. Do not deploy unrelated changes there. It is your rollback source while caches and resolvers update.
  5. Verify from more than one network. Check a mobile connection and at least one independent resolver or network, then run the smoke tests again on the real hostname.

DNS propagation does not have one guaranteed duration. Resolver cache ages, TTLs, provider behavior and local caching differ, so judge completion by observed resolution and successful requests from multiple networks rather than by a universal hour estimate.

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After the hostname resolves: monitor and harden

Repeat the highest-value tests on the live hostname: homepage, a representative content URL, login, a form, a media asset, a redirect and—if applicable—a checkout or membership action. Watch uptime, server errors, PHP and database errors, crawl reports, form submissions, email delivery, traffic and conversion paths. Fix redirect and missing-asset failures before cosmetic issues.

Once stability is demonstrated, remove preview credentials, delete temporary staging users, remove indexing exceptions and rotate any password, API key or database credential exposed during the transfer. Confirm that backups now run on the destination, DNS records and TTLs are documented, and the rollback decision, final server details and restore procedure are written down.

Manual migration, assisted tools and managed staging

Choose the method that matches your operational skill and the site’s risk.

Approach Strengths Trade-offs Best fit
Manual files and database transfer Maximum control over versions, tables, paths and timing Requires command-line, DNS, database and rollback skills; you must design every check Experienced administrators and unusual environments
WordPress migration plugin or service May provide preflight checks, URL replacement, verification and guided transfer Behavior varies by tool; large databases, special tables and custom server rules still need review Teams wanting repeatable workflows without scripting every step
Managed WordPress hosting with staging Often supplies staging, backups and provider-supported rollback workflows Less control over server configuration and provider-specific processes Sites that value operational support and frequent safe releases

Regardless of method, retain your own restorable backup and perform independent URL, email, payment and indexing checks. Automation reduces keystrokes; it does not remove the need for a rollback decision.

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Special handling by site type

Multisite

Inspect network settings and every site’s options, domain mapping, upload paths and rewrite rules. The handbook specifically identifies wp_blogs, wp_site, home, siteurl and fileupload_url as areas to examine. Log in to each site, test its media and front end, and verify that super-admin and site-admin capabilities remain correct.

Commerce, membership and community sites

Coordinate the freeze with order and registration volume. Disable or pause jobs that could run twice, record the last order or user ID on the old site, and reconcile activity captured during the delta window before shutting the old server down. Test payment callbacks, email receipts, account access and scheduled renewals rather than relying on a successful homepage load.

Low-traffic brochure sites

A short freeze and a carefully tested staging copy may be sufficient, but do not skip the database backup, URL inspection, SSL validation, forms, redirects or indexing controls. A small site can still lose leads when mail or DNS records are changed accidentally.

Common failure symptoms and recovery actions

Symptom Likely cause First action
Homepage works but internal URLs return 404 Rewrite rules or permalink configuration were not regenerated Check server rewrite support, then save Settings > Permalinks and retest representative paths.
Images or downloads are missing Incomplete uploads transfer, wrong path replacement or permissions Compare the source and destination upload trees, inspect the rendered URL and correct ownership/permissions.
Widgets, menus or plugin settings reset or break Naïve replacement damaged serialized PHP data Restore the pre-replacement database and rerun a serialization-aware search-and-replace.
Users can log in but forms or receipts fail SMTP/API credentials, callback URLs, cron or firewall rules still reference the old server Check logs, credentials, outbound mail, webhook endpoints and scheduled-job execution.
Visitors see mixed content or certificate warnings Incomplete HTTPS replacement or certificate/SNI configuration Inspect page source and browser security details, complete safe URL replacement and verify the certificate chain.
Search engines discover preview pages Missing authentication or noindex protection on staging Restrict access, restore correct production indexing directives and request removal only when appropriate.
Traffic reaches old and new servers inconsistently Resolver or CDN caching during propagation Verify records from several networks, keep both environments healthy and avoid destructive changes until traffic converges.

When is it safe to retire the old site?

Retire the old installation only after the live hostname has remained stable through the agreed observation period, new forms and transactions are arriving, logs show no migration-specific errors, crawls are clean, backups succeed and the rollback owner signs off. Archive a final backup and the DNS, server, credential-rotation and restore documentation before decommissioning. Keeping an untouched, recoverable copy until those conditions are met is the simplest protection against a migration that appears successful at first but fails when a less-common URL, job or integration is finally used.

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