How to Move Your Site to A New Host Using The Duplicator Plugin?

WordPress is indeed a wonderful tool for creating websites and blogs with a lot of possibilities.

The reason I like the WordPress so much is its plugin library.

You want to do anything; there is a WordPress plugin available for that.

Past week I was trying to move three of my websites from one hosting provider to another and I used a plugin called Duplicator for that purpose.

After using the plugin I have realized that the plugin is one of the best backup and restore plugins available in the WordPress plugin library. The migration process was seamless and the process is completed within few minutes without any problems.

Using the duplicator plugin you can do the following

  • Migrate a WordPress site from one hosting provider to another
  • Migrate a WordPress site from one domain to another
  • Clone a live WordPress site to your local computer for development
  • Backup your complete WordPress site or parts of a site

In this guide, I will tell you the exact same process I have used to migrate my sites to a new server and how you can do the same.

So let’s get started

How Does Duplicator Plugin Works?

When you install and run the duplicator plugin, it creates two files for download i.e Package and Installer.

A package is a zip file that bundles all your site’s content, themes, plugins, database, and files.

An installer is a PHP file that Duplicator creates that is used to unzip and install the package file on the new server.

There is no need to install the WordPress on the new server since the package contains all site files.

Step-By-Step Guide For Moving a WordPress Site to a New Host Using Duplicator

I have divided this guide into two easy to follow steps for better understanding. Just follow the steps to move your site to a new server.

Step 1: Create and Download the Package and Installer Files

Login to your WordPress dashboard, install the Duplicator plugin and activate it.

duplicator plugin

Now Click on Duplicator > Packages > Create new package:

creating new package

After you click on the button “create new package” duplicator will check the basic system requirements for the plugin to work properly and show you errors on the screen as shown above.

You can also filter any files that you do not want to move to the new server using Archive option available on the screen.

Now give a name to the backup file (if you want) and click on the “Next” button.

duplicator scan process

Duplicator will scan your complete site and will show you warnings (if any).

Now click on the “Build” button to create the package and installer files.

duplicator build process

After the building process is over, it will give you the package and installer files for download. Just download both the files on your computer.

backup files

Step 2: Install the Package using the Installer file to the New Server

Now we have the Package and Installer files with us. It is the time to upload them to the new server.

You can do this by using FTP.

Upload the files

Upload both package and installer files to the root directory of your domain. This is usually /username/public_html/ or /username/public_html/YourDomain.com where YourDomain.com is your domain name.

Create Database

Now create a database using the MYSQL Database Wizard available in your cPanel. Also, add a user to the database with full privilege. Don’t forget to write down the database name, database username, and password locally. These details will be required in the next step.

Cpanel MYSQL Database Wizard

At this point, we have uploaded the files to the new server and created a database for our site.

Change Nameservers

Now we’ll update the name servers of our domain name.

To do so, login to your domain control panel and there you will find the option to change the DNS name servers.

If you’re unsure how to do it, you can take the help of your domain registrar.

You are required to mention the name servers provided by your new hosting provider in the DNS name server field. Usually, the name servers look like this

ns1.yourhostname.com

ns2.yourhostname.com

This process may take up to 24 hours but mostly the changes happen within an hour.

Start the Migration Process

Now we are ready to migrate our site to the new host.

To start the migration process, you have to access the installer file that we have uploaded to the server in the previous step.

To access the file, type the following URL in your web browser.

http://www.example.com/installer.php

(Replace the example.com with your domain name)

You will now see the duplicator screen on your browser.

duplicator installer

Fill the database name, database username, and password in the available fields and press the “run deployment” button.

Now the installer will unzip all the files to the new host and your databases will be imported to the new host.

Now your site has been successfully moved to the new host. You can check it by visiting your domain name.

Final Words

Before you take the decision to move your site to a new host, make sure you buy a web hosting plan from a reliable web hosting provider.

To choose a reliable web hosting provider, you can take the help of sites that publish unbiased web hosting reviews or ask for a review on Web Hosting forums or social media platforms like Twitter.

I am sure you must have found this step-by-step guide useful.

If you run into an error during the migration process, you can ask your questions in the plugin support forum on WordPress.org.

Alternatively, you can also comment your doubts in the comment section below or try this manual method of migrating a site.

Don’t forget to share this article on your social media profiles. Keep visiting cheaperasp.net for more such useful articles.