The easiest way to move WordPress to ElySpace: ask our migration team to do it for free. You can also move it yourself with the files, the database and cPanel.
Option 1: let us move it (free)
Order your hosting, then open a ticket in the Website Migration Request department with your site's address and your current host. Our team copies the site and tells you when to switch your domain. The details, including how long the free offer applies, are in Move your website to ElySpace (free migration).
This is the best choice if you're not sure about databases and configuration files, or if you have several sites.
Option 2: move it yourself
WordPress Management on our servers has no import tool for sites on other hosts, so a do-it-yourself move is done by hand. You need access to your old host's files and database (or a backup that contains both).
Export from the old host. Download all WordPress files as a .zip (the folder with
wp-config.php,wp-contentand the rest), and export the database as a .sql file, for example with phpMyAdmin's Export.Upload the files. In cPanel's File Manager, open
public_html(or the folder of the domain), upload the .zip and extract it (see Upload files with the cPanel File Manager). Make surewp-config.phpends up directly in that folder, not in a subfolder. FTP isn't available on our shared servers, so use File Manager.Create a database. Create a new database and user with all privileges, and note the names and password (see Create a MySQL database with the Database Wizard).
Import the database. Open the new database in phpMyAdmin and import the .sql file (see Open and manage a database in phpMyAdmin). For big files, read Import a large SQL file.
Connect WordPress to the new database. In File Manager, edit
wp-config.phpand changeDB_NAME,DB_USERandDB_PASSWORDto the new values.DB_HOSTislocalhost. Don't change$table_prefix: it must match the tables you imported.Let WordPress Management find the site. Open WordPress Management and click Scan. Your site then appears in the list, with backups, updates and security tools.
Fix the address if the domain changed. If the site moved to a different domain, click the three dots on the site and choose Update Site URL, then Update. If the domain stays the same, the button stays grey and you can skip this.
Test, then switch the domain. Check the site, then point the domain to ElySpace with our nameservers (see Find your server name, IP address and nameservers). Cancel the old hosting only when everything works on ElySpace.
To test before the switch, you can add your domain and our server's IP address to the hosts file on your own computer. Only your computer then sees the new copy. Remove the line again afterwards.
Option 3: a migration plugin
Many WordPress backup and migration plugins can pack a site into one file and unpack it on the new host. Install a fresh WordPress on ElySpace first (see Install WordPress in cPanel), then follow the plugin's own guide. Check its file size limits before you start: big sites often need a paid version.
Common problems
"Error establishing a database connection"
The database name, user or password in wp-config.php doesn't match, or the user wasn't added to the database. In cPanel, database and user names start with your cPanel username and an underscore; use the full names.
The site redirects to the old address
Use Update Site URL in WordPress Management (see Change your WordPress site address (URL)).
Pages other than the homepage show 404
The .htaccess file didn't come along. See Fix posts and pages that show 404 (permalinks).
The import in phpMyAdmin stops
The file is too big for one upload. See Import a large SQL file, or ask our migration team.
Related articles
- Move your website to ElySpace (free migration)
- Back up and restore a WordPress site
- Point a domain from GoDaddy or another registrar
Still stuck? Open a support ticket and we'll help.
