How to Migrate a WordPress Site to a New Host Without Downtime

Moving a WordPress site to a new host sounds risky, and it is — if you do it in the wrong order. Cancel the old hosting first, and your site goes dark while you scramble. Do it the other way round, and your visitors never notice a thing: the new host gets a full copy, you test it properly, and only then do you point the domain at it.

This guide walks through that order step by step. It works whether you are leaving a host whose renewal price jumped, moving to a faster plan, or consolidating sites onto one account. No command line is needed if you use a migration plugin, and the manual route is covered too.

The one rule that prevents downtime

Never cancel the old hosting until the new site is live and checked. Your old host stays the live site while you build the copy. The domain only moves at the very end, and even then the old host stays paid up for a week or two as a safety net. Every step below follows from that rule.

Two more things before you start. First, pick a quiet moment — a migration on a Tuesday morning beats one on a Friday night when support is slow and your store is taking orders. Second, lower your domain's TTL (time to live) to 300 seconds at least 24 hours before the move, if your DNS provider allows it. A low TTL means the DNS change spreads faster.

Step 1: Back up everything — files and database

A WordPress site is two things: files (themes, plugins, uploads) and a database (posts, pages, settings, users). A backup that only covers one of them is not a backup. Before you touch anything, make a full copy of both and download it to your own computer.

The easiest way is a backup plugin. UpdraftPlus is the common choice: install it, run a full backup, and download the backup files. A backup you hold yourself is the one you can rely on.

Check the backup actually contains what you think it does. Open the downloaded archive and confirm it has the wp-content folder and a database file.

Step 2: Set up the new host and install a fresh WordPress

Buy the new plan and install a clean WordPress on it, exactly as you would for a new site. If you are moving to Hostinger, our guide to installing WordPress on Hostinger covers the clicks. Do not install your theme or plugins yet, and do not write any content on the fresh install — it is about to be replaced by your real site.

While you are here, note the new host's nameservers or DNS settings, and find the temporary URL or preview address it gives you. You will need that address in Step 4 to test the copy before the domain moves. Some hosts give you a temporary subdomain; others let you preview by editing your computer's hosts file. Either way works.

Step 3: Copy the site — plugin method or manual method

There are two ways to move the copy across. The plugin method is faster for most people; the manual method gives you full control.

Plugin method. Install a migration plugin such as Duplicator, All-in-One WP Migration, or Migrate Guru on the old site and follow its export steps. The plugin packages your files and database into one archive. Then install the same plugin on the fresh WordPress at the new host and import the archive — it rewrites the site URL in the database as part of the import. Free versions have size limits, so check your site's size first.

Manual method. Download the whole site with an FTP client or your host's file manager. Then export the database from phpMyAdmin on the old host. At the new host, upload the files, create a new empty database, import the database file, and edit wp-config.php with the new database name, username, and password. Finally, update the site URL in the database's wp_options table, or add two lines to wp-config.php defining WP_HOME and WP_SITEURL with the new address. The manual route takes longer, but there are no size limits and nothing to pay for.

Whichever method you use, the result is the same: a complete copy of your site sitting on the new host, not yet receiving any traffic.

Step 4: Test the copy before anyone else sees it

This is the step people skip, and it is the step that saves you. Open the copy on its temporary URL and click through it like a visitor: homepage, a few posts, a page with images, the contact form, the checkout if you run a store. Log in to the admin area and check that plugins are active and settings survived the move.

Common things to catch here: images pointing at the old domain, a plugin that needs reactivating, a contact form that cannot send mail from the new server, and mixed-content warnings where the site loads over http instead of https. Fix them now, while the live site is still safely on the old host.

Also check SSL on the new host. Most hosts issue a free certificate automatically, but it sometimes needs the domain to be pointed at the new server before it activates. If the padlock does not appear on the temporary URL, check the host's SSL section and confirm the certificate will be ready when the domain moves.

Step 5: Switch the DNS and wait for propagation

Once the copy is tested, point the domain at the new host. That usually means changing the nameservers at your domain registrar to the ones your new host gave you, or updating the A record to the new server's IP address. Nameserver changes are the simpler option for most people.

DNS changes do not happen everywhere at once. Propagation typically takes a few hours and can take up to 48 hours, which is why you lowered the TTL earlier. During that window, some visitors reach the old host and some reach the new one — and because both hosts now hold the same site, nobody sees an error.

To check progress, use a DNS checker tool and look at the nameservers or A record from several locations. When the new values show up everywhere, the move is done. Clear your browser cache before you declare it finished.

Step 6: Keep the old host for a week, then cancel

Do not cancel the old plan the same day. Keep it for at least a week. In that week, watch for the problems that only show up under real traffic: a form that worked in testing but fails on a real submission, an email address that stops receiving, a scheduled post that does not publish. If anything breaks badly, you can point DNS back to the old host in minutes while you fix it.

After a week of clean running, cancel the old plan. Before you do, check that nothing still depends on it: email accounts, subdomains, or a staging copy you forgot about. And keep that backup from Step 1 somewhere safe.

Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)

• Cancelling the old host first. The site goes down, and you are rebuilding under pressure. Keep it live until the new copy is proven.
• Moving only the files. Without the database, you have a theme and some images, not a site.
• Skipping the test. A copy you never opened is a copy you have not verified. Click through it before switching DNS.
• Forgetting email. If your email lives on the old host, moving the website does not move the mailboxes. Check where your MX records point and move email deliberately, not by accident.
• Switching DNS on a Friday evening. If something breaks, you want support awake and your schedule clear.
• Leaving the TTL high. A 24-hour TTL means a bad DNS change takes a day to undo. Lower it before the move.

Frequently asked questions

How long does a WordPress migration take?

The copy itself usually takes under an hour for a small site, longer for a media-heavy one. DNS propagation adds a few hours on top, and the safe window — keeping the old host live for a week afterwards — is what makes the whole move risk-free. Plan the work for one quiet morning, not a whole weekend.

Will my site go down during migration?

Not if you follow the order in this guide. The old host keeps serving the live site while you build and test the copy, and DNS only moves once the new copy is proven.

Do I need a migration plugin?

No, but it makes the job easier. A plugin packages files and database into one archive and rewrites the site URL for you. The manual route — FTP plus a phpMyAdmin export — works just as well and has no size limits, but it takes longer and needs more care with the database.

What happens to my email when I move hosts?

Only if you move it. Website hosting and email are separate services. If your mailboxes are on the old host, check your MX records and move them to the new host or a dedicated email provider before cancelling.

Can my new host migrate the site for me?

Most hosts offer free migration, either done by their team or through a free plugin. Ask support what their migration covers before you start — some services move the site but not the email.

What if something breaks after the DNS switch?

Point DNS back to the old host. That is why you keep the old plan for a week — the old copy is still there, so your live site is back in minutes while you fix the new host.